Great British beach activities: 10 best water sports

For sailing with L-plates

Solva, Pembrokeshire

Once a thriving port and still an active fishing harbour, Solva is a stunning place to learn to sail. Once out of the inlet, there are 30 square miles of open water down to St Brides Bay, often without another craft in sight. RYA accredited Solva Sailboats sailing school, set up in 1986, has a fleet of well-equipped boats, which set sail from Trinity Quay. A two-day beginners\' course costs £140. (marsbrook boating.com; solva.net ).

For paddling

The Paddle Round the Pier race, Brighton, East Sussex. This is one of the best events on the calendar (4-5 July). The challenge is to paddle round Brighton\'s West Pier using a surfboard, dinghy, lilo - anything, really, as long as it floats - in aid of charities. On land, there\'s everything from skateboarding and live music to climbing walls to keep you entertained. (paddleroundthepier.com )

For divers

Monty\'s Skye Dives, Isle of Skye

Skye is the largest of the Inner Hebridean islands and offers some of the best British diving. The water is clear and unpolluted, there are wrecks aplenty and, amid the flourishing marine life, you might even encounter a basking shark. Dive & Sea the Hebrides has 21 years\' experience and will arrange diving trips for clubs, students and individuals (dive-and-seathe-hebrides.co.uk ).

For original surfers

Bellyboarding Atlantic rollers, Cornwall

Before Brits started to stand up on ‘Malibu\' surfboards in the 1960s, they surfed the Atlantic rollers lying down on thin, flat wooden boards. These ‘bellyboards\' are making a comeback, especially in the West Country, where The Original Surfboard Company supplies traditional, hand-crafted boards. There\'s even a World Bellyboard Championship event at Chapel Porth, Cornwall, on 7 September (originalsurfboards.co.uk; bellyboarding.co.uk ).

For retro lovers

The A1Surf Challenge, East Wittering, West Sussex

The A1Surf Retro Board Challenge is a fun-filled annual event held in conjunction with coast Award-winning Wittering Surf Shop. Sign up if you like your surfers dressed as Elvis, riding surfboards that look as if they\'re from outer space, and raising money for the RNLI. While you\'re there, try one of the UK\'s latest water sports - stand-up paddle surfing - and check out the refurbished Crouchers Country Hotel & Restaurant (A1surf.com; witteringsurfshop.com).

For kayaking

The Moray Firth, Invernesshire

The Moray Firth is home to Britain\'s most northerly bottlenose dolphin population, and what better way to see them than in a kayak? Kayak Scotland runs day and longer trips, where harbour seals are a common sight, and porpoises, minke, pilot and killer whales can sometimes be seen (kayakscotland.com).

For wave riders

Surfing at Sennen Cove, Cornwall

Sennen Cove, Britain\'s most westerly beach, is lucky to have good surfing waves all year. It swoops in an arc, making the west end perfect for beginners, while the surf becomes more challenging at the other side of Whitesand Bay. Surfers are often joined by seals and dolphins, and, in summer, basking sharks - the terrace of Beach restaurant there provides the perfect spot for a meal overlooking the Atlantic (smartsurf.co.uk; sennensurfingcentre.com).

For windsurfers

The Jamie Knox Watersports Centre, Brandon Bay, County Kerry

Brandon Bay on the Dingle Peninsula is a windsurfers\' paradise. And in Jamie Knox, it\'s blessed with a man who was once one of the best at the sport on the planet. Knox decamped from the World Tour to set up his windsurfing centre there in 1990. Described by The Sunday Times as ‘the best windsurfing location in the world\', it caters for all levels. Dingle town also has some of the top restaurants in Ireland (jamieknox.com; dingle-peninsula.ie).

For northern soul

Surfing, Scarborough, North Yorkshire

The North East has an array of fine surfing beaches, and Scarborough\'s Cayton Bay, in the heart of Captain Cook country, is as good a place as any to learn. There\'s a surf school, oodles of places to stay and plenty for all the family to do. Cook, whose lieutenant, James King, is often credited as being the first man to write about surfing, would be proud (scarboroughsurfschool.co.uk; scarborough.co.uk ).

For endurance

The Perranporth Triathlon, Cornwall

This is the triathlon to beat all others. On 20 September, first up is a 1,000-metre swim, then a 24-mile cycle ride, rounded off by a five-mile run. Sounds simple enough if you\'re fit, but the swim is in the sea, the cycle ride is nearly all uphill and the run is along strength-sapping sand. Why do it? Because the feeling of achievement is unbeatable, as is a celebratory drink in The Watering Hole, Perranporth\'s pub on the beach (tri-cornwall.org.uk).