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ngland’s coastline offers drama at every twist and turn, with rocky outcrops, rolling dunes and crashing waves. Take a picnic, bucket and spade to a classic resort such as Scarborough, catch waves at Whipsiderry or Watergate Bay in Newquay, or hunt around in rock pools at Wembury Beach in South Devon. Watch those toes!

If a beach has blug flag status or has won a  Quality Coast Award  you can expect a very high standard of cleanliness. In 2010, 150 locations in England got an award.

A stroll at the beach needn’t be restricted to summer. For particularly hardy souls, a Boxing Day dip might be just the thing, a traditional charity event at several venues, the largest of which is Seaburn. Here, around 1,000 swimmers brave the North Sea to swim off those mince pies.