The Sunday Times July 21, 2019 7GETTYto Mill Bay, otherwise it’s a 10-minute hike
along the lane. Too crowded? Walk five
minutes south along the South West Coast
Path through the woods and you come to
lovely, sandy Sunny Cove.14 HOLME-NEXT-THE-SEA, NORFOLK
When the SUVs are nose-to-tail into
Brancaster, Burnham and other
fashionable destinations on the Norfolk
coast, Holme will be empty. Just northeast
of Old Hunstanton, it’s a beach that has
kept its saltmarsh, sand and enormous
sky reasonably secret — partly because
it’s a bit of a yomp to get to, along a sandy
track across the golf course and over the
dunes. Swimming can be tricky here,
not because it’s dangerous, but because
you have to walk so far out to get even
thigh deep — and do stick around for dusk.
Oddly for an east-coast beach, the sun sets
over the water here.15 BEER, DEVON
A bad day at the beach is better than a
good day at the office, the saying goes, but
for Beer fisherman Kim Aplin, they’re one
and the same. If you fancy your luck, he’ll
take you for a morning’s fishing aboard
his 25ft crabber, Sambe (£30pp for four
hours; fishinginbeer.co.uk). For loafing,
the right-hand side of the beach is a
suntrap sheltered by the limestone cliff
behind. Closer to the slipway, deckchairs
are £2 a day, but make time for the
ICE BREAKER Keep cool on the beach11 GREAT LANTIC BEACH, CORNWALL
As you drive east from Polruan, ignore the
turn-off to Lanteglos church and continue
for a mile until you see the sign for the
car park, on your left. Load up your toys
and victuals, then walk back to the lane
and through the gate with the National
Trust sign saying Lantic Bay. A half-mile
walk through the clifftop fields brings you
to one of Cornwall’s most spectacular —
and hidden — beaches. When the sun is
shining, the sand appears white, the
granite glitters and the sea assumes
Caribbean hues of blue. Private boats
sometimes anchor in the bay, but on
most days, the chances are you’ll have
the place to yourself.12 BARMOUTH, GWYNEDD
This is where Snowdonia meets the sea —
the epitome of the Victorian ideal, with
a beach that stretches all the way to
Llanaber, on the left; the forested maw
of the Mawddach estuary, crossed by
the Barmouth Bridge, on the right; and
with the glinting slopes of Cadair Idris
rising up behind. Go for the donkey
rides, the crabbing, the paddleboard pub
crawl up the estuary (£75; supbarmouth.
co.uk) and the Fairbourne Steam Railway
(return fare £10.50, children £6;
fairbournerailway.com): a somewhat
poignant narrow-gauge trip through the
dunes to its namesake village, which
scientists say will be lost to rising sea
levels by 2045.13 MILL BAY, DEVON
Gently sloping, sheltered, perfect for
paddling and the source of Devon’s finest
castling sand, leafy Mill Bay is made for
young families. If you’re staying in
Salcombe, take the East Portlemouth ferry
from the landing below the Ferry Inn
(return fare £3.20, children £2.20). If the
tide is out, you can walk along the beachContinued on page 10 →£2.
£6.
£7.
£3.
£
Water quality
Excellent
Good
Not rated
Other features
Car park
Toilets
Lifeguards
Refreshments
Shopping
Dogs allowed
Beach huts
Accessible11 KEY