Cooler weather is moving in across the UK this week, bringing an end to a summer of prolonged heatwaves. But there is still sunshine to be had, and few better places to enjoy it than at one of the country's beachside pubs, where a Hugo Spritz, a pint of Guinness or a classic IPA can be sipped within sight of the sand.
From a Dorset gastropub built almost into the shingle to a Tyneside inn carved out of a smugglers' cave, these are among the standout coastal pubs on Britain's beaches.
Dorset and Cornwall
In Seatown, near Bridport, The Anchor Inn sits just metres from the sandy shore, serving gastropub food and real ales from nearby Palmer's Brewery. Dishes include fish and chips, chorizo-baked hake fillet and market fish with roasted fennel. Walkers can head from the pub up to Golden Cap, the highest cliff on England's south coast, a round trip of around five hours.
In Cornwall, The Old Success Inn at Sennen Cove runs yoga and breakfast sessions by day and fish and chips lunches, before switching to cold pints and sea views in the evening. It is dog-friendly, and Sennen Cove itself is popular with surfers, walkers and cyclists.
Devon and Kent
On the South Devon micro-isle of Burgh Island, once favoured by the novelist Agatha Christie, The Pilchard Inn comes with a catch: diners who linger too long risk being stranded by the tide and having to ride back to the mainland on a sea tractor. Inside are cream stone fireplaces; outside, benches with sweeping views. Nearby, the Burgh Island Hotel has a Mermaid Pool offering natural seawater swimming.
The Zetland Arms has stood directly on Kingsdown Beach in Kent since 1863, looking out across the Channel to France. It gets busy in summer but is quieter in winter, when a pint brewed by Shepherd Neame in nearby Faversham and a sheltered rear courtyard offer welcome respite from the wind. Colourful beach huts and the White Cliffs are visible nearby.
Suffolk and the Isles of Scilly
A three-minute walk from Dunwich Beach in Suffolk, The Ship At Dunwich is a former smugglers' inn with rooms for overnight stays, a busy pub garden, dogs sleeping under tables and plenty of fresh fish and seafood. The beach is popular with local dog walkers, and the nearby town has tea rooms, restaurants and cafes.
On St Mary's in the Isles of Scilly, The Atlantic Inn overlooks the harbour just steps from the quay, serving burgers, steak, fresh fish and miso and chilli baked aubergine, with a curry and pint night held every Monday. Visitors can walk St Mary's coastal routes, snorkel with seals near St Martin's Island, or visit Tresco Abbey Garden, 28 miles off the Cornish coast.
North Wales and Northumberland
Reaching Tŷ Coch Inn takes a 20-minute walk from the nearest car park, as the red-painted pub on the Llŷn Peninsula's north coast is accessible only on foot. Inside, jugs and jars hang from the beams in a nautical-themed bar with views across the water. It serves lunch only, and closes at 7pm on weekdays.
Just yards from the sand in Low Newton-by-the-Sea, Northumberland, The Ship Inn offers hearty food, sea air and live folk music nights. Its own Ship Inn Brewery opened in March 2008 and now supplies all the pub's real ale, brewed on site and rolled just 10ft from brewery to cellar. Nearby stands Dunstanburgh Castle, a ruin dating to 1313 now known for its wildlife.
Whitstable and Aberdeenshire
One of Whitstable's oldest pubs, The Old Neptune dates from the early 19th century and sits backed directly onto the shoreline, with a beer garden and outdoor seating for warmer days. "Pub on the beach, amazing location for a beer. Iconic spot," one visitor wrote in a review. "Staff are super friendly and accommodating - and go the extra mile for their customers. Good pub grub and speedy service - must visit when in Whitstable." Wheeler's Oyster Bar and the town's Harbour Market are both close by.
In the historic Aberdeenshire fishing village of Pennan, all whitewashed cottages and sea views, the family-run Pennan Inn changes its menu with the catch and season, serving everything from haddock to halibut alongside Highland sirloin steak. The pub describes itself as "an AA Rosette kitchen in a village at the edge of the world." Visitors can go dolphin-watching, spot seals on the beach and explore the coast's tiny fishing villages.
Tyneside and Ceredigion
Marsden Grotto in South Shields is built into a cave on the Tyneside coast and was once used by smugglers to hide contraband before becoming an inn that now takes overnight guests. According to the inn's website, a smuggler known as Jack the Jibber was murdered by fellow criminals after selling information to HM Customs, and was said to have been hung in a barrel in a nearby cave and left to starve. Marsden Beach can be reached via cliff steps or the pub's own lift, with sea stacks, arches and rock pools exposed at low tide.
On Borth's high street in Ceredigion, the Victoria Inn looks like an ordinary pub from the front, but its beer garden stretches out the back all the way to the shingle beach, with views over Cardigan Bay. One Google review from this summer read: "What a great pub. Small terrace out the back with extra benches on the pebble beach. Can't ask for more on a summer's evening with the sun going down." The Wales Coast Path runs nearby, and the market town of Aberystwyth, with its cliff railway and 13th-century castle ruins, is a short trip away.
