The insider's guide to the great British seaside

The great British seaside

Best for walkers

There are proposals afoot to make the entire British coast accessible to walkers. But in the meantime there are still miles of uninterrupted shoreline footpaths to explore, including many officially waymarked National Trails. My own favourite is the 186-mile long coast path that hugs  the National Park coast of Pembrokeshire. The scenery is magnificent, the birdlife amazing, and even in the height of summer you can find yourself alone with just the cacophony of seabirds and the thrashing of waves for company. Find out more: 0845 345 7275; www.pcnpa.org.uk.

David also recommends: Yorkshire\'s Cleveland Coast; the 630-mile South West Coast Path that fringes the counties of Somerset, Devon, Cornwall and Dorset; and the North Norfolk coastal trail, all featured on www.nationaltrail.co.uk. In Scotland, consider the Isle of Arran Coastal Way (www.coastalway.co.uk).

Awesome sand dunes

Although no match for the 100-metre high dunes of Oman and Namibia, the marram-capped specimens that roller-coaster along the seven-mile long Blue Flag beach at Camber Sands, between Dungeness and Rye, have been cast as the Sahara in \'Carry On: Follow That Camel\', as well as the D-Day landing beaches in \'The Longest Day\'. Rich in wildlife and plants, the area has been classifi ed as a Site of Special Scientific Interest. Find out more: 0345 608 0190; www.eastsussex.gov.uk.

David also recommends: Studland in Dorset (www.isleofpurbeck.com), which is partly a naturists\' beach, and Holkham in North Norfolk, which had a starring role in \'Shakespeare In Love\' (www.holkham.co.uk).

The most traditional pier

Far from being one long stretch of commercial tackiness, Southwold\'s pier has both charm and sophistication - as you\'d expect from such a traditional, genteel resort. Many of the arcade amusements were handmade by a local inventor and include not a single fruit machine. You can also listen to jazz, go fishing, have a meal in the brasserie (as well as fish and chips) and catch the Waverley, a 1947 seagoing paddle steamer, all the way to London. Find out more: 01502 722105; www.southwoldpier.co.uk.

David also recommends: Brighton\'s Palace Pier (www.brightonpier.co.uk) for its enormous stock of amusements, and Southend Pier - the longest in the world (www.southend.gov.uk).

Best seaside garden

Northumberland\'s Howick Hall is a plantsman\'s paradise, with some 1,800 species. You can stay in one of the estate properties and enjoy the gardens after the day visitors have left (a week in the The Bathing House, for example, which sleeps six, costs from £620, through www.northumbria-byways.com). Find out more: 01665 577285; www.howickhallgardens.org.uk.

David also recommends: Cornwall\'s lush and magical Trebah Garden (www.trebahgarden.co.uk), Abbey Gardens at Tresco in the Isles of Scilly (www.tresco.co.uk) and the Ventnor Botanic Garden on the Isle of Wight (www.botanic.co.uk).

High days of fishing fleets

The National Fishing Heritage Centre in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, is utterly absorbing, telling the story of the golden days of cod in highly imaginative displays. After ‘signing on\', visitors board a trawler, leaving the smelly dockside terraces for the fishing grounds and experiencing the pitching deck and freezing weather in mid-Atlantic. There\'s also a collection of historic ships afloat in the dock. Find out more: 01472 323345; www.nelincs.gov.uk.

David also recommends: Tate, St Ives (www. tate.org.uk/stives/), Beside the Seaside Museum, Bridlington (www.eastriding.gov.uk) and the National Maritime Museum, Falmouth (www.nmmc.co.uk).

Best for solitude

The two-mile sweep of pale sands backed by dunes at Sandwood Bay on the far north-west coast of Scotland lies four miles away from the nearest car park and is - not surprisingly - likely to be deserted. It\'s no place for those of a nervous disposition, however, as there are tales of the ghosts of bearded seamen and mermaid sightings. Find out more: www.visitscotland.com.

David also recommends: Other lonely beaches in Scotland - there are plenty to choose from. Just look for where the road parts company with the coastline and follow your nose.

Magical boat ride

Naturalist and artist Tony Haggis and his converted fishing smack, Karina, cruise through the secret backwaters of the Naze in Essex. Sailing twice daily until the end of October, the two-hour trip includes a visit to Stone Point, the only permitted landing spot in this protected 7,000-acre Site of Special Scientific Interest, as well as possible sightings of seals, waders and wildfowl. The trip costs £12 (£6 for children under 15). Find out more: 07806 309460; www.nazeman.fsnet.co.uk.

David also recommends: Billy Shiels\'s boat trips to see the puffins and other wildlife on the Farne Islands off the coast of Northumberland (www.farne-islands.com).

Tastiest seafood

Although it was arguably Rick Stein who first put Cornwall on the foodie map, my own favourite spot for a long, lazy lunch on the beach, with the kids able to work up an appetite with a romp on the sands right below the window, is the Porthminster Café in St Ives. It specialises in Mediterranean and Asian seafood dishes, and you could kick off with half a dozen oysters from the Helford River, perhaps followed by monkfish curry. Find out more and book on: 01736 795352; www.porthminstercafe.co.uk.

David also recommends: East Beach Café, Littlehampton, East Sussex (01903 731903; www.eastbeachcafe.co.uk) and The Seafood Restaurant, St Andrews, Fife (01334 479475; www.theseafoodrestaurant.com).

All-in-one culture

Torquay is much more than its gorgeous Med-like coastline and Blue Flag beaches. Now with official Unesco-endorsed Geopark status in recognition of its rich geological, historical and cultural heritage, Torbay - which mops up Paignton and Brixham too - offers families several attractions with educational merit. These include the prehistoric Kents Cavern inhabited by Stone Agers, a new Explorers\' Gallery in the Torquay museum with finds from as far afield as Antarctica and the Brazilian rainforests, and superb bird and marine life watching at Living Coasts, whose inmates include free-roaming penguins, auks, puffins and seals. More hedonistic pleasures include Michelin-starred The Elephant restaurant (www.elephantrestaurant.co.uk), and a wonderful new seafront hotel at Babbacombe, the Cary Arms (01803 327110; www.caryarms.co.uk), which is a marriage of gastro pub and chic boutique hotel. Find out more: 01803 211211; www.englishriviera.co.uk.

David also recommends: Conwy, North Wales, and Brighton, Sussex.

Family entertainment

This summer the Codman family from Llandudno is celebrating 150 years of running a traditional Punch and Judy show. They still use their original oak puppets, and the 35-minute free shows happen daily until September, with performances at noon, 2pm and 4pm. Find out more: www.visitllandudno.org.uk.

David also recommends: several other UK seaside resorts featuring Punch and Judy shows, including Southwold.