Beach near London? Top 5 Beaches for a Day Trip from London, as the UK is thinking about school holidays and long summer days it is the perfect time to escape London and head out to a beach near London, eat fish and chips, buy ice cream and go for a swim.
We list some great beaches, probably not the nearest beach to London, but all are under two hours away from the capital and within reach of a day trip.
Broadstairs, Kent
Here you get a choice of 7 sandy bays to pick from, Botany Bay, Kingsgate Bay, Joss Bay, Stone Bay, Viking Bay, Louisa Bay and Dumpton Gap. Each bay offers something a little different and the town of Broadstairs provides plenty of eating opportunities.
Direct train from London St Pancras International takes between 1 hr 21 mins and 1 hr 50 mins.
Camber Sands, Rye, East Sussex
Camber Sands beach is hidden behind dunes and is a popular family sandy beach, with picturesque dunes and interesting wildlife. The village of Camber is very close to the beach.
Train from London St Pancras International to Rye requires one change take between 1 hr 4 mins and 1 hr 17 mins. You will require public transport to Camber Sands or a 5-minute taxi journey.
Littlehampton, West Sussex
At Littlehampton, you have a choice of three beaches. Coastguards or East beach is the main beachfront but just over the Arun River, you have the West Beach and then onto Climping Beach. These latter two beaches are less commercial, less busy and you have an interesting sand dune system which is unusual for Sussex.
Try the famous Littlehampton East and West beach cafes, great food!
Direct train from London Victoria takes 1 hr 42 mins.
Shoeburyness, Essex
Rather than hit the busy Southend-on-Sea beaches, we think it is well worth heading out of the resort to Shoeburyness where you have a choice of two beaches, East Beach is a mixture of sand and pebbles backed by grass areas with disabled access, toilets and a lifeguard tower and Shoebury Common Beach marks the end of the long Southend seafront and is great for jet skiers and windsurfers heading into the estuary.
Direct trains from London Fenchurch Street to Shoeburyness take 1 hr 03 mins.
Bournemouth, Dorset
Bournemouth is the furthest from London but has good rail links that make this a possibility. Once in Bournemouth, you have miles of sandy beaches, a lively town, piers, amusements and a choice of places to eat and drink.
Direct trains from London Waterloo take 1 hr 45 mins.
This is our thoughts on the top 5 beaches near London, for other British seaside destinations check out our beaches near me search page.
If you have thoughts then leave us a comment or drop us your thoughts on our facebook page.
Feature photo by LoopZilla