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As soon as the sun comes out, we Brits simply can’t get enough of the seaside. And one of the perks of living on such a small island is that none of us have to travel very far to find it.
But with around 1,500 beaches to choose from – some pebbled, others sandy, some remote, others on the edge of bustling towns – how do you know which one to head for? That’s where we come in. Time Out’s writers and editors have spent a lot of time exploring the UK’s coastline, from the far corners of Scotland and all the way down to the Devon. Now, we’ve put together a guide to our absolute favourites.
Whether you’re a lay on a towel all day kind of beachgoer, a walk as far down the shoreline as you can kind of beachgoer or a clamber around the rock pools beachgoer, the UK has a perfect bay for you. Here are the 20 finest, mapped.
Read more about Time Out’s best beaches in the UK here.
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The 20 best beaches in the UK, mapped
With its ‘cream sand, a whitewashed lighthouse, dunes scattered with wildflowers, a pine tree backdrop and silhouettes of Eryri National Park’s peaks’, we crowned Traeth Llanddwyn on the Welsh island of Anglesey the best beach in the country. The Welsh coast is a criminally underrated part of the UK, and we put three more of the nation’s beaches on our list to prove it.
Mwnt in Ceredigion, one of the best places in Britain for dolphin-spotting, came in ninth place; the award-winning Barafundle Bay came in Pembrokeshire ranked 11th and the ‘breathtaking’ Rhossili Bay on the Gower placed 18th.
Up in Scotland, the remote Camusdarach Beach made the cut for its clean sand, clear blue waters and dramatic jagged rocks while St Andrews West Sands (which famously featured in Chariots of Fire) is one of our favourites for its two-mile stretch of golden sand and being a short stroll from the town’s cobbled streets.
Portstewart Strand in Northern Ireland ranked 11th and, as one of the last places in Ireland where cars are still allowed to drive straight onto the beach, is perfect for family picnics. Looking across to the northeast of England, Alnmouth Beach came in at number eight.
Heading down further south, there’s Holkham Beach in Norfolk, which came 13th for feeling a million miles away from civilisation and there’s Southwold Beach in Suffolk (17th place) which is a great place to head after mooching through the trendy town.
Further south still, Cuckmere Haven claimed second place for its ‘movie-worthy views, Camber Sands near Rye snatched tenth place, Sunny Sands in Folkestone came 15th and the pebbled Brighton Beach landed in 16th.
Finally, you can’t talk about the finest beaches in Britain without talking about the southwest. In our guide, the region’s highest-ranked beach is Blackpool Sands in Devon where you’ll find a ‘spotlessly clean coastline despite a high number of visitors’. It scooped up third place.
The more urban Weymouth Beach in Dorset ranked fifth thanks to its ‘serious buzz’ and lively promenade while Watergate Bay and Kynance Cove in Cornwall came sixth and seventh respectively. The former for its world-famous waves, the latter for its rock pools and mysterious caves. Epic Chesil Beach landed in 19th place and Durdle Door and Lulworth Cove came 20th.
🏖️ Read more about the UK’s 40 finest beaches here.
Plus: The UK’s best seaside towns, mapped.
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