Not at Glasto this weekend? No bother. Make the most of this extended fine weather and hit the beach.
Allow us to present your guide to a micro-holiday by the sea. Sipping on crispy pints in the sunshine and cooling off in the freezing cold water — there’s nothing quite like a seaside break in Blighty.
From Margate’s lesser-known seaside sister to the secret London beach just 60 minutes away by Tube, here are the best beaches near the capital. Don’t all flock there at once. Actually, do. The best thing about the beach is you don’t have to book.
Brighton, Sussex
Time from London: 58 minutes on the train, 90 minutes by car
USP: A fun-loving, good looking crowd; a sprawling pebble beach; and great post-dip eats
Coastal crowd: Londoners looking for a quick escape, man-bunned Brightoners, and some kids from Sussex University. Look out for celebrity residents including Nick Cave and Fatboy Slim. Cate Blanchett has been spotted here, too.
Beach bite: After a cider in the sun, the gaggle of beach bars are perfectly appetising for a sit and snack. For a more substantial meal, Salt Room on the strip is the go-to for fresh fish, while Petit Pois is a charming French restaurant fulfilling your escargot needs. No trip is complete without a cocktail from Twisted Lemon – one citrus martini, please – before it’s back to Victoria Station.
Brighton! The land of the rainbow flag, vegan bagel, and warm wine on a rocky beachfront. Does it get much better? Step out of the station and there’s a carefree holiday feel immediately. Money seems to evaporate (drinks aren’t cheap, somehow it seems fine at the time) and the ocean is vast and wide. Brighton gets busy when it’s warm, but all of that’s made up for by an overwhelming sense of British summertime comradery.
Joe Bromley
Margate, Kent
Time from London: 90 minutes by train, 110 minutes by car
USP: Edgy beach vibes with culture on tap
Coastal crowd: A mixed bag of ex-Claptonites, hardcore wild swimmers and quintessential British holidaymakers
Beach bite: Head to Po’ Boy Creole fish hut for Margate’s take on the New Orleans staple of Po’boy buns stuffed with deep fried king prawns in panko breadcrumbs and cajun spices topped with garlicky aioli and gherkins. Best served with seaweed salted chips dipped in fresh mango and lime mayo.
We all know it as Hackney-on-sea, but despite its hipster crowd - and the inevitable microbreweries and coffee roasteries imported with them - Margate, and its vast gold sandy beach, still retains much of its old school seaside charm. Kick off the day with a slice of culture at the Turner Contemporary on the seafront, where British-Ghanaian artist Larry Achiampong is showing his first major solo exhibition until June 19. If ice creams and sand castles aren’t your thing, take a stroll over to Cliftonville and brave a dip in the icy Walpole Bay Tidal Pool, the UK’s largest saltwater lido, and a whopping four acres in size.
In need of some TLC? Head to Haeckels House for a thalassotherapy spa treatment, or just pick up some expensive but seriously sweet-smelling soap. Party people and thrill-seekers will have to wait until May 29 for the reopening of Dreamland, Margate’s retro amusement park, complete with vintage helter skelter, funny mirrors and a roster of cool gigs and live events this summer.
Rosie Fitzmaurice
West Wittering, West Sussex
Time from London: 120 minutes by train and taxi, 110 minutes by car
USP: Eye candy, whether it’s dogs, surfers or one of the Witterings’ £6m beachside mansions. Tatler once dubbed the area England’s answer to the Hamptons
Coastal crowd: The Bransons, Kate Winslet, middle-class dog-walkers and down-from-London sailing types
Beach bite: Grab a coffee at the Drift-In Surf Café in East Wittering, a short stroll along the beach (and a chance to ogle at the millionaire homes on your way past)
I’m biased because I grew up there, but any of West Wittering’s A-list locals from Kate Winslet to Keith Richards would tell you the same thing: it’s Britain’s most beautiful beach and don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. The 2.8 mile-long peninsula of world-class white sand sits in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty just outside Chichester - and a relatively short drive from London, depending how early you get up to dodge the crowds along the winding roads at the end (take the Salterns Way cycle route from Itchenor if you fancy dodging queues and avoiding the parking fees).
However bad the traffic, though, it’s worth it: even the car park is Insta-worthy, with day-trippers tossing cricket balls, picnicking and playing around in the showers on the grass behind the dunes. On the other side of the £50,000 beach huts (Winslet just inherited one from her mother-in-law, Eve Branson), it’s heaven: miles of unspoilt Blue Flag beaches overlooking the Solent and the Isle of Wight.
Whisper it, but real Wittering regulars know the best bit of the beach is the northern tip, the National Trust hotspot of East Head. It’s a longer walk from the car park, but quieter, more sheltered and there’s more to see, with views over the South Downs and sailing boats buzzing about in Chichester Harbour. You didn’t hear it from me.
Katie Strick
Broadstairs, Kent
Time from London: 100 minutes by train, 130 minutes by car
USP: Live music in all the pubs- and Charles Dickens lived here
Coastal crowd: Angela Rayner’s doppelganger Sharon Stone was spotted along the high street a couple of summers ago and Sunday Times restaurant critic Marina O’Loughlin is often around, but it’s more usual to see a mix of families and those after a few pints sunk to the sound of old rockers knocking out Dire Straits
Beach bite: The Magnet micropub changes its beers (weighted towards local breweries) seemingly daily; Morelli’s deservedly earns itself queues for its top drawer, Italian-style gelato; and pick up oysters from Wyatt & Jones to slurp down on the beach.
Neighbouring Margate might demand all the attention, but the truth among Kent coast insiders is that Broadstairs is known as “the jewel in Thanet’s crown” for good reason. Down from the happily wonky houses, the pretty harbour curls its arm around brightly-coloured fishing boats as the beach — sunlit from the moment it wakes — fills with families, retirees and all in between digging castles and paying no mind to the time.
Pubs fill early, music is everywhere and what was shabby only five or six years ago has been smartened up and brushed down, with seaside tat mostly swept aside. The restaurants have promise, too.
David Ellis
Frensham Great Pond, Surrey
Time from London: 120 minutes by train and bus, 70 minutes by car
USP: Wild swimming without the waves
Coastal crowd: Keen swimmers, bird-watchers and families who want their little ones to paddle without waves or tidal currents
Beach bite: The National Trust cafe on the northern side of Frensham Little Pond serves hot and cold drinks, ice creams and freshly baked cakes from chocolate brownies to orange and fruit rock caes
But isn’t Surrey landlocked? I hear you ask. Yes, your geography skills aren’t deceiving you, but Frensham Great Pond is proof you don’t actually need the sea for a grand day out at the beach. The inland manmade beach sits on the Hampshire border in the heart of 1,000 acres of National Trust land marked as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
It’s formed by the sandy soil of the Green Flag award-winning site that is Frensham Common and there are two 13th-century swimming lakes marked by white buoys, with a water quality rated “excellent” by the Environment Agency, so it’s perfect for sheltered swimming. Regulars take tents, umbrellas and bucket-and-spades for days out on the white sandy beach but get there early: the car park is usually full by 10am.
KS
Whitstable, Kent
Time from London: 80 minutes by train, 120 minutes by car
USP: A homegrown foodie scene with some of the best seafood in the country
Coastal crowd: Chances are you’ll bump into half of London and you’ve got a good chance of spotting local boy Orlando Bloom in the wild.
Beach bite: Grab a pint to-go from the Sea Farmers Dive tap room, beachside pub The Neptune is primed for a sunset sundowner and make an urgent beeline to The Lobster Shack for perfect fish and chips. For oysters, head to the pleasingly say-what-you-see The Whitstable Oyster Company.
Known for its Oyster Festival - which packs out the seafront every August with hungry DFLs (Down From Londons) snacking on crustaceans the size of their face – the Kentish seaside town is a tonic for the frenetic pace of the city.
The main stretch can be packed during (rare) sunny weather so sneak off to nearby Tankerton Beach where the calm millpond waters are begging to be disrupted by some amateur paddleboarding. Or, hire bikes from the high street, pack a seafood picnic from Wheelers (the vintage pastel-fronted oyster bar you’ve seen all over the ‘gram), some organic wine from The Offy and cycle down to Herne Bay.
Suzannah Ramsdale
Ruislip Lido, London
Time from London: 60 minutes by Tube from central London
USP: Palm trees and sandcastles inside Zone 6
Coastal crowd: Families, hikers and Londoners without a car (avoid if you fancy a dip - swimming is currently banned)
Beach bite: A Mr Whippy from one of the ice cream stalls by the lake. The Water’s Edge, Miller & Carter and The Woodman pubs are all within a 15-minute walk if you fancy something heartier
It’s an unusual one, the feeling of sand between your toes on the Picadilly Line. But that holiday feeling is precisely the beauty of Ruislip Lido, a “secret” sandy beach in north-west London at the end of the Metropolitan and Picadilly Lines. The manmade oasis sits on the soutern shores of a beautiful 60-acre lake in the middle of Ruislip Woods, a 283-hectare nature reserve of ancient woodland that’s twice the size of Hyde Park. The jewel in its crown (aside from the miniature train ride around the edge of the lake)? A golden sandy beach, complete with a charming children’s playground with a giant wooden pirate chip for kids.
Swimming in the lido is sadly banned for algae and cleanliness reasons, but you can still sunbathe with your favourite beach read, explore the nature trails and build sandcastles with the kids. Take the Uxbridge branch of the Metropolitan or Picadilly Line to West Ruislip. It’s just a 15-minute walk and five-minute bus journey (on the H13) at the other end.
KS
Deal, Kent
Time from London: 80 minutes by train, 90 minutes by car
USP: grand Georgian architecture and quaint fishermen’s cottages
Coastal crowd: a slightly older, more established arty set. Artist Tim Noble swapped Shoreditch for Deal in 2013
Beach bite: the best fish and chips can be found at Middle Street Fish Bar, an unassuming proper old-fashioned chippy where everything’s fried fresh to order.
Rater less edgy than Margate further up the coast, this former garrison town is arguably the prettiest seaside spot in the South. Stroll down past Walmer to the Zetland Arms for a sunset pint on the beach and get a classic ice cream sundae from the Sixties gem Deal Beach Parlour. If it rains, while your day away in the independent shop-packed back streets: Smugglers Records is crate digger-heaven, with a bar, and the Rose hotel is the down-from-London boutique option for dining or staying over night.
