The best beach in southern England is less than 90 minutes from London

It’s easy to forget that London isn’t actually that far from the coast. It is never too difficult to leave the city, breathe in fresh salt air, go for a sea dip, eat some proper seaside fish and chips and comfortably be back before the sun goes down. 

In fact, us Londoners are spoiled for choice when it comes to beaches that are within easy reach of the capital. So it’s nice to have a helping hand when deciding which one to head to. At Time Out, we’ve got our own expert opinions on which beaches near London are the greatest of them all. But we’re not opposed to seeing what others have got to say. And this week, the Times named one beach within an hour and a half of the city one of the best in the whole country. 

Over 12 months, Chris Haslam, the paper’s chief travel writer, visited 756 beaches and 51 resorts across the British Isles. He judged each and every one based on their views, water quality, facilities and general vibes to come up with a list of the 50 best British beaches and a winner for each region of the UK. 

According to the Times, Milford on Sea in Hampshire is south England’s best bit of coastline. The paper said that you get ‘four gorgeous beaches’ at Milford on Sea. The ‘most dramatic’, it says, is the shingle bank beach that runs from the village to Hurst Castle, then there’s Hordle Cliff West with its pretty rows of beach huts. But it says that the best beach of the four is at Taddiford Gap where ‘a short walk along a footpath brings you to a grassy cliff and a quiet stretch of shingle with the best views of the Needles’. 

The water quality there is rated excellent, and the beach is accessible and dog-friendly with loos and beachside eateries Needles Eye Cafe and the art deco Lighthouse Restaurant. The best bit, though, is that you can get there from London via a quick hour and a half train ride. 

All you have to do to enjoy Milford on Sea for yourself is to hop on a South Western Railway train from Clapham Junction. The quickest service will get you there in an hour and 29 minutes, with single journeys starting from £19. 

The rest of the Times’s best beaches in the south of England were Margate (also an hour and a half from London), Norman’s Bay (around two hours away), Newhaven West (just over two hours), Selsey (just over one hour), Southbourne (an hour and 45 minutes) and Hive Beach (between two and a half and three and a half hours away). 

Read the full article on the Times website here.

Want even more? Discover Time Out’s best beaches in the whole of the UK.