10 best British beaches

For views that rock

Bedruthan Steps, Cornwall

Standing on the rugged cliffs above Bedruthan Steps, you're face to face with one of Cornwall's wildest views, with tall rock stacks shaped like turrets, sphinxes and ice-cream whirls on the beach below. Legend has it that Bedruthan, a Cornish giant, scattered them as stepping stones over the bay. When the tide's out, a mile-long stretch of sand is revealed around the monoliths. Carnewas

National Trust (01637 860563, www.nationaltrust.org.uk).