Beach Blog

Scotland has some excellent coastal walking routes, from short paths between fishing villages to longer walks across open countryside and remote beaches. There are routes along the Fife Coastal Path, around the Moray Firth, through the Highlands and across several Scottish islands.

Suffolk has plenty of beaches where you can enjoy a day out with your dog. From the sandy shores of Southwold and Walberswick to the quieter shingle beaches around Dunwich and Aldeburgh, there are coastal walks for every season.

A holiday by the sea doesn't have to involve warm weather, swimming or spending the day on the beach. Winter can be a great time to visit the UK coast, especially if you enjoy walking, exploring seaside towns and visiting places that are much busier during summer.

Dorset has plenty of seaside towns worth visiting for a weekend, from the sandy beaches of Weymouth and Swanage to the historic harbour at Lyme Regis. Some have busy seafronts with shops, pubs and restaurants, while others are smaller places where you can spend most of your time walking along the coast.

Autumn is a good time to visit the English coast if you prefer walking, quieter beaches and towns that still have plenty going on after the main summer season. The weather is cooler, many coastal paths are more comfortable to tackle, and several beaches relax their seasonal dog restrictions from October.

Wales offers hundreds of miles of coastal walking, with routes passing beaches, cliffs, harbours, estuaries and seaside towns. Some walks take most of the day, while others can be completed in a couple of hours.

Some of the best sea views in the UK are reached on foot. You don't need to complete an entire long-distance trail either. Routes such as the South West Coast Path, Wales Coast Path and Cleveland Way can be broken into manageable sections, with many starting or finishing in coastal towns and villages.

Northumberland is one of the easiest parts of the English coast to explore with a dog. Most of its beaches welcome dogs throughout the year, so there are plenty of choices even during the main summer season.

South Devon has a particularly good mix of beaches for families. There are large sandy beaches with lifeguards and plenty of facilities, smaller coves for rock pooling, and beaches where children can try surfing, paddleboarding or kayaking.

The UK has surf beaches for every level, from sheltered bays with gentle beginner waves to powerful reef breaks that require experience, local knowledge and the right conditions. Cornwall and Devon have the biggest concentration of well-known surf beaches, but Wales, Yorkshire, Ireland and Scotland also have serious surf spots.