The most beautiful beaches in the UK & Ireland

Pirates, does the weather forecast predict sunshine and you're looking for the perfect day out? Here are some of the most beautiful beaches around the UK for you to have a browse. We've made sure we're covering every region.

If your favourite beach is missing, let us know and tell us why it should be on here.

🏴‍☠️ Pirate tip: Make sure you check the tide times before you go!

Formby Beach near Liverpool is a great idea for a family day out. It's got a large car park, picnic areas and easy to find paths to the beach. On a clear day, you'll get lovely views across the Irish Sea and even the mountains of Cumbria can be seen.

The beach has one of the fastest moving coastlines in the UK. After a storm, the shores can look completely different compared to when you last saw it.

The beach at Lytham St Annes in Lancashire is a huge expanse of golden sand, perfect for building sandcastles. It's been awarded the TripAdvisor Traveller's Choice Award last year.

The beach is very clean, you can walk for miles. There are many cafés nearby, plus, there are amusements on the pier.

Whitby in Yorkshire has beaches on both sides of the River Esk. On both sides, the beaches are covered in beautiful white sand. West Cliff Beach, the bigger of the two, is the main beach in Whitby, stretching for two miles.

You can rent a colourful beach hut if you fancy. There's car parking available and you can even arrive by train and walk to the beach.

The beach of Bracklesham Bay is more of a hidden gem than a well-know beach hot spot in Sussex, but, if you fancy a getaway with barely anyone around, then this is your beach.

The beach has mostly shingles and becomes sandier the closer you get to the water. It's ideal for long dog walks, sun bathing and villa watching (most of the villas here have private beach access).

Pay-and-display parking can be found along East Bracklesham Drive.

This is probably one of the most iconic pictures of a UK beach, and even if you might have seen it a million times before, we can't miss it. There are so many gorgeous beaches along the coast in Cornwall and Dorset and we're sure you'll tell us which one your favourite is here.

So, just for the record, this is Durdle Door on the Jurassic Coast. It's got a natural arch, formed from a layer of hard limestone standing almost vertically out of the sea.

The beach is dog-friendly and is best accessed by car, by turning at Winfrith Newburgh if driving from the west, or at Holmebridge (shortly after Wareham) if driving from the east.

Horsey Beach in Norfolk is an unspoilt and quiet sandy beach. There's a coastal walk that takes you for miles above the beach. In the winter months, this beach is brilliant for seal watching.

There's a National Trust parking space you can use to get there.

So, this is one of the most beautiful beaches in the UK according to various online sources and visitor polls. Rhossili Beach, a glorious sandy beach on the Gower Peninsula, just to the west of Swansea on the South Wales coast never gets crowded.

The island just offshore is Worm’s Head, it looks like a basking dragon. You can access it two hours either side of low tide. Rhossili Gower village is 250 feet above the beach.

This beach might not be in closest reach for you, as you've got to get to the Outer Hebrides, but once you're there, you'll be rewarded with the most breathtaking location.

Tolsta Beach on the Isle of Lewis is seaside perfection. It can be quite windy, hence this white sandy beach is popular with surfers.

Dog's Bay in Galway, is a horseshoe-shaped beach, said to be one of the most beautiful beaches in Ireland. The sand here is made up of tiny crushed up seashell particles giving the beach a luminous, quite tropical quality.

The beach is well sheltered from currents, with crystal clear water and it's considered safe for swimming and other water based activities.

It can get quite crowded in summer.

Helen's Bay Beach in Crawfordsburn Country Park is a beautiful sandy beach, a 20-minute drive from Belfast. It's great for long walks and family days out, bring a picnic!

There's a restaurant there and car parking is available. Dogs are allowed, too. If you're lucky you may see Porpoises and seals here.