The best beaches in the UK

21.07.2023 - 07:47 / roughguides.com / Antony Gormley

This little island in the Atlantic has some big beach game. From the southern coast of England to the northern reaches of Scotland, these are the best beaches in the UK.

The Isles of Scilly have many beautiful beaches, but Pelistry Bay on St Mary’s has to be one of the loveliest, making it one of the best beaches in the UK. Unspoilt, sandy and secluded, the beach has teeming rock pools and is connected at low tide to rocky Toll’s Island. There’s also a great café nearby, called Carn Vean Café.

Pelistry beach, St. Mary’s, Isles of Scilly © Stephen Rees/Shutterstock

North of the busy urban sprawl of Liverpool, Crosby Beach is worth a visit for its controversial sculptures, Another Place, by Antony Gormley. Cast iron figures of Gormley’s own body look out to sea and appear and disappear beneath the waters with the ebb and flow of the tide, and are dotted about over 2 miles of the beach – a spooky but beautiful sight.

Crosby Beach of four of the figures which make up Another Place, an installation of one hundred iron figures created by Antony Gormley © Jason Wells/Shutterstock

Famous Porthcurno beach lies close to England’s westernmost portion of land, Land’s End. On a (admittedly rare) summer’s day, you’d be forgiven for thinking you’d tripped up and landed in the Mediterranean, as the turquoise sea here sparkles and shimmers in the sunlight. To add to the attractions, Porthcurno is overlooked by the wonderful open-air Minack Theatre — making it a unique addition to the best beaches in the UK.

© Shutterstock

North Yorkshire has lots of big, breezy beaches – Robin Hood’s Bay, Scarborough and Bridlington to name the most famous – but Hunmanby Gap near the little resort town of Filey is one of the least known. Huge clay cliffs loom down over a flat, sandy beach that easily soaks up the bucket-and-spade crowds.

Beach, Hunmanby Gap looking towards Flamborough Head, North Yorkshire © Image Source Trading Ltd/Shutterstock

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It’s difficult to reach Scolt Head, an offshore island between Brancaster and Wells-next-the-Sea, but that’s part of the charm and what makes it one of the best beaches in the UK. A seasonal ferry heads over from Burnham Overy Staithe (the best way of accessing the island) during fine weather, and once you’re there, plop down on the sandy dunes for a picnic, grab your binoculars for some intensive birdwatching (the island is a protected conservation area) and comb the beach for some intriguing seashells.

Scolt Head Island National Nature Reserve seen from Holkham beach © Andy333/Shutterstock

Multi-coloured cliffs beetle down over breezy Compton Bay, much-loved haunt of the Isle of Wight’s surf (kite- and -board) dudes. The waves pound upon the sand, churning up milky froth and