The Times and Sunday Times Best UK Beaches 2023: 50 best beaches in the UK including Weymouth and Woolacombe

The best 50 beaches in the UK have been revealed courtesy of the 15th edition of The Times and Sunday Times Best UK Beaches. All 50 listed have been visited and inspected within the past eight weeks.

Despite being the 15th edition, this is the first reader-nominated edition of the best beaches guide. Readers were invited to tell the publication of their favourite beaches and the selection process began in early May.

The whole process took a month in total. There was an 11-point checklist that a beach was judged on, including, cleanliness, accessibility, car parking facilities, lifeguards, hygiene levels at loos and showers and whether the beaches are dog-friendly.

Perhaps the most important assessing point was water quality. This is due to the high number of significant pollution incidents reported during 2023. Only beaches rated “excellent” by the Environment Agency have made the list.

Top 50 beaches in the UK

Weymouth, Dorset

Woolacombe, Devon

Studland, Dorset

Exmouth, Devon

Porthcurno, Cornwall

Porthminster, Cornwall

Constantine Bay, Cornwall

Grebe, Cornwall

Beer, Devon

Rhossili Bay, Gower, Swansea

Barmouth, Gwynedd

Broad Haven South, Pembrokeshire

Caswell Bay, Swansea

Llanbedrog, Gwynedd

Marloes Sands, Pembrokeshire

Three Cliffs Bay, Gower, Swansea

Traeth Penllech, Gwynedd

Bamburgh, Northumberland

Dunstanburgh, Northumberland

Cresswell, Northumberland

Tynemouth Longsands , Northumberland

Formby, Merseyside

Whitby Sandsend, North Yorkshire

Filey, North Yorkshire

Ballycastle, Co Antrim

Benone, Co Londonderry

White Park Bay, Co Antrim

Portrush East Strand, Co Antrim

Portstewart, Co Londonderry

Salmon Rock Beach, Co Antrim

Murlough Beach, Co Down

Findhorn, Moray

Coldingham, Scottish Borders

Wester Ross, Highland

Rhu Point, Highland

West Sands, St Andrews, Fife

Sanna Bay, Highland

Kilbride Bay, Argyll and Bute

Holkham, Norfolk

Brancaster, Norfolk

Cromer, Norfolk

Skegness, Lincolnshire

Dunwich, Suffolk

Felixstowe, Suffolk

Walton-on-the-Naze, Essex

West Wittering, West Sussex

Stone Bay, Kent

St Margaret’s, Kent

Winchelsea, East Sussex

Lepe, Hampshire