Tyrella Beach

The strand stretches for nearly two miles along County Down's coast, backed by dunes that shift with the winter winds. It's the kind of beach where you can actually walk without tripping over bucket-and-spade tourists - especially out of season, when it feels genuinely wild. The sand is firm, the sort that lets you stride rather than plod, and at low tide there's enough exposed beach to make a decent exploration of rock pools where the kids might spot starfish and anemones.

Tyrella isn't dramatic in the way some Northern Irish beaches are. No towering cliffs, no movie-set drama. What you get instead is honest coastal space - good for walking the dog, proper long stretches where families can actually spread out, and on a clear day you'll see across to the Mourne Mountains inland, which is a decent bonus. The car park is right there at the beach end, which matters when you've got little ones or the weather turns.

Downpatrick is your nearest town for supplies and coffee, only a few miles inland. If you're based at one of the caravan parks - Edgewater is closest at just over a mile - you can amble down here for the afternoon without it feeling like a pilgrimage. Allow a couple of hours for a proper walk, longer if you're the type to hunt shells. It's free to access, open whenever you fancy it. Not Instagram-ready, but genuinely useful if you want a beach day without the circus.