British beaches are mainly found in Dorset, Devon and Cornwall counties, in the south-west of England, since sand is abundant and the weather and waters tend to be warmer there due to the latitude.
Dorset is also favoured by the prevailing southwesterly winds bouncing over chalk cliffs to create a drier micro-climate stretching from Highcliffe, through Bournemouth and along Dorset's 95 miles of UNESCO World Heritage Jurassic Coast as far as Devon. In addition this year's official water quality guide gives Dorset a 100% pass whereas Cornwall and Devon have a handful of failures.
Chesil Beach and Portland Harbour seen from Portland, Chesil is the biggest and most impressive stretch of beach in the UK at 19 miles long, and the oldest at 6,000 years [give or take a few centuries] but...
Chesil is a barrier/storm beach, with pebbles [larger near to Portland and positively petite near 16thC Abbotsbury village and its famous swannery in the east] for seating or awkward walking, a steeply shelving slope to the sea, erratic winds, brutal waves and unsafe undertow current. Nor are the slippery, sinking stones good for a walk. However, Chesil does a good job protecting lowland Weymouth and Fleet lagoon from the sea. But 10 minutes away by car is...
...the next serious stretch of kid-friendly seaside at Weymouth, a lively tourist town, with shingle at one end of the long strand, manicured sand at the other, clear waters, a wide promenade, some attractive Victorian buildings and plenty of traditional British beach activities
Finally, for those who like a bit of a treasure hunt with their beach-going, in West Dorset the beaches of Church Cliffs, Seatown, Thorncombe, Beacon and Charmouth are the heart of the Jurassic Coast, an area loaded with fossils [especially ammonites] going back 185 million years; walking tours are organised by the Heritage Coast Centre.
Nearby, pretty little Lyme Regis is the last town before Devon, in addition to being the UK's fossil capital
Nudist Beaches: It is not illegal to strip off and do the beach thing in the nude anywhere in Britain. The problem is if someone complains...However, here are a couple of great beaches in Dorset where the nude life is either unofficially commonplace or officially permitted.
Official:
Studland beach, a large and sandy nature reserve beach with many grassy dunes. Just across Poole Harbour entrance from Sandbanks via the ferry.
Unofficial:
Hengistbury Head, below the rock outcrop.
Cogden Beach.
UK Water Quality: The Marine Conservation Society has published a Good Beach Guide based on results from last summer. Britain has less recommended beaches this year, probably due to contamination as a result of heavy rains washing sewage, petrochemicals and agricultural products into the sea. MCS suggests that you choose to bathe on beaches with a good water quality record but also avoid ALL beaches within 24 hours of heavy storms. Conveniently you can also download a free satellite navigation software plug-in.
High Water Quality beaches this year:
Dorset: Practically all beaches from Southbourne west to Charmouth are highly recommended.
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