Discover the attractions of some of Britain’s finest beaches

Charmouth has a beautiful shingle beach, backed by cliffs that glow gold as the sun sets. It’s also filled with history – quite literally. The beach lies on the 95-mile South-West Coast Path known as the Jurassic Coast because of the 200 million years’ worth of fossils held within its cliffs.
It was granted World Heritage Site status in 2001, and after a storm you’re likely to find your own fossils lying around, which you’re entitled to take home.
But you don’t have to keep your eyes glued to the rocks. Frequent visitor, the late author Jane Austen found it to be a lovely spot for “sitting in unwearied contemplation”.

WHERE TO STAY
Wood Farm Caravan Park Axminster Road, Charmouth, Dorset. Tel 01297 560697
Web www.woodfarm.co.uk
Open 1 April-31 October

Imagine a beach where to the left and right the sand stretches as far as the eye can see: on one side there’s rolling surf and on the other are sand dunes topped with marram grass. This is Rhossili beach which, at low tide, can stretch over 100m from dune to water’s edge.
This unspoilt beach is popular with surfers and also provides a flat surface for games of pétanques. You could also walk the length of the beach to the unusual rock formations and blow hole at Worms Head. At dusk, you can watch from the beach as the sun appears to slip into the sea.
Llangennith, the nearest village, is a mile inland and has a pub, a church, a post office and a surf shop. Further inland, Rhossili Down offers the chance of great walks, with views over the Gower Peninsula.

WHERE TO STAY
Noble Court Holiday Park Redstone Rd, Narberth, Pembrokeshire. Tel 01834 861908. Web www.noblecourtholidaypark.com Open 6 March-31 October

There’s no sand and the sea is rarely blue, but there’s something very English about Brighton beach, with its pebbles and parallel groynes.
The promenade is great for roller blading and Brighton Pier is full of fairground attractions. When the pebbles begin to reshape your rear, you can hire a deck chair, or take a seat in one of the many beach-front bars which owe their buzz to Brighton’s friendly village feel.
When you’ve had your fill of people-watching, do some fancy shopping in The Lanes, or visit the aquarium. And you must see the onion-domed Royal Pavilion – the former holiday home of Queen Victoria. This peculiar palace looks Indian outside and Chinese inside.

WHERE TO STAY
Sheepcote Valley Caravan Club Site East Brighton Park, Brighton. Tel 01273 626546 Web www.thecaravanclub.co.uk Open All year

Hastings is Brighton’s quieter twin. It has a pebble beach and a town centre filled with grand Georgian squares and terraces.
The unassuming beach earns an unexpected place on the list by being the only one in Britain where a shipping fleet launches directly from it. You can wander around the colourful boats with their florid names, looking at their stacks of nets and floats. Behind the boats are tall buildings resembling two- or three-storey garden sheds – these were the net huts where fishermen used to hang their nets to dry. A market is open daily in summer selling freshly caught crab, plaice and sole.
Seven miles down the road is Battle, where the Battle of Hastings was fought. It is now an English Heritage site that brings to life the events of 1066.

WHERE TO STAY
Black Horse Farm Caravan Club Site 385 Canterbury Road, Densole, Folkestone. Tel 01303 892665 Web www.thecaravanclub.co.uk Open all year

Cornwall’s fantastic coastline is justly famous – so much so that it’s difficult to choose which bit to include here. It’s all blue sea and white sand and, more often than not, great surf. Godrevy beach has all this as well as rock pools, which are great fun for kids to explore.
You might be lucky enough to spot seals near the gleaming white lighthouse on the small island at one end of the beach, and across the bay you can see the small town of St Ives.
If you can bear to tear yourself away from the soft sands, you can explore Cornwall’s artistic legacy at either the Tate or the Barbara Hepworth museum, both in St Ives, while green-fingered gardening enthusiasts will be spoilt for choice with the Lost Gardens of Heligan and the Eden Project, both within an hour’s drive.

WHERE TO STAY
Polmanter Touring Park Halsetown, St Ives, Cornwall. Tel 01736 795 640 Web www.polmanter.co.uk Open 1 April-31 Oct

Norfolk’s beautiful beaches are one of Britain’s best-kept secrets, which seems odd given their size: they’re long and wide and flat with a sense of endless space.
Holkham beach in north Norfolk is three miles long and up to half-a-mile deep at low tide, so it’s quite a trek to reach the sea. The quality of the sand is ideal for building sandcastles, and don’t forget your binoculars because this is one of the best sites in Britain for birdwatching, with over 300 different species to look out for. If you’re out of bed early enough, you could even be treated to the spectacular sight of 50,000 pink-footed geese flying from their roosts to their feeding grounds.
An unusual fact is that Norfolk has more churches than any other county in the UK. Carved angels and gargoyles are a speciality.

WHERE TO STAY
The Garden Caravan Site Barmer Hall, Syderstone, Norfolk. Tel 01485 578220. Web www.gardencaravansite.co.uk Open 1 March-1 October

Every rumour you have ever heard about Blackpool is true: you really can buy ‘kiss-me-quick’ hats; and there are donkey rides on the beach, and bungee jumping off the pier. Blackpool is not everyone’s cup of tea, but if you embrace its boldness, you will have a ball.
If you dare, the best view of the beach is from the top of the Pepsi Big One roller coaster at Blackpool’s Pleasure Beach. Also, at the Pleasure Beach you can take a tram-ride along the sea-front. The trams are more than just a tourist attraction, they’re also an integral part of Blackpool’s public transport system. Hop off at Central Pier for more traditional fairground amusement, with rifle ranges and coconut shies.

WHERE TO STAY
Abbey Farm Caravan Park Dark Lane, Ormskirk, Lancs. Tel 01695 572 686. Web www.abbeyfarmcaravanpark.co.uk Open All year

Red, blue, green, yellow and pink beach huts run the length of Whitby’s beach. Maybe it’s their bright colours, or maybe it’s the town itself, but there’s something about Whitby beach that makes it a welcoming place. It’s shallow enough for the most cautious paddler and the sea is warm enough to swim in until September.
The town itself is full of charm, with narrow cobbled streets with names such as Flowergate, and Loggerheads Yard. St Mary’s churchyard features in Bram Stoker’s Dracula, while museums and statues attest to the fact that the great explorer, Captain Cook, was once apprenticed to a Whitby shipping firm.
The town is overlooked by the gaunt ruins of the Benedictine hilltop abbey – and it’s worth making the climb to explore it.

WHERE TO STAY
Spring Willows Touring Park Main Rd, Staxton, Scarborough, N Yorkshire. Tel 01723 891505 Web www.springwillows.co.uk Open 1 March-10 November

The Scottish coastline is full of intimate coves and expanses of white, sandy beach. One of these, Balmedie, is long and wide with dunes creating many private areas which are just perfect for sunbathing. It’s equally good for a scenic stroll down to the nature reserve at Forvie Sands where you can spot all manner of birdlife. Facilities are good, with free parking, toilets and wooden walkways across the sands.
To the south is the city of Aberdeen where you might spot a pod of bottlenose dolphins swimming outside the harbour. Aberdeen is sometimes known as the ‘City of Roses’: over 12,000 of them grow in its parks, gardens and central reservations, enveloping the city in their heady scent.

WHERE TO STAY
The Invercauld Caravan Club Site Glenshee Road, Braemar, Ballater, Aberdeenshire Tel 01339 741373 Web www.thecaravanclub.co.uk Open Mid-December to mid-October

One of the most dramatic and remote beaches in Britain is Bamburgh in Northumberland. Miles of flat sandy beaches look out towards the holy island of Lindisfarne, and the rest of the Farne Islands. There are sand dunes and rock pools, but best of all is a basalt outcrop with a fully restored castle built right on top. Bamburgh Castle, open to the public, has a magnificent hall dating from the 19th century, some fantastic medieval stone work and a creepy dungeon, complete with life size models.

WHERE TO STAY
Ord House Country Park East Ord, Berwick-upon-Tweed, Northumberland. Tel 01289 305288. Web www.ordhouse.co.uk Open All year