Saint Ishmael Beach

The beach at Saint Ishmael sits quietly in Carmarthenshire, just outside Kidwelly, facing out across the Towy estuary towards the Carmarthen Bay shoreline. It's a proper working beach - salt marshes, mudflats, and that particular smell of exposed tidal mud that some people love and others find unforgiving. The sands themselves are dark and compact, the sort where your feet actually grip rather than sink.

This is a walker's spot more than a sunbather's. The real appeal lies in the long views back towards Kidwelly Castle and the chance to properly stretch your legs along the tidal zone without fighting through crowds. Birdwatchers do well here too - the estuary attracts waders and wildfowl, especially in autumn and winter. The beach itself is free, no facilities that I'm aware of, so you'll want to sort supplies from Kidwelly before heading down.

Allow two hours if you're doing a proper walk rather than a quick look. The best time to visit is low tide - you get far more beach to explore, and the light off the wet sand can be lovely, particularly late afternoon. Families with young children might find it less thrilling than Amroth or Pendine, but older kids who like rock pools and hunting for shells will get on fine.

Stay at one of the caravan parks - Hazeldene or Sunrise Bay are closest - and you can treat it as a half-day outing combined with Kidwelly Castle or a longer coastal walk towards Laugharne.