Brean Beach

The beach here stretches for miles - genuinely impressive if you catch it on a decent day. Brean, just outside Burnham-on-Sea, isn't the prettiest stretch of Somerset coast, but it's honest: wide sandy flats, proper working beach with donkey rides and the occasional ice cream van, the sort of place families have been coming to for decades without fuss.

What you get is space. Lots of it. The tide goes out a fair distance, which means kids can spend hours rock-pooling or just running about without feeling crowded. There's a funfair a short walk away - Brean Theme Park sits just inland - so if the weather turns or boredom strikes, there's an escape route. The beach itself is free, though parking can be a bit of a scramble in summer.

It's not for everyone. If you're after dramatic cliffs or hidden coves, look elsewhere. But if you want a proper family beach where you can actually find a spot without queuing, and your kids won't complain about sand in their sandwiches, this works well. The holiday parks scattered around - Channel View, Warren Farm, Diamond Farm - sit close enough that a morning at the beach becomes an easy walk from wherever you're staying.

Best visited earlier in the day before the day-trippers arrive, or off-season when the whole place feels like it actually belongs to the locals again. Bring a windbreak. The wind here can be surprisingly keen.