Find the nearest Beaches
Planning a trip to the UK and Ireland coast and looking for where the nearest beach is, our beach lists will help you discover the nearest beach to me. Then for each beach, we will answer questions around location, rural or town, sandy or pebble, rockpools, tide times, weather forecast, dog restrictions, bathing water quality, closest beach cafes and provide general information on the beach and its facilities.
When on a beach page use our tools to search nearby UK and Ireland seaside towns and the surrounding coast for things to see and do or places to stay and eat.
If you are looking for an award-winning beach then you can browse our Blue Flag lists or Seaside Award lists.
Finding the right beach in UK and Ireland is easy – simply explore the beach links below, to find the closest hit the jump to my location compass or use the search bar to plan where your next UK and Ireland beach visit should be.
- Pentargon Cove is a small cove to the North of Boscastle that is surrounded by crumbling cliffs with no access to below. Within the cliffs you can see Pentargon waterfall that falls 37 metres (120 feet). No facilities and reached by the coastal path from Boscastle. We have no dog information for Pentargon Cove beach.
- Traigh an t-Suidhe is a white sandy beach on the north west tip of Iona alongside Traigh Ban beach. Traigh an t-Suidhe means ‘Beach of the Seat’
- Helensburgh beach is a mix of sand and shingle on the north side of the Clyd. The beach is popular for kitesurfing and windsurfing with a small area of grass behind the beach to help set-up.
- Freathy beach is a sandy south facing sun trap just below the village of Freathy at the mid-point of Whitsand Bay. Lifeguards present daily during July, August and September and the beach has a small cafe. Car parking is available at Sharrow Point nearby and in lay-bys along the coast road.
- Black Rock Sands beach is known by many names, although we refer to it as Black Rock Sands it is often referred to as Porthmadog beach or Craig Du or Morfa Bychan beach after the local village. The beach is excellent, a wide sandy beach with a rocky headland and is approximately 2 miles long with a sand dune system designated as a site of special scientific interest. The beach has a gently gradient making it a good family beach and as the tide recedes you have many rock pools to explore. As you can drive onto the beach this is ideal for those that have to take lots of equipment to the beach. Facilities include parking, toilets, designated bathing and boat-launching areas, ice-cream vans often positioned on the beach. The beach due to it’s size and ability to park on the sand is very popular with kite-buggies and kitesurfers.
- Portrane Beach is a long sandy beach with dunes and views from the cliff towards Lambay Island. Facilities at the beach include car parking, toilets, shop, cafe/restaurant and seasonal lifeguards.
- Perpitch Beach is a small sandy beach with some rocks to the east of Higher Town Bay that never gets busy. The beach is a horseshoe shape and is protected from winds making this a good wild swimming beach. The beach has no facilities, but you are not too far from Higher Town.
- Solent Breezes Beach lies to the east of the Solent and has terrific views right across to Cowes on the Isle of Wight. The beach is accessible from the Solent Breezes Holiday Park so that the visitors there enjoy a more private beach experience. It is a shingle beach backed by a low cliff line with basic facilities such as boat mooring and slipway and a good coastal path giving you good views over to Calshot and the Isle of Wight. There is no lifeguard here but some facilities in the holiday park.
- Ross Bay has a selection of beaches with sand, shingle and rocks.
- Scratby Beach is a large sand/shingle beach below low sand cliffs popular with surfers, families or those just wanting a good walk along the beach or the cliffs. Caravan site above the beach. Parking, toilets. Access to beach via slopes and/or steps. We have no dog information for Scratby beach.
- Trevellas Porth, pebble beach popular with fishing and snorkeling although swimming is not recommended due to strong currents. At low tide you can walk round to the larger Trevaunance Cove beach. The areas mining heritage is clear to see here with a scattering derelict mine workings and engine houses. No facilities, all you get is some car parking.
- West Beach is a pebble beach sitting to the west of Hampton Pier and the curve in the coastline. Hampton Pier at the west end of Herne Bay, Kent is some 350 feet (110 m) long. Toilets, pub, grass park. We have no dog information for Hampton Pier – West beach.
