A guide to Britain's most beautiful beaches.

Achmelvich Bay

North-west Scotland’s best kept secret is the beautiful sheltered shore of Achmelvich Bay, near Lochinver. Dominated by Suliven, a curiously dome shaped mountain, this lovely white sand beach offers activities such as canoeing sailing and walking. There’s also a good ranger hut for information. The beach slopes gently into the sea, which is an azure colour due to the unique sand made up of finely ground shells. Find out more here.

Past times

Southwold is the ultimate sleepy seaside town with chocolate-box houses, a candy-striped lighthouse and 1950s-style corner shops. The recent makeover of Southwold’s traditional pier is a distinct bonus and now has a restaurant, cafe and a collection of automaton including a mechanical dog that kids can walk, and a walk-in Bathoscope that gives you the impression of an undersea adventure. Buy some crab lines and head to the harbour with your bucket and strips of bacon. In August you can even take part in the annual crabbing festival. For more info about Southwold click here.

Buckets of fun

Ramsgate Main Sands is a great family beach with plenty of attractions for children to enjoy. Just opposite the seafront is Play Bay an excellent cafe and play area for kids with a disco room, slides and climbing slopes and cheap and cheerful toddler-friendly food. There are enjoyable coastal walks/cycle rides to Broadsands and the Pegwell Bay nature reserve, as well as the historic seafront with its shipshape Maritime Museum and the Royal Marina. The Oak Hotel has a nice seafood restaurant, too. The beach is a great place for buckets and spaces, kite flying and sports. Click here for details.

Award-winner

Bournemouth Beach has won six Seaside Awards for its exceptional sands including Alum Chine, Durley Chine, Southbourne, Fisherman’s Walk, Bournemouth Pier and Boscombe Pier. Each beach has been commended for standards of cleanliness, accessibility, dog control, facilities, maintenance, information and, most importantly, safety. There are several colour-coded zones and children are issued with .wristbands to ensure they do not stray from their family groups and a seafront train links all the beaches. Find out more about visiting Bournemouth Beach

Something wild

South west of Swansea on the Gower Peninsula, you can escape the crowds at Oxwich Bay, a half moon of yellow sand flanked by Port Eynon and The Mumbles. From the sleepy village of Oxwich it’s a short hop to the beach where there are rocky outcrops laden with mussels and sweeping sands that go on for miles. The area is a national nature reserve, made up of rolling sand dunes with accessible boardwalks for visitors, salt marshes, woods and cliffs. Families can enjoy stunning walks along the headland or along the beach at low tide when the remains of ancient shipwrecks are clearly visible. Visit explore-gower.co.uk for more info.

Squirreled away

Formby lies just north of Liverpool and its beautiful National Trust site consists of miles of rolling sand dunes and pinewoods including a sanctuary for the endangered red squirrel. There’s a lively guided walks programme, a children’s quiz/trail and you can search for 5,000-year-old deer footprints on the beach. Visit The National Trust for more information.

Find out more

• Visit the Marine Conservation Society, which is celebrating 25 years of caring for our coastline by asking people to record their favourite memories of seaside breaks. Its annual Good Beach Guide tests water quality as well as listing facilities and activities at each destination.
• keepscotlandbeautiful.org provides a good beach guide north of the border.
• qualitycoast.org allows you to search for beaches that are best for paddling, good news when you’ve a toddler in tow.

Good beach checklist

• Are there litterbins, recycling bins and a daily beach clean in operation during the bathing season?
• Is there safe access to the beach?
• Is there transportation to the beach area?
• Are beach guards on duty in season and/or are there sufficient lifesaving and first aid facilities?
• Is there access to a telephone?

Feature courtesy of Jump magazine.