1. Barafundle Bay beach
Just choosing one Welsh beach location is to risk insulting this country's stunning coastline, so we'll make it a good one. Barafundle Bay on the Pembrokeshire coast is spellbinding. You have to walk along a cliff path from nearby Stackpole Quay and through a stone archway to find it, but once you do, you'll feel you've passed through some sort of mythical, mind-cleansing portal.
2. Bamburgh beach
A good beach needs some element of drama, and they don't come much more dramatic than towering Bamburgh Castle looming from its craggy perch above the Northumberland coast. More drama is close by at Holy Island, accessed by a low-tide causeway leading to ancient Lindisfarne Priory and more deserted, golden beaches.
3. Camber Sands beach
Hidden behind a mountain of golden dunes, Camber Sands in East Sussex is a windswept expanse of soft, sandy beach that stretches for seven miles and boasts a half-a-mile width at low tide. Come here for a sunset stroll in the surf, hide behind a windbreak, ride your horse, fly a kite, or act out your 'Lawrence of Arabia' fantasy at the quieter western end of the beach
On the north coast of Norfolk, a few miles east of Holkham, are Blakeney and Cley-next-the-Sea, connected by a three-mile sand-and-shingle spit. From here venture out to observe the seals at Blakeney Point, and windswept marshes, sea and sand as far as the eye can see.
5. Littlehampton beach
In their singular obsession with the South of France and the Greek islands, British holidaymakers are quick to forget that they live on an island of their own, and that its coastline shelters some of the most attractive beaches in the world. Just choosing one Welsh beach location is to risk insulting this country's stunning coastline, so we'll make it a good one. With not one but two fabulous beach cafés designed by leading British architects-- the West Beach Café by Asif Khan and the undulating, sculptural East Beach Café by Thomas Heatherwick-- Littlehampton is fast becoming a foodie haven. Once you've eaten your fill of the excellent fish and chips at the former or more sophisticated dishes at the latter, you can enjoy one of the south coast's quietest beaches.
With not one but two fabulous beach cafés designed by leading British architects-- the West Beach Café by Asif Khan and the undulating, sculptural East Beach Café by Thomas Heatherwick-- Littlehampton is fast becoming a foodie haven. Once you've eaten your fill of the excellent fish and chips at the former or more sophisticated dishes at the latter, you can enjoy one of the south coast's quietest beaches. Head out of town to explore Rick Mather's much-lauded new Towner Gallery in nearby Eastbourne.