In Canada, a visit to the beach doesn't just mean ice cream, basking in the sun and a bracing dip in the ocean.
If you're lucky, it might also include a bear encounter, a windswept walk amid driftwood and a chance to lob a snowball rather than a pebble into the surf.
Depending on where you are, the incoming ocean tide won't necessarily destroy your sandcastles. With only six of Canada's 13 provinces and territories enjoying ice-free access to open ocean, many of the nation's sandiest beaches abut large freshwater lakes.
Narrow down your waterside options with our guide to the best beaches across Canada.
Best beach for wilderness
With a reputation for tempestuous weather and tricky access, northern Vancouver Island in British Columbia excels in wild, lonesome beaches. The 1.6-mile (2.5km) trail to San Josef Bay starts at the end of a 43-mile (70km) unpaved logging road from Port Hardy. When the forest finally parts, you'll be delivered onto a windswept expanse of crashing surf and forested sea stacks where bushes and trees have been contorted by fierce Pacific storms.
Planning tip: Bring a tent and binoculars. You can camp right on the smooth sandy beach and spy on the resident wildlife, including eagles and ospreys.
Best beach for avoiding the crowds
The huge, dune-rimmed beach at Stanhope, on the north shore of Prince Edward Island, sees far fewer tourists than neighbors like Cavendish Beach. For a quiet ramble, free of bustle and bounding dogs, head to the boardwalk that traverses the park's marram-grass dunes, an important nesting site for the piping plover.
Continue west, and you'll encounter the Covehead Harbour Lighthouse, a white clapboard structure that exudes PEI charm. Track east, and you'll end up at Dalvay by the Sea, a handsome Queen Anne revival-style hotel built in 1895.
Best beach for swimming
Canada may be less known for its beaches than for its stupendous national parks or cosmopolitan cities, but it can legitimately claim to possess the longest freshwater beach in the world.
Wasaga Beach, in the Ontario town of the same name, is an 8.7-mile-long (14km) expanse of soft sand that kisses the shores of Georgian Bay in Lake Huron. The beach is part of a provincial park, meaning it's equipped with trails and opportunities to spot owls and woodpeckers. Since this is the closest full-fledged beach resort to Toronto, thousands of visitors pile in every summer, and the elongated strip can get rowdy.
Planning tip: The sand is split into six zones. Areas 1 and 2 are the most heavily trafficked, 5 is best for families, and 6 is the one to go to if you are looking for some space. All have warm, shallow water that's safe for swimming.
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Maybe it’s the nation’s glut of centuries-old cellars and tunnels. Or perhaps it’s the world-class bar scene, which led the way with speakeasy-style drinking dens when they were trending a few years back. Either way, the UK today is full of quirky places to say ‘cheers’ at a subterranean level. Whether your preferred tipple is wine, beer, whisky or a mixologist-crafted cocktail, these celebrated bars from London to Edinburgh will serve it to you amid atmospheric underground vibes.
Puglia embodies everything that is seductive about southern Italy: rolling countryside blanketed in almond and olive groves, luridly turquoise beaches, snug whitewashed villages, and long, lazy lunches washed down with prized local vino.
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In the summer months, Tarr Steps heaves with families and visitors who come to cross the medieval clapper bridge that spans the River Barle. But in winter the woodland is tranquil, with lovely walks to the picturesque village of Dulverton. The Tarr Farm Inn – set right by the Steps – dates back to the 1600s, with nine comfortable rooms that come with fluffy bathrobes and Egyptian cotton, and homemade biscuits and fresh milk on the tea tray. Settle in for hearty dinners of chermoula-spiced scallops and a rack of Somerset lamb, with cream teas available until 5pm each day as a reward for a hearty walk. Doubles from £90 B&B; tarrfarm.co.uk
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The eighth-largest country on Earth, Argentina encompasses everything from pancake-flat grasslands to sky-high mountains, humid wetlands to frigid ice fields, emerald forests to rugged coastlines.
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