UKC

Runswick Bay, North Yorkshire. According to The Sunday Times.
 

wouldn’t have been my pick, and I live in North Yorkshire...

which beach would the ukc vote be for...?

Pish, thats not even the best beach on Harris!

It’s a pointless exercise. There are loads of nice beaches in the UK and it’s totally subjective and pretty arbitrary. 

yes, it’s Off Belay, that’s pretty much it’s definition...

Have you got a favourite though?

the Sands of Breckon on Yell would be a nomination for any short list from me- swimming while arctic terns were fishing...

Skinningrove?

Chris

I paddled my kayak clockwise around Scarp just over three years ago on a slightly lumpy sea and after a mildly exciting time in the clapotis on the exposed side of the island feeling a bit run-out and wondering if I'd bitten off more than I could chew, I turned the NW corner of the island on to much calmer water and shortly afterwards into the blissfully sheltered narrow sound between Scarp and the tiny island of Cearstaigh.  There's a little beach there that is beautiful by any standards, but for me, on that day, it was unquestionably the most beautiful place on Earth.

Can't vote for that one though, so instead I'm going to nominate Bostadh. (Great Bernera)

I wasn’t having a dig at you For sentimental reasons, Woolacombe. Had the best day of my life with my daughter there in 2007. For beauty and peacefulness, one of the Pembroke beaches near Armorican - Caerfai Bay is it? Lovely. 

At risk of dragging this back "on belay", what's the best beach that's inaccessible on foot but could be abseiled into? Something in Pembroke?

The beach below Magic Flute (E1 5b) feels pretty inaccessible and I've never seen any non-climbers on it. But I haven't looked around the corner so maybe there is a route down and it's just a bit off the beaten track?

No worries. I’d have porthminster beach in st ives and Dornoch beach on my list for the same reason, great days with the kids

A good idea- The only one I can think of which sort-of fits the bill is Da Lang Ayre in Shetland- I’ve not been, but would love to. There’s a fixed rope to help with access, though from the videos I’ve seen on YouTube it looks not strictly necessary. It’s still a long walk though...

I went there once and thought I was going to die. There was a house with dolls heads on spikes all over the garden. 

That’s much nicer than I remember Skinningrove being!

wow, that’s stunning!

The lovely little secluded one on the west coast of Lewis that I am camping next to right now probably makes the top 1% nationally, but is pretty ordinary by Hebridean standards.

IMO you are all identifying the most beautiful beach, which is not the same as best beach.

Also, we are not the target market unless we're out with our kids (when they were small if we have them). All those remote secluded (cold) idylls that you describe are going to be a bad experience for most young families without outdoor experience.

I know which type I'd prefer but getting the Mrs to camp without guaranteed ☀️ and decent toilets would be tricky, although to be fair she is a recent she-wee convert.

Is that the one by the little cemetery ? If it is I love it !

git.

We all have our favourites but if we are talking about the result of a survey of several thousand people then the Which magazine said that it was Three Cliffs Bay. 

Much as I like it, I doubt you'd find Caerfai peaceful as it has three campsites within a couple of hundred yards.

Family favourite in that area is Abereiddy.

The beaches on the peninsula north of Grenitote, North Uist.

Scarista and Luskentyre, Harris.

Valtos and Tolsta, Lewis.

Fishing station beach, Red Point, Gairloch

Firemore, Loch Ewe

Oldshoremore and Balnakeil Bay. Highland

Dave

No, a little bit north of the Bragar cemetery.

The best beach is beautiful and one which I am unlikely to have to share with other people and therefore unlikely to win any popularity polls.

Exactly. Who the hell wants to publicise their fav beach if it's not already ruined by excess footfall?

I've my favourites but I'm not posting them on any website.

Call some place paradise ......... kiss it goodbye. A line from an Eagle's song - The last resort and a great song it is. And how true that line is. So why do people insist on publicising the great places to visit rather than promoting areas and letting visitors find their own paradise?

It happens all over the place - The best short walk in Cornwall said the Sunday Times and the Police were overwhelmed when the following weekend it was grid-locked. The North West 500 - well known to many bikers & tourers who found their own route around an area and spread the load. Now it is blighted by being over visited and local facilities are under resourced and under strain.

Please if you find your paradise enjoy it while it lasts and maybe tell a few friends but don't spoil it forever.

Rant over - well that feels a lot better.

Got stuck behind four vintage tractors flying NC500 flags on the Ullapool road yesterday....... The outer Hebrides feel like a last refuge from the madness.

Shhhhhhhhh!!!!!!! Keep the best Scottish ones quiet FFS!!!!!

+ 1 for Woolers. First warm day of the year, so no crowds. Ideally with a F3 onshore breeze

Opposite ends of the kingdom, but Treen and Prussia cove in Cornwall and Rackwick Bay on Hoy are probably my favourite beaches. 

You'd have to be daft to visit those remote (from the mainland) Hebridean beaches with the intention to go on a 'beach holiday' anyway.  The weather is just too fickle to be heading up there if you're not prepared to enjoy the landscape on a rainy and/or windy day.  They are still beautiful places in the rain of course, but you'd have a hard time convincing a couple of shivering kids with buckets and spades of that.

I walked around the North Coast of Walney Island last Monday and that was pretty special. But if I wanted to sunbathe, Fleetwood is great, plenty of ice creams, boating lake, pitch and putt and views of the Lakes

Sounds grim

You forgot to add 'views of the Lakes and Heysham nuclear power stations'.

South Walney is pretty good too with the added bonus of breeding seals in season.

For people who like a stiff walk on the beach, pick Anywhere north of the Blackpool-northumberland line.

For people who like to wear trunks on the beach, stay south of that line.

For people who like to surf at the beach etc etc ...

Staying in Lewis at the mo and have enjoyed Bostadh and Eoropie over the past two days. Both simply stunning and wonderfully quiet. I must also put in a shout for Crosby beach. The view with the Gormley statues is sublime. 

Hi Lanky 😁, we will walk south walney next, if it's half as good as the north it will be great.

The walk from ulverstonn canal foot to bardsea taking in the monastery gardens and cafe is great to, with views of cartmel and up in towards the dales.

Maybe we should start posting our 'favorites' on social media, and encourage others to visit them? My favorite beach is now Blackpool, best piece of countryside...London, greatest rock climb...anything indoors. 

I used to visit Runswick Bay with my parents when I was a kid, can't say it's the best in the UK, but it is lovely. 

I was climbing at caerfai last Wednesday, school holidays (although campsites not open yet I grant you) and the beach was not empty but pretty quiet.

The crag we had to ourselves all afternoon.

what's the best beach that's inaccessible on foot but could be abseiled into? Something in Pembroke?

Saddle bay near mowing word fits that description, although the time I camped there last year a small group of us kayaked in. Loads of driftwood for a fire all year as hardly anyone gets there to burn it.

Thats a beauty with spectacular caves to explore and some interesting bouldering. You can't walk into it but there is a dodgy fisherman's rope down a gully. Dodgy enough to put off most. Or you can down climb the diff on Becks point.

The ex and I went north up the estuary from the canal, that was good. We once did the bit of shore south of Bardsea during a walk from Great Urswick. Great views from Birkrigg Common and there's a stone circle too. Nice tarn at Great Urswick and all outside the national park.

Soon to be utterly spoiled by thousands of people now deciding it would be a good idea to go to the 'best beach in Britain'...

Well it would keep them all in one place away from the good beaches.

You can't access it now without a kayak or swimming from Church Doors, but Skrinkle Haven is pretty close to perfect.

Flimston bay requires a roped scramble down the last time I went, which keeps it pretty private? Also on the range, which few people but climbers will come down to.

I quite like my own beach.

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/blackpool-revealed-britains-drug-capi...

Apparently heroin is much more sustainably produced than it used to be, so your favourite beach probably has a smaller carbon footprint too.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-53450688

The last time I was in Blackpool, there was a discarded nappy being gently rocked back and forth by the waves lapping up on the sand. 
 

On the ‘plus’ side, the beach wasn’t busy (it seemed to be too far from the pub for most people ...)
 

Enjoy it - sounds great !

Which is why I am very grateful that ×××××× ××××××× escaped mention.

Also surprised to see Blast Beach, Seaham miss out on top spot.  There’s not many British beaches entirely made out of slag and industrial waste and accessed by a ramp in a spoil heap.

There's one near Carnforth made from iron ore slag and with some fascinating pinnacles behind it. When the stock cars aren't on it's quite a nice place to wander around.

Our village beach is fab. Railway across the back, ideal for train spotters, then a 30ft strip of old railway ballast, broken concrete and roofing tiles, then mud, black deep mud...

Don't often see grockles sunning themselves there so don't mind publicising it on here. Hope we don't get overrun now.

Thats no good without directions or grid ref.

Hows it going to top the poll?

Ah, you saw through my plan to avoid naming it.

Well the nearby Harbour "beach" is called the Sod. 

I once saw a car fail to make the 90 degree bend at the side of the harbour and it flipped and landed on its roof in the mud. Noone hurt due to the soft landing,  but the biggest mud splat I have ever seen hit the boats over 50m away!!

Sorry thats enough detail, probably see the thing lined with campervan's now!

Many a happy day playing in the sand on Scottish beaches as a child in full waterproofs. It was the couple of shivering parents that needed convincing.

Usually for these awards they have to need blue flag status, so lifeguards and toilets as well as clean water. Like most on here peace and quiet in a small sandy cove would be my ideal beach.

Agree with TomV that Abereiddy is a gem.

B*****

Have had to cancel our holiday to the UK, taking in Skye, Lewis and Harris ,due to being in lock-down here in Melbourne. I know we have had it easy compared to the UK and much of the rest of the world; but to see this post rubbed salt into the wound. I am jealous! I wish you all well and thanks to UKC for helping me keep my sanity.

Lewis water temp at the mo 12 - 13 C? Way too cold!

Years ago, I went to Hartlepool to check out the bouldering on the harbour wall. There was quite a nice beach below with stunning views of the chemical works and oil refinery over the other side. Plenty of people sunning and swimming. They are odd over there.

I think we have a winner! 
 

Unlikely to make anyone else's shortlist, my favourite is Blyth's South Beach for the simple reason that I grew up there and could be on the sands in less than 10 minutes walk from the house. Interesting dunes to play an un-PC japs and commandos in the 60's, a few miles of shoreline to wander along courting in the 70's/80's and a nice pier to take my 92 year old parents for a walk when we visit. There's also a fantastic Ice-cream parlour next to the car park.  

That romp down Memory Lane reminds of childhood trips to Formby Beach. We'd build big bonfires with washed up tar balls and throw old aerosol cans on to explode. My friend caught one on the head once. You could even find unused thunderflashes on the nearby army range. Ah, you can't get quality like that on some poncy Blue Star tourist magnet.

Chilly but not too bad. Surfing at Tolsta soon so it may be a hood, boots and gloves kind of morning!

I know a biologist who studies the various life forms that survive (I won't say thrive) in that pool.  I imagine he has nightmares about it.