Best British Beaches – Summer 2018

As we head into Autumn, we thought it would be good to list the Best British Beaches of Summer 2018 based on how often our site visitors searched and/or viewed the detailed beach page over the summer months.

I am sure you will all have your own favourite beaches around Britain, so feel free to let us know in the comments.

1. Porthcurno, Cornwall, England

Porthcurno, Penwith Peninsula, Cornwall
Porthcurno beach photo by Coast Radar

Porthcurno Beach is a beautiful Cornish south coast white sandy beach sheltered by cliffs and overlooked by the majestic Minack theatre.

2. Camber Sands, East Sussex, England

camber sands beach
Camber Sands photo by The real GoG

Camber Sands near Rye is a popular East Sussex sandy beach with sand dunes. Camber Sands is so popular because it offers golden sand and dunes rather than the more traditional Sussex pebbly beach.

3. Blackpool Sands, Devon, England

blackpool sands beach, devon
Blackpool Sands photo by ARG_Flickr

Blackpool Sands is on the south Devon coast, a privately managed fine shingle beach within a sheltered bay surrounded by pines.

4. Botany Bay, Kent, England

Botany Bay, Broadstairs, Kent
Botany Bay beach photo by Coast Radar

Botany Bay is the northernmost bay of the seven Broadstairs bays, a sandy beach backed by high white chalk cliffs.

5. Bamburgh, Northumberland, England

Bamburgh Castle and Beach
Bamburgh beach and castle photo by Matthew_Hartley

Bamburgh Beach, also known as Bamburgh Castle Beach for obvious reasons,  is a large sandy beach in an area of Outstanding Natural Beauty on the Northumberland Coast.

6. Formby, Merseyside, England

Formby beach
Formby beach photo by Elin B

Formby beach is a large stretch of coastline between Liverpool and Southport, an area of beach with sand dunes and pine woods.

7. Llandudno North Shore, Conwy, Wales

Llandudno North Shore beach, Llandudno, Conwy, Wales
Llandudno North Shore photo by Coast Radar

Llandudno North Shore beach is a curving beach of sand, shingle and rock backed by a wide traditional Victorian promenade.

8. Portstewart Strand, Derry, Northern Ireland

Portstewart Strand
Portstewart Strand photo by Kyle Monahan

Portstewart Strand in Derry, Northern Ireland is a large sandy beach with a high sand dune system.

9. Rhossili Bay, Gower Peninsula, Wales

Rhossili Beach
Rhossili beach photo by Nigel Swales

Rhossili Bay beach is situated on the western tip of the Gower Peninsula, a 3  km beach with views across the Bristol Channel and towards Pembrokeshire.

10. Robin Hoods Bay, North Yorkshire, England

Robin Hoods Bay
Robin Hoods Bay photo by Coast Radar

Robin Hoods Bay beach is a large beach on the Yorkshire Heritage Coast just south of Whitby, a beach that is a mix of sand, pebbles and rocks and is popular with fossil hunters.

11. Sandwood Bay, The Scottish Highlands, Scotland

Sandwood Bay
Sandwood Bay photo by ARG_Flickr

You don’t get many beaches further north on the British mainland than Sandwood Bay, a natural bay on the far north-west coast of Scotland that lies about 5 miles south of Cape Wrath.

12. Llanddona, Isle of Anglesey, Wales

Llanddona Beach, Benllech, Isle of Anglesey
Llanddona beach photo by Coast Radar

Llanddona beach is a pebble and sandy beach, one of the best on the Isle of Anglesey and is often missed by visitors.

13. Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England

Southend-on-Sea beach
Southend-on-Sea photo by The real GoG

Southend-on-Sea in Essex is one of the most popular locations for day-trippers from London, with a long seafront and pier.

14. Southwold, Suffolk, England

Southwold beach
Southwold beach and pier photo by Martin Pettitt

Southwold beach is a sandy beach that sits within a section of the Suffolk coast and is declared an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

15. Lunan Bay Beach, Angus, Scotland

Lunan Bay
Lunan Bay photo by stusmith_uk

Lunan Bay beach is a 1 mile stretch of sand with dunes on the east coast of Scotland.


Hope you enjoyed reading through our Best British Beaches of summer 2018 list and feel free to challenge these by adding your favourite to the comments or drop us a note on our facebook page.