everything from pizza to buckets and spades, Porth Oer is perfect for families. At low tide, shallow lagoons create perfect paddling pools for toddlers to splash about in, while older children can explore the exquisite rock pools (visit www.lleyn-wales.co.uk

the best sand to create towering sandcastles, while Padstow is home to Rick Stein’s children’s cookery classes. A great launchpad for any escapade is The Nare in Truro – a luxe retreat with child-friendly menus and babysitting available. For more great

1. Ruthern Valley, Cornwall Close to Bodmin Moor, this secluded little camp is an idyllic escape for all the family. There are woods for making dens, beaches for building sandcastles, pigs and chickens to feed, and bikes that you can hire

, while both Holywell Bay and Porthgwidden are large sandy beaches, with big potential for sandcastle builders. There’s not much of a beach at Port Isaac, but it is still worth a visit for those in search of quintessential Cornish fishing villages. Here

, built sandcastles and ran free on the sand, and my wife also felt comfortable breastfeeding our three-month-old baby, Ben. The esplanade here has cafés selling hot food, ice creams and buckets and spades, and I never tire of the view along the cliffs