Walton Beach

A proper East Anglian beach with that slightly worn, honest charm you either love or find a bit bleak. Walton Beach stretches along Walton-on-the-Naze with shingle and sand, backed by a seafront that's seen better decades but hasn't given up trying. The pier dominates the view - a proper Victorian structure that gives the whole place a seaside-postcard quality, even if the paint's peeling.

What you actually do here is straightforward: walk the beach, paddle if the water doesn't look too murky, grab fish and chips from one of the seafront cafes. The cliffs behind aren't dramatic but they're worth a look if you're into geology - layers of London Clay that locals insist are worth studying. Kids will get a couple of hours from it; walkers can push on along the coast towards Clacton or back towards the marshes. It's not a destination in itself, but it's the focal point of a seaside town that works better as a weekend base than a day trip.

Staying nearby is easy. Naze Marine Holiday Park sits barely half a mile away - about as close as you can pitch a tent to the beach. Valley Farm and Highfield Grange are five to six miles inland if you want quieter surroundings. Walton-on-the-Naze itself is the nearest proper town, and it's got the essentials without being overrun. Free to access the beach, obviously. Come when the wind's not absolutely brutal - which narrows it to about four months a year on the Essex coast.