5 Brilliant Beaches You Can Visit By Train

When you think of the North, you probably don’t picture sparkling and sandy havens, but have a butcher’s at these brilliant beaches. Between them, they offer sunken forests, fields of asparagus, sophisticated Georgian splendour and enough candy floss to becalm a cruise ship – and they are all easily accessible by train.

Seaton Carew Beach

10-minute walk from Seaton Carew station

Seaton Carew is a little gem of a beach. It’s easy to get to directly by train, or you could go to Hartlepool and take the 45-minute walk from the Hartlepool Marina. On a lovely sunny day this longer route is well worth taking; if the tide is out, you’ll see the Hartlepool Submerged Forest, a 7,000-year-old Site of Special Scientific Interest. Here, the bones of various animals and human tools have been found, dating back to when there was a land bridge between the UK and Europe.

If you want your fun to be more rooted in the present do not worry: Seaton Carew offers donkey rides! For £2.50 you can have your little ones chortling along this wonderful bit of seafront. After all the equine escapades and the sand castle construction, there’s a fish and chip shop for some much needed salty sustenance.

Durham Heritage Coastline

15-minute walk from Seaham Station

If you head south from Seaham to Hartlepool you’ll find yourself on the Durham Heritage Coastline (DHC). Back in the day, this stretch of coast was not much to look at, but following the pit closures in the 1980s millions were spent getting rid of the debris of that bedrock industry. Nowadays the DHC is an attractive coastal landscape of grasslands, cliffs and both pebble and sandy beaches.

As well as the natural beauty along the trail, there are also lots of cultural and historical sites to see from the Iron Age all the way to pillboxes left over from the Second World War. Click the link above to find designated walks along this 11-mile stretch of fascinating beauty.

Formby

20-minute walk from Freshfield Station

We love Formby Beach and you know what? It’s not just us, The National Trust love it too. And so do Natterjack Toads, Red Squirrels, Great Crested Newts and Sand Lizards… this abundant wildlife thrives in this sand dune strewn environment. So it’s a fantastic place to come to and have a wander around the flora and fauna – on the National Trust site you’ll even find an asparagus walk – we’ve seen a house fly and heard a diamond ring… but we’ve never seen an asparagus walk.

Portobello Beach

20-minute taxi ride from Edinburgh Waverley Station

Portobello is a beautiful beach in the elegant south-eastern suburbs of Edinburgh. As well as a being a great place to laze in the sun, this 2-mile stretch of sand is a hard working haven. It hosts the annual Big Beach Busk, triathlons and volleyball competitions, there’s a kayak club and a coastal rowing club. Portobello Beach is the place to head when you want to swap your sophisticated city tour with a sophisticated beach ramble. It’s a charming strip of sand and is bounded by a beautiful suburb bustling with indie restaurants and shops.

Blackpool

19-minute walk from Blackpool South Station to Blackpool Pleasure Beach

We couldn’t leave off the king of the beaches, could we? Blackpool Beach, while long and sandy and enticing and entrancing, is actually not really about hearty long walks across the sand. It’s about what’s adjacent to the beach. Blackpool is about candy: candy canes, candy apples and candy floss. Blackpool is squeal central, it’s about screaming around on roller coasters and reeling around from one dazzlingly lit attraction to the next.

If you want a traditional beach there is one right next to Blackpool Pleasure Beach which is perfect for strolls, beach games and picnics but if you want to get at the full-fat Blackpool experience forget your waistline and your eardrums and even your impeccable taste and jump right in.

Are you yearning to feel the sand betwixt your tootsies? Then book yourself an advance train ticket today and you could save over 50%!