Southwold, Suffolk

With its colourful beach huts, pier, lighthouse and model boating pond, Southwold offers plenty of old-fashioned seaside charm but without brash amusement arcades, end-of-the-pier shows or burger joints. Rainy-day attractions include the alternative slot machines and eccentric inventions on Southwold Pier and the working lighthouse, which offers guided tours (adults £3.50, children £2.50).
• southwold.info

Mablethorpe, Lincolnshire

Mablethorpe is something of a one-stop shop when it comes to a family day at the seaside. Golden sandy beach, donkey rides, funfair, paddleboating, crazy golf … Take the Sand Train along the seafront and admire the Bathing Beauties, a stretch of colourful beach huts playfully reinvented for the 21st century – our favourite is the gin and tonic hut, complete with straw and a slice of lemon.
• mablethorpe.info

Burntisland Beach, Fife

There are perhaps more beautiful beaches in Scotland than Burntisland, but this Blue Flag stretch of sand overlooking the Firth of Forth scores pretty highly for family appeal. When you tire of sandcastle building there are rockpools to explore, and the Seaside Park is a short stroll away, with crazy golf, bouncy castle and summer fairground.
• burntisland.net

Blackpool Sands, Devon

On a sunny day when the sea is turquoise, this beautiful sheltered bay has an almost Mediterranean feel. It's a great spot for swimming, with clear, calm waters and a bathing raft. Tots will love the sandpits, while older children can hire kayaks, boogie boards and snorkels. The beachside Venus cafe serves sandwiches, burgers and ice-creams.
• blackpoolsands.co.uk

Tenby, Pembrokeshire

With no fewer than four beaches to choose from and a quaint town centre of ice-cream coloured houses and shops, Tenby is an appealing spot for a day at the seaside. Let off steam on the vast sandy expanse of North Beach, with its many rockpools, or take a boat trip out to Caldey Island from Harbour beach.
• tenbyvisitorguide.co.uk