August 2008
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Swim against the tide and lose those bank-holiday crowds. Francesca Syz reveals Britain’s best coves
There’s no need to run with the flock this summer. A host of gorgeous, tucked-away beaches around the UK offer everything from miles of classic golden sand to pebbly beaches littered with shrimp-filled rock pools just for you and a smattering of others.
If you’re in South Devon, head down to the secluded and pretty Ness Cove, a shingle beach near Shaldon, accessed via an original smugglers’ tunnel and heaven for rock-pool fishing. After a good scamper, relax at the Ness (innforanight.co.uk) for a Sunday roast.
Six miles east of Penzance near the tip of Cornwall lies Prussia Cove Beach, actually a group of isolated coves along the coastal path from Praa Sands, named after a notorious local 18th-century smuggler. The nearest car park is half a mile away and the numerous hidden beaches are accessed via coastal path only. Afterwards, head to Praa Sands and tuck into fish and chips at the chic Sandbar (sandbarpraasands.co.uk).
The National Trust-owned, mile-long sandy Penbryn Beach in Cardigan Bay, Wales, is a great place to watch bottlenose dolphins, seals and porpoises in the surf. And it was used as a location for North Korea in the James Bond film Die Another Day. There are no cafés, but you can buy sandwiches in the local hamlet.
Pick up a picnic from the Blue Café on Weymouth Esplanade in Dorset and continue on for six miles to the shingle beach at Ringstead Bay. Fringed by cliffs and farmland, the beach is accessible via a coastal path. It’s a great place to look for fossils, safe for swimming and has a colourful reef to snorkel in.
The relative level of fitness required to descend the 151 steps to Monkstone Beach on the coastal path between Tenby and Saundersfoot in Pembrokeshire ensures this secluded stretch of golden sand never gets very crowded. Access it via the coastal path or park at nearby Trevayne Farm. You’ll have to bring your own provisions, but afterwards you can head to St Brides Spa Hotel (stbridesspahotel.com) at Saundersfoot for Welsh lamb, fish and chips or even an exfoliating marine body scrub.
In the shadow of North Berwick and so often overlooked by weekenders from nearby Edinburgh, Seacliff Beach has remained refreshingly unspoilt. Its beach is flanked by ruins of a castle and a stately home, and there’s a tiny harbour round the corner. When you’ve finished exploring, drive ten miles back towards Edinburgh for lunch at the Edwin Lutyens-designed Greywalls in Gullane (greywalls.co.uk).
cornwalltouristboard.co.uk, purbeck.gov.uk, pembrokeshirecoast.org.uk, visitcardigan.com
