SMART TRAVELLER


FAMILY THE COAST IS CLEAR


Escaping the crowds is all the more important this summer. We pick some of our favourite bustle-free beaches for a day on the coast with the kids


Chapman’s Pool on the Jurassic


Coast in Dorset is ideal for fossil hunting


Earnse Bay, Cumbria BEST FOR: Sunsets and letting off steam Few people come to Cumbria for its beaches, but west-facing, empty Earnse Bay on Walney Island (you’ll reach it across a bridge from Barrow-in-Furness) is perfect for a picnic. Views of the largest wind farm in Europe, the mountains of the Isle of Man and, on a clear day, Snowdonia, can be spectacular. visitcumbria.com


Blackgang Beach, Isle of Wight BEST FOR: Solitude and sandstone Blackgang Beach is surely one of the least visited of all the island’s beaches and getting there’s as much fun as being there: you have to slither down a steep, sometimes slippery (but generally safe) path from Niton. The payoff is a glorious beach of fi ne-grained, ochre pebbles, overlooked by a magnifi cent sandstone escarpment that resembles a vast slab of honeycomb. visitisleofwight.co.uk


Botany Bay, Kent BEST FOR: Natural drama It’s hard to believe this spectacular beach lies within striking distance of the grand facades


24 nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel ap


of Broadstairs and seaside cheer of Margate. The soaring chalk stacks reach up to 130ſt and there are also large stretches of pristine white sand — ideal for long lazy walks or a spot of sunbathing. visitkent.co.uk


Chapman’s Pool, Dorset BEST FOR: Fossil-hunting Tucked away on Dorset’s Isle of Purbeck, Chapman’s Pool is far quieter than its better- known neighbour, Lulworth Cove. Its beauty is more than worth the modest eff ort needed to navigate the footpath to the sand and shingle. And as this is the Jurassic Coast, the kids will have every chance of fi nding ammonites, shell fossils and even small bits of Paleolithic reptiles. visit-dorset.com


Embleton Bay, Northumberland BEST FOR: Birdwatching and kite fl ying Vast, crescent-shaped Embleton Bay hides in plain sight behind the commanding Dunstanburgh Castle. Even on the sunniest day you can wander, fl y a kite or watch the puffi ns and terns with few concerns about social distancing. The castle looks like something a six-year-old might draw, perched


on a cliff , with crumbling ramparts and a huge portcullis. visitnorthumberland.com


Covehithe, Suff olk BEST FOR: Remote beauty Reached from a lane that ends abruptly at a crumbling cliff edge with a backdrop of a roofl ess church, Covehithe, south of Lowestoſt , has an edgy, dramatic beauty that is sure to capture any kid’s imagination. Explore the water-smoothed trunks of trees taken to the shoreline by the collapsed cliff , before taking a break on the soſt , golden sand. visitsuff olk.com


Lee Bay, Devon BEST FOR: Rockpools An isolated beach in North Devon is hard to fi nd even at the quietest time of year, but pint-sized Lee Bay near Ilfracombe is one such place. Close to popular Woolacombe, you’ll fi nd a small, sandy beach and rockpools that are perfect for exploring, paddling and sunbathing away from the crowds. leebay.co.uk MARK ROWE


Read more at nationalgeographic.co.uk/travel


IMAGE: GETTY


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