Pendine Sands Beach

Three miles of hard-packed sand stretching along Carmarthenshire's coast - that's Pendine Sands, and it's properly dramatic when the tide goes out. The beach is famous for one thing: speed. Back in the 1920s, racing drivers used it as a natural runway, and that history still hangs in the air when you're walking across the flats at low tide. The sand is so firm you could drive a car on it today, which locals occasionally do.

What you actually get here depends entirely on the tide. At high water, it's a standard beach - decent for a swim, rocky patches, narrow strip of sand. Come back at low tide and the place transforms. You're walking on what feels like a motorway of compacted sand, with the whole bay laid bare. It's brilliant for families who want to let kids run wild without worry, and walkers absolutely love the sheer distance you can cover without sinking up to your ankles.

Historically minded visitors might spend an hour thinking about those daredevil drivers - Malcolm Campbell set a world record here in 1927 - but there's no museum or formal exhibition. You're reading the story off the landscape itself.

The nearby parks - Parkdean Resorts Pendine Sands is practically on top of it, while Hafan Y Mor and Thorning Farm offer quieter bases - make this an easy add-on to a South Wales coast trip. Allow two to three hours to get a proper feel for it. Go when the tide's out. That's when Pendine actually sings.