The UK has basked in the warmest start to May on record this week, with the mercury rising to 29.3C on Thursday in some areas of the country. While conditions are expected to be cooler over the weekend, the beach is still likely to be a popular option to enjoy the bank holiday and beyond.

To give you some inspiration on where to make the most of sunny days, our travel team has selected their favourite stretches of sandy, pebble and dune-backed beaches in the UK, where you can lie out a towel, hike along a coastal track, snaffle fresh seafood or splash in the waves.

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Bamburgh Beach, Northumberland

The pristine beach of Bamburgh stretches across one and a half miles, dominated by the imposing Bamburgh Castle overlooking the coast as it has done for over 1,400 years. Walks along the beach are not at all tiresome when the scenery is made up of a centuries-old royal fortress and views of Holy Island and the Farne Islands off the coast. For a bite to eat and a seaside stroll, there are several cafes that occupy Bamburgh’s stone-front streets, alongside seafood restaurants and gift shops. There are plenty of walking routes, too, such as a local trail from Bamburgh to the neighbouring village of Seahouses. The local parish council has also teamed up with a local charity, Beach Access North East, to provide a free loan service of all-terrain wheelchairs to be used on the beach. – Amelia Neath, Travel Writer

Where to stay

The Bamburgh Castle Inn occupies a prime spot on the Northumberland coastline.

Lyme Regis, Dorset

Lyme Regis is known as the Pearl of Dorset – and this gem of a beach is one of many reasons why. Families frolic on a perfectly formed arc of golden sand that nestles amid cute, multi-coloured beach huts and food stalls that deploy the freshest seafood. Once the sandcastles have been constructed to everyone’s satisfaction, there’s a picturesque harbour to stroll around – film buffs will recognise the famous Cobb from The French Lieutenant’s Woman – and fossil hunting on a World Heritage site coastline that Unesco notes contains 185 million years of the earth’s history. – Ted Thornhill, US Travel Editor

Where to stay

The Rock Point Inn has a British beach-house vibe.

Saltburn Beach, Redcar and Cleveland, North Yorkshire

Saltburn Beach has a delightful balance of stripped-back nature, with its miles of sand-shingle shoreline flanked by craggy green hillsides, and the charm of a classic seaside, thanks to its Victorian pleasure pier, which juts out 200 metres over the North Sea (and can be reached from the town by the Saltburn Cliff Lift, a funicular railway that eases you down a 71 per cent incline). The biggest draw, though, is the surf, with great breaks either side of the pier in winter and spring; it’s well-suited to beginners and mid-level riders, with the former served by the Saltburn Surf School, and remains a popular haunt on the UK scene. Once you’re done in the water, a pint in The Ship awaits. – Benjamin Parker, UK Travel Editor

Where to Stay

Saltmoore is a recently renovated luxury hotel in nearby Sandsend.

Twin Beaches, Gigha western Scotland

Few visitors trek to the north of the Isle of Gigha – a pocket-sized paradise adrift in the Atlantic, off Scotland’s Kintyre coast – but here you get two glorious beaches for the price of one. On either side of a tombolo, the slender neck of land that connects the island to the Eilean Garbh outcrop, are the Twin Beaches, a dose of sugar-white sand amongst greenery and rocks. It’s not the amenities that will lure you – there’s no arcade, cafe or helter skelter for seaside fun – but the remote, rugged beauty; little more than the scent of salt and machair flowers, and a soundtrack of birdsong and the lapping sea. And while empty, it’s never lonely: go early and you may spy seals bobbing amongst the water’s calm canvas; come the evening, lose time as the sunset bleeds gold onto both shores (of which, if I had to pick, the north-facing beach Bagh na Doirlinne, just edges it). – Benjamin Parker, UK Travel Editor

Where to stay

Kirkland House B&B sits across the water from Gigha. Drive south to catch the ferry across to Gigha from Tayinloan.

Lusty Glaze, Cornwall

There are so many incredible beaches in Cornwall; Holywell Bay, Porthcurno, Lantic Bay, to name but a few, but this privately owned honey-hued cove gets my vote as I’ve been playing, splashing and flopping on the sand here since I was a youngster. It is relatively unknown, except to Newquay locals and is a great alternative to the wide expanse of Fistral Beach nearby. Lusty has rollers too, suitable for beginners and pros, as the summer surf school can attest. Flanked by towering cliffs and pastel-hued beach huts, there’s a bar and restaurant where popular Sundowner music sessions are held in summer – everything from Razorlight to Morcheeba and chilled Ibiza-style DJ sessions. And the sunsets are particularly special. – Emilee Tombs, Assistant Travel Editor

Where to stay:

Stay right on the beach in one of two self-catering cottages.

Read more: 12 best hotels in Cornwall for 2025 beach breaks, walking retreats and sea views

Luskentyre, Isle of Harris, northwest Scotland

To be alone and at one with the elements, aim for the beach at Luskentyre on the Isle of Harris. The outer shore of the Outer Hebrides is the raw edge of Britain, where the soundtrack rumbles with the weary roar of an ocean at the end of a 3,000-mile journey. You’ll find turquoise water of implausible clarity and ice-white sand, sculpted into unworldly shapes by the west wind. – Simon Calder, Travel Correspondent

Where to stay

Luskentyre is remote. Stay half an hour away at boutique Hirta House.

Read more: Isle of Wight travel guide: Where to eat, drink, walk and stay on England’s biggest island

Colwell Bay, Isle of Wight

You’ll find this sandy bay between Totland and Yarmouth, directly across the water from Milford on Sea’s Hurst Castle. Beach huts sandwich Colwell’s slipway with wetsuits, inflatables and deck chairs, which are available to hire during the summer season. There’s also a rainbow of bodyboards, should swimmers tire of treading the turquoise.

Off the sand, there’s traditional seaside scampi and chips from Captain’s Cabin, and high-end fisherman fare meets live music at sailing set favourite, The Hut. Stay late to catch one of the best sunsets on the Solent from this quietly cool swathe in West Wight. – Natalie Wilson, Travel Writer

Where to stay

The Sentry Mead Hotel overlooks Totland Bay on the island’s west coast.

Cuckmere Haven, East Sussex

Located at the mouth of the River Cuckmere, this pebble stretch is dominated by the white chalk cliffs of Seven Sisters, which turn the sea a wonderful shade of milky blue. There are two ways to get to the beach: park at the Seven Sisters Country Park and stroll 30 minutes along a well-laid path that meanders alongside the river, or, at the car park at the top of the hill overlooking the Coastguard Cottages, which are privately owned but occasionally open for garden visits. There is less parking at the latter and a steep walk to return, but the ice cream at the cafe inside the walled garden is a great reward. Check the tide times before you decide on parking, as you can get cut off by the tide, and bring water and snacks, as there are no beach facilities. – Emilee Tombs, Assistant Travel Editor

Where to stay

Reserve one of the Foxhole Farm Cottages, set within Seven Sisters Country Park.

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Whitesands Bay, Pembrokeshire, Wales

In my opinion, Pembrokeshire’s rugged coastline boasts the most beautiful beaches in the world, with sweeping golden sands, dramatic cliffs and some of Britain’s best wildlife, including seals, puffins and porpoises. I’m not alone in choosing Whitesands Bay as my favourite beach – it’s one of the most popular stretches in the area, with a cafe, car park and lifeguards on duty. It can get crowded during the summer, but in the winter when the weather is wild and when the beach is dotted with just a few walkers, surfers and horse riders, it’s breathtaking in its expanse and scenery. I’ve surfed, swam, explored rock pools and run along this beach for more than three decades. To the north, it’s worth walking out to St David’s Head or climbing Carn Llidi from where you’ll enjoy stunning views of the coastline. – Annabel Grossman, Global Travel Editor

Where to stay:

Twr y Felin is housed in a strikingly converted windmill in St Davids.

Mousehole harbour beach, Cornwall

When the tide recedes in the harbour in the fetching, lost-in-time fishing village of Mousehole (pronounced ‘Mow-zuhl’), two enticing beaches appear on either side that offer idyllic sunbathing spots, with children able to explore rock pools and swim in clear waters kept gloriously calm by the imposing harbour walls. And when the tide is in? Explore Mousehole’s pretty streets and stop for top-tier seafood at the Crab Shack, a must-visit outdoor extension of The Old Coastguard restaurant. – Ted Thornhill, US Travel Editor

Where to stay

Book in for dinner and stay the night at The Old Coastguard.

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Read more: 10 of the best places to go in Cornwall to avoid the crowds

Jackson’s Bay, Barry Island

This golden cove more closely resembles the Costa del Sol than the South Wales coast and is arguably the best of the five beaches in “Barrybados”. Tucked around the headland from the bustle of Barry’s candyfloss-crusted Pleasure Park, Jackson’s Bay is a quiet stretch to lay a towel in summer, with a wood-burning barrel sauna – Môr a Sawna – ready to warm up those who brave the frigid waters come winter. A clear, gently sloping seabed, snack hut for ice lolly sticks and some prime sandcastle real estate means that here, beach days are a family affair, dogs included. – Natalie Wilson, Travel Writer

Where to stay

Gileston Manor Luxury B&B offers a historic setting with a private beach area and beachfront access.

Ballycastle, County Antrim

This is a broad beach with a view. The hills of County Antrim subside into the sea, and beyond the tumbling cliffs, through the mist, stands the Mull of Kintyre, that bulky punctuation at the end of Scotland’s Argyll Peninsula. And at the end of the day, if you wish, you can sail across to Campbeltown on the 4.30pm ferry – watching Northern Ireland retreat in your wake. – Simon Calder, Travel Correspondent

Where to stay:

StayLagom is a boutique bolthole in Ballycastle.

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Saunton Sands, Devon

To many, Saunton Sands is known as the backdrop of Robbie Williams’ music video for his 1997 single Angels, but for me, it was a staple in my childhood trips to Devon every autumn. The beach is backed by the expansive Unesco Biosphere reserve, Braunton Burrows, a vast sand dune complex peppered with rare plant and flower species. While the hikes up to the top of these magnificent towers of golden grains can take effort, the views at the top are worth it, meanwhile, hours of fun can be had with a plastic sledge rushing down the dune again. Over on the beach, the long three-mile stretch is popular with families, surfers and paddlers due to its shallow surf, but it should be noted that there is no lifeguard service. Food outlets are on hand near the car park, and the beach welcomes four-legged friends all year round. – Amelia Neath, Travel Writer

Where to stay:

Saunton Sands Hotel Source Spa and Wellness is perched atop the cliffs overlooking the beach.

Read more: The best hotels in Devon: Where to stay for romantic getaways, spa weekends and outdoor adventures