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10 Kent places to visit

2023 Blue Flag Beaches

Discover the joy of a Blue Flag Beach when you stay at one of our great holiday parks. Some of the UK’s best are within easy reach, so check out our top picks.

If you’re looking for some British staycation inspiration, why not head to a Blue Flag Beach? Grab your towel and swimming costume because Blue Flag Beaches are the best way to enjoy Britain’s extensive coastline.

To make things even better, many of the best Blue Flag Beaches in the UK are just a short drive from our holiday parks. What better way to spend your holiday than at a luxurious park near a top-level beach?

What are Blue Flag Beaches?

Blue Flag Beaches are ones that have been awarded special status by the Blue Flag programme. In short, it means the beach reaches a standard for cleanliness, safety, and suitability for tourists. The award has very strict eligibility criteria, so for a beach to win, you know it’ll be a high standard.

But what does this actually mean for you as a visitor? At the most basic level, it means a great day out at the beach. It also means the beach is as free as possible from problems like littering and pollution, and that it has a high level of safety. As such, Blue Flag Beaches are good picks for families, particularly those with small kids.

As of 2023, there are 76 Blue Flag Beaches in England. Scotland has its own award system – the Scottish Beach Award – which recognises 53 beaches as meeting similar standards. You can check this map for Scotland’s award-winning beaches, some of which are near our Scottish holiday parks.

Finding a Blue Flag Beach Near Your Holiday Park

If visiting a Blue Flag Beach sounds like a great idea for your next holiday, we’ve got just the list for you. Below is a selection of some of our favourite Blue Flag Beaches near our holiday parks across the UK.

At the bottom of the page, you’ll find a full list of Blue Flag Beaches near our parks, complete with approximate driving times.

Alum Chine
Image Credit: Chris Collard
1

Alum Chine

Located in Bournemouth, Alum Chine is approximately 24 minutes away from our Sandhills Holiday Park. It’s widely regarded as one of the best beaches in the area, which is praise enough on its own. Combined with its status as a Blue Flag Beach, you can guarantee it’s a beach worth visiting.

It’s very family-orientated. There’s a pirate-themed play area, baby-changing facilities, and, of course, lots of places to get an ice cream. Despite its popularity, it’s much quieter than the other beaches in the area.

Breakwater Beach
Image Credit: Roger Cornfoot
2

Breakwater Beach

Breakwater Beach is on the English Rivera (Devon’s coastline), roughly 14 minutes from our Waterside Holiday Park. Like Alum Chine, Breakwater is rolling in the awards. Along with being a Blue Flag Beach, it’s also got a Combined Seaside Award and was recommended in the Good Beach Guide.

It’s a favourite among scuba divers with several schools operating in the area. So, if you fancy getting your open water certificate while on your family holiday, this is a great pick!

Brightlingsea
Image Credit: Terry Joyce
3

Brightlingsea

Brightlingsea is only 18 minutes from our Seawick Holiday Park in Essex. It’s a Blue Flag Beach complete with promenade, colourful beach huts, and plenty of seaside amenities. It’s one of the more popular beaches in the area, which is saying something because there’s some stiff competition.

Brightlingsea is perfect for swimming or enjoying a day sunbathing. There are also facilities for water-skiing, canoeing, windsurfing and more if you fancy mixing things up a bit.

Broadsands Beach
Image Credit: Rob Newman
4

Broadsands Beach

Broadsands is a mere 6 minutes away from our Waterside Holiday Park in Devon. Whereas Breakwater is a stretch of open sand, Broadsands (ironically) is a sheltered cove of shingly beach. Don’t let this put you off, though, as there are loads of caves to explore when the tide is out.

However, the 240 steps to reach the beach are something to contend with. If you plan to visit Broadsands, make sure you pack some comfy shoes!

Canford Cliffs
Image Credit: Derek Harper
5

Canford Cliffs

Canford Cliffs in Poole is another gem of England’s south coast. Located 26 minutes from our Sandhills Holiday Park, Canford is a surprisingly quiet beach given the area. Part of this is probably due to its main access being down a narrow ravine.

However, if you’re willing to make the trek, you’ll be rewarded with a large stretch of firm sand. It’s ideal for swimming and playing ball games with the family.

Crooklets Bude
Image Credit: Rod Allday
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Crooklets Bude

Despite Crooklets Bude being in Cornwall, our closest park is Hedley Wood Holiday Park in Devon, which is only a 17-minute drive away. The beach has plenty to offer people of all ages. There’s a skate park, play area, café, amusement facilities and, of course, pubs.

Crooklets Bude is a particular favourite with surfers, so it’ll be a good choice if that’s your thing. You can also rent a beach hut for as little as £10 for the day, giving you somewhere out of the sun to relax.

Dawlish Warren
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Dawlish Warren

Dawlish Warren, in Devon, is one of the area’s top family beaches. This is both a pro and a con because it’s got great family-orientated facilities, but it also means it’ll be busy pretty much all the time. Its popularity mainly stems from its massive expanse of sand, sheltering dunes, and great water.

You can easily reach Dawlish Warren from two of our parks. It’s only 5 minutes away from both Golden Sands and Dawlish Sands, giving you great options for where you stay.

Felixstowe South
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Felixstowe South

Felixstowe South beach in Suffolk is an impressive 4 miles long. The town of Felixstowe is a typical seaside resort town, making our Felixstowe Holiday Park a good pick if this is the sort of holiday you want. Plus, the park is only 3 minutes from the beach.

Felixstowe South is primarily a shingle beach, which might not be to everyone’s tastes. However, there are still big patches of sand, and the shingles are unnoticeable if you pack some beach shoes. Luckily, there are plenty of ice cream stalls and amusement arcades to take your mind off it!

Great Western Beach
Image Credit: Derek Harper
9

Great Western Beach

Great Western Beach is located in the Cornish town of Newquay, an incredibly popular beach resort. So, for this beach to make it onto our list, you know it must be pretty special. Our Trevella Holiday Park is only 9 minutes away.

The beach is surrounded by large cliffs, making it fairly sheltered. If you fancy taking a break from swimming, there are plenty of caves to explore. Access is easy, too: you can reach it using a paved road from the nearby Great Western Hotel.

Leysdown
10

Leysdown

Leysdown is one of the most popular beaches on Kent’s Isle of Sheppey. Better yet, our Harts Holiday Park is a mere 1 minute away! So, not only do you get to stay in a great park, you have a Blue Flag Beach on your doorstep!

The surrounding town, Leysdown-on-the-Sea, is another typical seaside resort town. You can expect plenty of cafes, amusement arcades and play areas to keep you and the family busy when you’re not enjoying the beach’s excellent water quality.

Dovercourt Bay
11

Dovercourt Bay

Dovercourt Bay, in Essex, is just across the Stour Estuary from Felixstowe. Unsurprisingly, it offers the same great views, clear water, and seaside amenities. There’s also a skate park and boating lake, so you’ve got plenty of activities to keep you and the family amused.

Our Dovercourt Holiday Park is only 6 minutes away, meaning you’ve got easy access to this Blue Flag Beach whenever you want it.

Fisherman’s Walk
Image Credit: Chris Downer
12

Fisherman’s Walk

Bournemouth is well-known for its impressive beaches; they draw in a massive crowd from across the south coast every summer. So, for it to stand out in Dorset, and for Fisherman’s Walk to stand out among Bournemouth beaches, it’s got to be something special.

Luckily, it is. Fisherman’s Walk is noticeably quieter than Bournemouth’s main cliff beaches, but this works in its favour. You’ll be able to spend an enjoyable day with the family, and our Sandhills Holiday Park is 14 minutes away.

Minnis Bay
Image Credit: John Goodall
13

Minnis Bay

Minnis Bay has loads of different water sports on offer, including windsurfing, canoeing, and kayaking. Located in Kent, it’s only 10 minutes away from our Birchington Vale Holiday Park.

The beach is very flat and has great accessibility – there’s a car park nearby, meaning you only need to travel a short distance to get to the beach. The promenade has numerous cafes and a play area. You’ll even find an open-top bus running in the summer if you want a more extensive tour of the area.

Polzeath Beach
14

Polzeath

Polzeath is located on Cornwall’s north coast and is a favourite among surfers thanks to its slow but consistent waves. It’s also ideal for swimming because Hayle Bay is relatively sheltered. However, if you fancy a quieter beach trip, New Polzeath is just around the corner.

Polzeath is around 27 minutes away from our Hengar Manor Holiday Park. While this is a bit more of a trek than some of the other Blue Flag Beaches on this list, it’s worth it for the picturesque location and family-friendly beach.

West Wittering
15

West Wittering

West Wittering in West Sussex is only 18 minutes from our Chichester Lakeside Holiday Park. It has great views of the surrounding area and there’s plenty to explore around the beach.

It’s been a family favourite beach for a long time and is a standout among Sussex beaches. So, grab your bucket and spade and get ready for a day on the sand!

The Rest of Our Blue Flag Beaches

  • Beachlands, Hayling Island, Hampshire - 37 mins from Solent Breezes Holiday Park
  • Blackpool Sands, Devon - 45 minutes from Riviera Bay
  • Branksome Chine Poole, Dorset - 40 minutes from Sandhills Holiday Park
  • Brighton Beach, Sussex - 54 minutes from Pevensey Bay
  • Carbis Bay Beach, Cornwall - 45 minutes from Trevella Holiday Park
  • Challaborough, Cornwall/ Devon – 1 hour from Polperro Holiday Park (Cornwall)
  • Cleethorpes, Yorkshire - 1 hour 4 minutes from Sand-le-Mere Holiday Park
  • Cromer, Norfolk - Nearest park in Suffolk - Broadland Sands 1 hour 5 minutes away
  • Durley Chine Bournemouth, Dorset - 22 minutes from Sandhills Holiday Park
  • East Runton, Norfolk - 1hr 15 minutes from Broadland Sands in Suffolk
  • Exmouth, Devon - 35 minutes from Golden Sands and Dawlish Sands
  • Gyllyngvase, Cornwall - 1 hr 15 minutes from Polperro Holiday Park
  • Hornsea, Yorkshire - 1 hour 5 minutes from Sand-le-Mere
  • Hove, Sussex - 50 minutes from Chichester Lakeside
  • Manor Steps, Bournemouth, Dorset - 16 minutes from Sandhills Holiday Park
  • Minster Leas, Essex - 16 minutes from Harts Holiday Park
  • Mundesley, Suffolk - 1 hour from Broadland Sands
  • Oddicombe Beach, Devon - 24 minutes from Waterside Holiday Park
  • Porthmeor, St Ives, Cornwall - 40 minutes from Trevella Holiday Park
  • Porthtowan, Cornwall - 26 minutes from Trevella Holiday Park
  • Portreath, Cornwall - 28 minutes from Trevella Holiday Park
  • Preston Sands, Paignton, Devon - 9 minutes from Waterside Holiday Park
  • Sandown on Isle of White, Hampshire - 50 minute drive and 1 hour ferry trip from Solent Breezes
  • Sandy Bay, Exmouth, Devon - 40 minutes from Dawlish Sands and Golden Sands
  • Sea Palling in Norfolk - 45 minutes from Broadland Sands in Suffolk
  • The Bay, Margate, Kent - 10 minutes from Birchington Vale
  • Walton-on-the-Naze - Essex parks: Seawick, St Osyth Beach and Martello Beach are 25 minutes south of it and Dovercourt is 25 minutes north
  • Westbrook Bay, Margate, Kent - 7 minutes from Birchington Vale
  • Westward Ho!, Devon – 27 minutes from Tarka Holiday park or 43 minutes from Hedley Wood
  • Weymouth, Dorset - 50 minutes from Wood Farm Holiday Park
  • Widemouth Bay, Cornwall - 19 minutes from Hedley Wood Holiday Park

Finding Your Favourite Blue Flag Beach

As you can see, we’ve got you covered for loads of Blue Flag Beaches in the UK. So, why not book your next holiday with us and discover some of the most highly-commended beaches on the UK’s coastline?

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