Great British beach activities: 10 best coastal runs

For maritime history

Plymouth Hoe, Devon

It may be apocryphal, but who can resist the thought of Sir Francis Drake playing a game of bowls on Plymouth Hoe, before sailing to do battle with the Spanish Armada? Run along the Hoe today and you'll encounter Smeaton's Tower, with its views of Plymouth Sound, and the Royal Citadel, which, for more than 100 years after its construction in the late 17th century, was England's most important defensive outpost. Beneath the Hoe is the Tinside Pool, an Art-Deco lido - just the spot, from May to September, to cool off after running this stretch of the coastline (www.plymouthbarbican.com).