If you’re taking a holiday in Somerset this summer, a trip to the beach is probably high on your list. The 64 mile coastline is so varied, with wide stretches of sand for family fun, quiet bays with dramatic scenery, peaceful harbours, and beaches that are great for early morning dog walks and spectacular sunsets. From traditional seaside fun to the wild and remote, our guide to the 10 best beaches on the Somerset coast has it all covered.
Long, lazy days by the sea are a big part of summer. Whiling away the hours on the beach is one of the best ways of making happy memories – the coastal air, kids making sandcastles, donkey rides, watersports, paddling in the warm waters, spuddling in the rock pools, ice creams and picnics. It’s something that hasn’t changed much over the years, still reminding us of our childhood holidays.
Whether you’re spending summer in Somerset for a multi-generational holiday, days away with friends, or a special celebration, join us on a journey along a coast with sweeping views across the Bristol Channel to Wales. Discover the best beaches this beautiful county has.
Best For Families
Minehead
Minehead is great for family fun, with a mile long stretch of sand for sunbathing, beach games and sandcastles; at low tide there are areas of shingle, and rockpools to explore. The views of wooded hills add to the traditional air, the long promenade has shops, amusements and cafes. If you don’t mind the busyness (a holiday camp next to the beach adds to the lively vibe), pack your buckets and spades and enjoy a jolly good day at the seaside.
Weston-Super-Mare
Grab your buckets, spades and Kiss-Me-Quick hats, head for the wide golden sands of the main beach at Weston-Super-Mare. This popular resort has all the traditions of a Victorian seaside town, with donkey rides, shops, amusements, fish and chips and ice creams. Roll up your trouser legs for a paddle, take a stroll along the promenade and the bustling pier.
Burnham-on-Sea
The mainly sandy beach at Burnham-on-Sea is backed by a promenade lined with Victorian and Edwardian guest houses, shops and cafes, so all those classic seaside town feels. This beach is great for families, with child friendly activities like donkey rides, paddling, digging in the sand and building sandcastles. For bigger adventures there’s a launch for boats and jet skis. On the beach is a historic lighthouse-on-legs, and at just over 100ft, Britain’s shortest pier.
Best Wild Beaches
St Audries Bay
This secluded beach has sand, pebbles, shingle and rock – and dramatic scenery with two waterfalls cascading over the striated cliffs. Access is via a steep path leading down from the nearby holiday park, with a flight of steps down to the beach. A good escape from the busier crowded beaches, ideal for fishing and rockpooling, though only at low tide – at high tide the beach is completely cut off and inaccessible.
Kilve Beach
This untamed rocky beach with Blue Lias ‘pavements’ is one for explorers, nature lovers, and fossil hunters, though as it’s a Site of Special Scientific Interest you can’t remove any fossils you spot in the cliffs. The rockpools are fantastic, behind the beach is a large grassy area for picnics, there’s a small car park close by, and back up the lane are the magical Chantry Tea Gardens, built into the ruins of a 14th century chapel.
Best Dog Friendly Beaches
Porlock Beach
Wild and remote, good for dog walking and fossil hunting, Porlock Beach is a long, shingle and pebble ridge on the Exmoor coastline, with a backdrop of spectacular scenery - the wide expanse of the Bristol Channel ahead, the atmospheric Porlock Salt Marshes and wooded hillsides behind. The best way to get there is via the idyllic village of Porlock Weir where there’s a good pub, and a picturesque harbour with a section of rockier beach.
Berrow Main Beach
The immense flat sands at Berrow are popular for watersports, walking, horse riding and fishing; at low tide, the remains of a Norwegian barque that ran aground in 1897can be seen. Backing the beach is a Local Nature Reserve featuring over 270 species of wildflowers. There’s a beachfront café, parking and toilets.
Best Quiet Beaches
Bossington
This pebble and shingle beach on the coast of Exmoor is incredibly peaceful. On the beach there’s a WWII pill box, and old lime kilns; at the back are marshes that attract rare bird and insects. Wander back up the lane to the village for freshly baked scones at Kitnors tea Garden.
Sand Bay
Known as Weston-Super-Mare’s hidden gem, Sand Bay is wild and unspoilt, with a vast expanse of sand and shingle backed by grassy dunes. The tranquillity here is far removed from the busier resorts, so it’s good if you want to escape the crowds and spend time playing on the sands with the kids. There’s parking, an ice cream van, and nearby, a tearoom and pub.
Dunster Beach
This quiet sand and shingle beach on the edge of Exmoor National Park has expansive views of the Bristol Channel. Come here for dog walking, rockpooling, wildlife spotting, beachcombing and to enjoy a more peaceful scene. Behind the beach there’s a nature reserve with trails to follow, and a traditional holiday chalet village with a café, shop, and loos. The West Somerset Railway stops a 15 minute walk away, Dunster Castle and village are just over a mile.
The Bristol Channel has one of the highest tidal ranges in the world, so swimming at low tide is not wise.