1 Feel the sand between your toes

Literally meaning ‘Whistling Sands’, Porth Oer, Lleyn Peninsula, Wales has dry sand above the high-water mark that might squeak when you walk on it. With sand the texture of fluffy cake mixture and a National Trust beach café selling 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).

From wind-rippled dunes and whispering pine woods to sheltered lagoons, salt marshes teeming with wildlife and four miles of pristine sand, Holkham Bay is a 24-carat gold nugget in north Norfolk’s necklace of beaches. Take a picnic, a good pair of binoculars and a sense of adventure and go exploring (visit www.holkham.co.uk). Situated on the Lizard Peninsula, Kynance Cove, Cornwall is the stuff of fantasy. From the moment you first glimpse this wild and inviting cove, countless adventures will surge to mind – from delving in caves to exploring the serpentine stacks and pinnacles that rear above the beautiful cove (visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk).

For the ultimate run-wild-and-free beach, Rhossili Bay, South Wales is the ideal destination. There’s plenty of space to play cricket, build a sandy rampart and etch your name in house-size letters (visit www.the-gower.com).