10 ways to make the most of the heatwave this weekend
The sun has got his hat on, so hip-hip-hip-hooray to the best of our coastal resorts this weekend and make the most of the heatwave.
Touch wood
It's always dangerous to say things like this. There’s the chance that the mere act of putting it in writing will curse us for three months – and that, come Saturday morning, the car loaded with buckets and spades, rain will suddenly start pounding your windows as apocalyptic clouds do battle on the horizon.
But anyway – let’s throw caution to the wind (and hail). This has been a gloriously hot summer in Britain so far, and now that July has strolled in like the coolest kid in school, who has just been given their first car, it’s worth celebrating our beaches while they are looking their best. So, for starters, find one near you at visitengland.com, visitscotland.com or discovernorthernireland.com. Or take a look at our gallery below for a bumper selection.
Britain's 40 best beaches – according to our experts
Dunes in July
What could be better than a sojourn at Camber Sands, the village set amid sand dunes on the East Sussex coast? The good news is that, despite the recent good weather, you can still book a summer holiday at the adjacent Camber Sands Holiday Park (parkdeanresorts.co.uk). A seven-night stay in a family-sized Hailsham caravan, which sleeps up to six (and has a kitchen and a bathroom), arriving on July 28, costs from ￡699.
There are dunes galore at Saunton Sands, too – see our guide to visiting it.
Tate expectations
Not everyone wants to lie on a beach. As the late, great US comedian Bill Hicks put it: “I don’t get it. It’s where dirt meets water.” As well as one of Cornwall’s loveliest beaches, St Ives also has its branch of the Tate (tate.org.uk/stives). Abstract painter Patrick Heron is in focus until Sept 30 (￡9.50).
Why we're still in love with St Ives
Beached Wales
Wales needs special mention as 2018 is its “Year of the Sea”. Hasn’t it been “Year of the Sea” in Wales ever since Gondwanaland was part of the biggest break-up the other side of The Beatles? Yep. But this is 12 months of events (see visitwales.com) along all 870 miles (1,400km) of Welsh coast. Like the Cardigan Bay Seafood Festival. Where? By the beach in Aberaeron (aberaeronfishfest.com). When? Sunday.
What better way to cool off than a trip to one of the UK's best outdoor pools? Here is our handy guide.
Pub walks | Routes that start and end at a characterful inn
Northern star
The most northerly of Britain’s current Blue Flag brigade is Achmelvich Bay, on the west coast of the Scottish Highlands – an ideal place for those who want sand and sea gusts, but no daily fight for a beach umbrella. Hillhead Caravans (achmelvich-holidays.co.uk) offers accommodation by the shoreline from ￡295 per week.
Rhoss and Rachel
Wales has some glorious beaches. One of the greatest is certainly Rhossili Bay on the Gower Peninsula – a sweep of sand so majestic it is protected by the National Trust (nationaltrust.org.uk/rhossili-and-south-gower-coast). Why the tenuous (at best) pun about two characters from now-defunct comedy Friends? Because you can go to Rhossili when you’re on a break. Badum-tish. This joke is brought to you by the 1990s.
Pier pressure
Oh, we do like to be beside the seaside. Yes we do. Ice cream, bawling toddlers, angry seagulls, fish and chips with too much vinegar, and a huge pier jutting into the water. That could be Eastbourne, then. Where The Grand Hotel is still a five-star bastion of beach-break tradition. Doubles in July from ￡170, room only.
Love piers? Of course you do. Here is our guide to the 14 most beautiful in the UK, including Hastings (pictured below).
Saoirse party
That’s not how you pronounce “Saoirse”. It’s close enough. The point, sort of, is that Saoirse Ronan is the star of On Chesil Beach, the current film rendition of Ian McEwan’s 2007 novel. And that Chesil Beach is one of Dorset’s finest arcs of shore. And that you can stay nearby (without the disastrous sex) at Summer Lodge, via its “On Chesil Beach” deal (breakfast, picnic, two nights from ￡240pp; summerlodgehotel.co.uk).
British beaches that prove shingle is better than sand
County classic
As in County Down... where Tyrella Beach, on Dundrum Bay, provides a wonderful escape – and is one of Northern Ireland’s Blue Flag jewels. It’s near the village of Clough. OutdoorNI.com explains canoeing options in the area.
Win a luxury holiday worth up to ￡80,000
Blue Sundays
“Cleanliness is next to godliness,” opined the theologian John Wesley in a sermon in 1778. His views on Britain’s beaches are sadly unrecorded, but he might well have approved of the Blue Flag stamp of approval (blueflag.global), which is awarded worldwide to seafront strips that meet requisite hygiene standards. There are 124 such locations in the UK this year. Helpfully, thebeachguide.co.uk lists them all.
For more great things to do this summer, see our guide to the best outdoor attractions, beaches, pub walks, outdoor pools and seaside hotels.