Looe Beach

The beach at Looe curves in a gentle horseshoe, backed by the sort of Victorian seaside town that actually feels lived-in rather than theme-park-ified. You get proper sand here, the kind that doesn't disappear at high tide, with rock pools at the eastern end that'll keep kids occupied for hours if the tide's cooperative.

It's a working fishing port, which means the quay smells of salt and diesel in equal measure - some find that authentic, others find it a bit much. The town itself sits either side of a river, connected by a medieval bridge that creates two distinct halves. West Looe has the sandier beach and the amusements; East Looe is quieter and where most of the restaurants cluster.

Walkers gravitate here for the coastal path stretches in both directions - Polperro to the west is a proper coastal hike, about ninety minutes each way. Families will find the beach manageable for a full day, though it gets rammed in August. Spring and early autumn are when it actually feels like somewhere rather than a car park with a beach attached.

The seafront has the usual fish and chips joints and ice cream vans, plus some decent independent cafes if you know where to look. Free to access, naturally - it's a beach. Give yourself at least three hours if you're actually swimming; longer if you're doing the coastal walk. Tencreek Holiday Park sits just 1.6 miles up the hill, making it a solid base for a few days of proper Cornish coast exploring.