William Gray’s Top 10 beaches

Return to Britain with Kids

1. Bantham, South Devon: It’s impossible to hold your children back at Bantham. The moment you walk through the dunes to reach this beach beauty, west of Kingsbridge, they’ll be off, sprinting across acres of rippled sand, splashing in lagoons or skipping through waves clutching a surfboard.

2. Barafundle, Pembrokeshire: Tucked into the crinkle-cut coast south of Pembroke, Barafundle requires a bit of an effort to reach. The half-mile walk over the cliffs has no doubt helped to preserve its special, secluded quality. Backed by dunes and woodland, this is a true hidden gem with all the makings of one of Britain’s best beach-picnic spots.

3. Fidden Bay, Isle of Mull: A swathe of soft sand with pink-granite outcrops and pockets of pebbles, speckled like birds’ eggs, anything goes at Fidden – from sandcastles and rock-pooling to paddling in startlingly turquoise inlets.

4. Holkham Bay, Norfolk: Wind-rippled dunes and whispering pine woods, sheltered lagoons, teeming saltmarsh and four miles of pristine sand: Holkham sits pretty in one of Britain’s largest nature reserves. Take a picnic, some binoculars, a sense of adventure and go exploring.

5. Kynance Cove, Cornwall: The rough diamond in the Lizard’s crown, Kynance is the stuff of childhood fantasy. The moment you first glimpse this wild cove, countless adventures surge to mind – from delving in caves and rock pools to exploring the serpentine stacks that rear above the cove.

6. Newton Haven, Northumberland: Sheltered by offshore reefs, this beautiful sandy bay has good rock-pooling at low tide, plus a trail that leads to a birdwatching hide overlooking Newton Pool. Nip around the low headland and you’ll get fine views of skeletal Dunstanburgh Castle presiding over the scimitar curve of Embleton Bay.

7. Rhossili, Gower Peninsula: With miles of surf-raked sand, Rhossili is the ultimate run-wild-and-free beach: play cricket, fly a kite, build a sandy rampart against the tide and scrawl your name in house-size letters.

8. Whistling Sands, Llyn Peninsula: Dry sand above the high-tide mark might squeak when you walk on it, but that’s not the only reason for making a song and dance over this gorgeous bay, nestling like azure between pincer headlands. With sand the texture of fluffy cake mixture, good surf and a beach café selling everything from pizza and ice cream to buckets and spades, Whistling Sands is perfect for families.

9. Whitesand Bay, Cornwall: Just to the east of Land’s End, Whitesand Bay bears the brunt of whatever the Atlantic hurls at Cornwall, but this is still a great family beach with fabulous surfing, fine sand and excellent facilities.

10. Woolacombe Sands, North Devon: Three-mile-long Woolacombe is beach heaven whether you’re a bucket-toting toddler or wave-riding teen. Even in the height of summer you can always find space for your picnic rug and a game of beach cricket. Wave-jumping, body boarding or surfing are also compulsory – as is building a sandy wall to hold back the tide, the seawater warming as it slides in over those acres of sunbaked sand.