Having been adventuring across the UK for over four years and well over 450 nights in our VW campervan, we have been fortunate to visit a wide variety of beaches around our wonderful island. But if we had to distill it down, which would make it into our top ten?
We appreciate that beach preferences are a purely individual choice, with some people preferring busy, easily accessible, well serviced beaches and others wanting wild and desolate affairs. We personally like a bit of both, and have chosen 10 different beaches that we fell in love with during our travels and would absolutely revisit at a moments notice.
Sandwood Bay- NW Scottish Coast. Possibly one of the remotest and most desolate beaches we have ever visited. Just south of the northern most tip of Cape Wrath, Sandwood Bay takes commitment to visit. A 4 mile trek across wild and often boggy moorland will bring you to the most unbelievable sweep of golden sand and towering dunes. When we visited, we didn’t see a soul for miles, and had to hunker down in the dunes as a flash storm hit for 20 minutes. Be warned, this is truly wild and desolate, there is no place to hide, and no help for miles if you encounter any problems. There is also no phone signal, even back at the car! Park at Blairmore and be prepared for a long, yet exhilarating day- the effort is worth it.
Hushinis beach- Isle of Harris. To visit this collection of beaches does take a bit of preplanning and lots of driving. Situated on the far west coast of Harris, you need to follow a 10 mile single track road from Tarbett, along a thin peninsula until you run out of road! You will pass ruined whaling stations, majestic castles and herds of highland coo’s before you reach the impressively equipped Hushinis community centre, overlooking the pure white corral sands of Hushinis beach and dunes. Wild camping is tolerated here, with the community facility providing toilets, showers, fresh water and emergency shelter in case of emergencies. If you fancy a trek around the peninsula, there are even more desolate, and possibly more impressive stretches of beach at Mheilein and Loch Crabhadail.
Constantine and Booby’s Bay- North Cornish coast. Situated just south of Trevose Head, on the wild Atlantic coast, these interlinked beaches are amazing at any time of the year. They are renowned surfing beaches, and as such demand respect. Both are prone to dangerous rip tides that really do need lifeguard support. Never ignore a red flag warning in this location. Out of the two, Booby’s probably is our favourite spot, as it is more sheltered by the rock formations for lazy day picnics. The downside however is that the beach has to close each day, a few hours either side of high tide as the water hits the rocks and the beach is lost.
Newborough beach- Anglesey. Such a diverse beach that seems to have it all, including spectacular views over the Menai straights to the Snowdonian mountain range. It is so accessible via the large public car park, and then just a short stroll through the dunes to a wide arc of golden sand. Head north up the beach and you will find the tiny island of Llanddwyn Island to explore. When the tide is low, its just a short walk across the sand to the island, which was once home to a small fishing community. The fisherman’s cottages remain as well as a beautifully maintained light house.
Luskentire and Horgabost- Isle of Harris. Beautiful white sands that go on forever, crystal blue seas that challenge the worlds best beaches and normally not a soul to see…if heaven was a place on earth, it would probably be here. It takes a bit of a drive to get there, and the weather is always fickle, but when it is good, it has to be one of the worlds best beaches. The added bonus is that you can camp in the dunes at the cracking Horgabost campsite and witness the most stunning sunsets direct from your van.
Holkham beach- Norfolk. I think that it is fair to say that Holkham is a very different experience to the rest of out top 10. It just feels different- maybe because we have not really explored this Eastern coast, or the fact that it feels a more boaty/sailing vibe. It is however beautiful, and a great place to spend a lazy day with a picnic. Located just north of Wells-next-the-sea, which in its self is a great base to explore this wonderful part of the world.
Cliff Machair/ Kneep beach- Isle of Lewis. Situated on a tiny peninsula off the NW tip of Lewis lies two closely linked beaches with very different facilities. If you fancy a bit of relative luxury (running water and toilets), Kneep has a big campsite right on the beach and is a perfect place to spend a few days after the long journey to get here. It feels like the end of the world- it is so isolated. However, if the relative crowds of the campsite are too much for you, the wilderness of Cliff beach is only 1km away, tucked away around the headland. Here you can wild camp with consent, with the beachfront operating on a voluntary donation basis. The couple of nights that we spent here were so memorable, lazy days swimming, beach combing and lazing. The nights spent around the campfire watching the sun set- happy days!
Towyn beach- Pwllheli North Wales. A secret spot hidden away on the north coast of the Llynn peninsula. Again it has a campsite right next to the beach on a working farm. The main beach is a perfect cove of golden sand, but head east along the coast and there are numerous tiny coves that are ideal for secluded swimming and sunbathing. The nature of these tiny coves make them ideal sunspots and natural wind breaks for relaxing days on the beach.
Fistral beach- Newquay, Cornwall. One of the epicentres of the UK commercial surfing scene, Fistral is walking distance from the town centre and can get rammed in the summer months. If you are after a quiet beach experience, this is not for you. However, if you want to spend the day at the beach, people watching and having a go at surfing, you could not get a better place to be. It has a fantastic beach pavilion that has food, shops, toilets and hot showers! It is about as far from nature as you can get, yet its appeal is strangely magnetic and we always feel drawn to the place when we are in the area.
Sandsend to Whitby beach- North Yorkshire. There is something about the North Yorkshire coast and Yorkshire folk...we just love it! This stretch of beach has something for everyone, from the donkeys and fish and chips at Whitby, heading north to the quieter and possibly a little more upmarket Sandsend, where its more fish tacos than fish and chips. We both share this stretch of coast as a favourite place from our childhood.
So there you have it, our top 10 UK beach destinations from our recent travels. We know there are so many more options out there, and cannot wait to get out and find them in our early retirement adventures. Let us know what you think of our choices and drop us a line on what beaches would make your top 10.
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