Find the nearest Seaside Award

Freshwater East beach is a lovely crescent shaped sandy beach with dunes and woodland at the rear which form a local nature reserve and Red Sandstone cliffs on either side. It is a rural beach on the Pembrokeshire Coastal Path and measures nearly 1km across. The beach is great for families with good for swimming, walking, boating, fishing, building sand castles and relaxation. Not usually a surf beach but when there is surf then it is good surf. Facilities include car park and toilets.

Polzeath beach is sand/shingle and is also one of the worlds most renowned surfing destinations. On the beach you also have rock pools and a nature reserve but at high tide much of the beach disappears. The surf can cater for all standards from kids learning to experienced surfers. In the summer it can get very busy in the water. Facilities include car park, lifeguards in the summer months, pubs, cafes and restaurants.

The Strand at Portstewart is a large sandy beach backed by a sand dune system that reaches heights of up to 30 metres (100ft). Neolithic pottery and implements have also been found within the sand dunes, along with bronze pins and Roman jewellery, revealing a long history of human habitation. The Strand protects the mouth of the River Bann that is an important nature conservation site. The beach is managed by the National Trust and provides lots of things to do, including; beach games, sunbathing, swimming, walking and surfing. Unusually cars can be brought on and parked on the beach.

Cayton Bay beach is an unspoilt and quiet bay located 5km south of Scarborough and a similar distance north of Filey. The bay is a wide, sandy beach backed by cliffs, and one of the best surfing locations in North Yorkshire. The centre of the bay has a reef that creates a flat lagoon which is perfect for kayaking, Stand-Up Paddle Boarding and windsurfing. If you don’t want to sit still then why not explore the remains of WWII fortifications or why not search for some fossils. Some of the cliffs and rocks were formed in the upper Jurassic period. Facilities include seasonal lifeguards, parking, toilets, cafe/restaurant, shops all located in the local village.

Seaburn Beach is also known as Whitburn North beach and is a wide sandy beach within Whitburn bay. Facilities include parking, toilets, promenade, cafe, restaurant, amusements, arcades, deck chair rental.

Tenby Castle Beach is within a cove between the Castle and the East Cliff, with the beach being sheltered by the cliffs. This is the smallest of the Tenby beaches and can get crowded. At low tide boat trips run to Caldey Island or if a little more adventurous it is possible to walk out to St. Catherine’s island, but beware the tide can cut you off. Facilities include cafe, toilets, deckchair hire and summer lifeguards, but you then also have access to many cafes, pubs, restaurants and shops in Tenby.

Barmouth beach is a large family sandy beach and perfect for sunbathing, games and surfing. The beach is located on the north bank of the river Mawddach on the west coast of Wales, just within the south west corner of Snowdonia National Park. The Mawddach Estuary is designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest and offers visitors a range of walks, and it is popular for bird spotters and those wishing to get away from it all. Barmouth old town is well worth a visit with its slate-roofed cottages on the side of a mountain, whilst it’s harbour is beautiful and you can walk across the spectacular Barmouth Bridge spanning the river. Barmouth beach is a town beach and so has easy access to a range of facilities including car parks, shops, pubs, accommodation and amusement arcades.

Tywyn beach is a long seafront backed by a promenade and grass areas. The beach is sand and pebbles backed by sand dunes, stretching 7 km of the Welsh coast line, from Tywyn town in the North, to the harbour at Aberdyfi in the south. The beach is west facing and is popular with surfers, bodyboarders and windsurfers. Facilities include car parking, toilets, promenade with shelters and benches, amusement arcades, cafe/restaurant and slipway.

Sango Bay beach is the perfect beach with a mix of sand, rock formations, and shelter provided by the cliffs. Village, shops, parking and Durness Visitor centre.

Meadfoot beach is a small beach with a mixture of rocks, shingle and sand set below cliffs. The spilt level promenade backs onto a tree covered hillside. Facilities include parking (car park and some street parking), promenade, cafe, beach huts, toilets (summer only) and beach shower, disabled visitors’ facilities, deckchair hire and slipway.

Shoebury East beach is approximately quarter of a mile long gently sloping sandy/shingle beach backed by a large grassy area perfect for picnics. Can get very crowded on hot summer days and bank holidays. East Beach is a popular beach for watersports, especially windsurfing and kitesurfing, due to its position on the estuary. The beach has a designated zone, but beware of tides, at low tide you may have more than 1 mile to walk out or back. Typically you are looking at about 90 minutes either side of high tide. The beach is next to a MOD firing range. Facilities include parking (some areas are seasonal), toilets, slipway, outside shower and beach zones help keep water users segregated.

Tresta is the main beach on the small island of Fetlar in The Sheltlands. A long white sandy beach with cliffs at its south end. The beach is an ideal family beach as it sits within a calm shallow cove. Behind the beach is Papil Water, a fresh water loch which is popular for seasonal trout fishing.