Revealed: Britain’s Must-See Beaches

Crafty Victorian engineers hand carved tunnels into the cliff to reach two tidal pools at this gorgeous beach.

Set in a ledge above the sea, the picturesque, natural rock pool at Treyarnon - a huge affair 30 ft wide by 8 ft deep - is home to bladderwracks and the odd starfish.

The machair, or beach meadow, sways in the wind above pristine white sands lapped by turquoise waters in this idyllic Outer Hebrides beach.

This atmospheric bay, with its sea arch and lovely beach, ends in a quirky, three-peaked cliff.

The Ross of Mull has soft, pure white beaches lapped by a crystalline sea to rival the best in the world. Among them is Traigh Gheal, a gorgeous secret cove set on the uninhabited island of Erraid, just off Mull, where Robert Louis Stevenson set his novel Kidnapped.

Getting to Pentire Steps isn't easy - the steps carved by 19th century engineers have long been washed off, so you'll have to take an unbeaten track, or wait until low tide and walk on the sand from Bedruthan past Diggory's Island - but you'll be rewarded by a magnificent, virtually empty beach.

Tucked away on a quiet peninsula, this charming pebble cove is fringed by trees and lapped by crystalline waters.

Take in the white chalk cliffs of Kent in all their glory at this secret golden beach - once a smugglers' hideaway - which is tucked behind some residential streets in Broadstairs.

At high tide, this rocky arch rises from the waters, whimsical and magic. You have to wait until the tide changes to discover the ledge that links it to the beach.

The perfect grains of sand at this beach make a whistling sound when you shuffle them with your feet - but you may be too taken with the crystalline sea and the gorgeous views of Rum to notice.

For more of Britain's gorgeous, secret beaches, see Daniel Start's book, Hidden Beaches.