Six of the times' best beaches for 2022 are within easy reach of coventry

We are all trying to work out where to travel to this summer, whether that is families with kids or those who just fancy some time away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. And with

forecasters speaking of another possible heatwave in August, why not take in a trip to the beach? The Times has published its best beaches for 2022 and looks at which coastal destinations

have the most stunning views and nicest facilities. It also takes into account water quality and disabled access though it is worth noting that not all of the beaches listed are easily

accessible, reports BirminghamLive. All 50 destinations are split into separate sections for Wales, Scotland and the North, East, Southwest and Southeast of England. On the list, the easiest

beach to reach from Coventry is Mablethorpe, which is around a two-and-a-half-hour drive down the A46. We have included average drive times to all of the six beaches below. READ MORE:One of

the best beaches in the world with royal connection is only three-hour drive from Coventry THREE CLIFFS BAY, GOWER Three Cliffs Bay is the regional winner for Wales. Taking its name from

the three limestone cliffs on the shoreline, you will also find sand dunes and salt marshes here. It is around a three-and-a-quarter hour drive from Coventry down the M4. It is a very scenic

spot for a picnic but families need to be careful as there can be strong tides and currents. As a result, Visit Swansea Bay tourism advises against swimming and watersports here. Lifeguards

are, however, present on the beach on weekends and Bank Holidays in May and June and then every day throughout the summer holidays. Dogs are allowed on the beach all year round. Times

Travel Writer Chris Haslam said: “I had no intention of including Three Cliffs Bay in this guide, much less making it the regional winner. It’s on every desk-based, clickbait list of the

best British beaches. It’s too obvious, I told myself, as I walked along the sands from Oxwich past the raven-shadowed crags of Great Tor. Too Game of Thrones with its castle, caves, twisted

crags and oversized rock pools. Too Hollywood in its epic scale and in the way the Pennard Pill river snakes across the sparkling sands. “Even its relative remoteness and the effort

required for access seems a bit contrived. And then I came around the corner and beheld its beauty as though for the first time. If anyone from Unesco is reading, give us a bell.” TRAETH

PENLLECH, GWYNEDD Traeth Penllech beach comes in second on the list for Wales. It sits on the northern tip of the remote Llyn Peninsula and has a small waterfall halfway along the sandy

beach where the stream of the Afon Fawr has cut a gorge into the cliffs behind. You can park and make your way down via a slipway at Porth Colmon cove. Great for rock-pooling and sandcastle

building, families are advised to be careful about swimming due to the strong currents. It takes just over three-and-a-half hours to drive there via the M6. Chris Haslam said: “South of

Morfa Nefyn, leave the B4417 after five and a half miles, go down the hill, turn left at the T-junction, and continue until you reach a large parking area just beyond a stone bridge. Walk

back over the bridge and follow the footpath alongside the stream for five minutes, keeping the dog on a lead because of the sheep, and looking out for yellow wagtails and goldfinches.

“They’ll lead you to an utterly deserted, curving mile of silver sand, with rock outcrops to shelter you from the cool northwesterlies at the northern end and rock pools in the south. In the

middle is a secret: the Pen-y-Graig stream cuts a canyon across the sand and in the gully from which it emerges is a clear, shallow pool fringed with wildflowers that’s perfect for

paddling.” LLANBEDROG, GWYNEDD Llanbedrog comes in third and is close to Abersoch, around a three-and-a-quarter hour drive from Coventry via the M6. It is a long stretch of sandy coast with

colourful beach huts that are ideal for families. Said to be the most sheltered beach in North Wales, the area is managed by the National Trust and is popular for windsurfing, kayaking and

sailing. Visitors will also find a café and toilets nearby and the beach is dog friendly. Chris said: “Until the mid-19th century the only road into Llanbedrog ran along the beach from

Pwllheli, leaving the village cut off at high water. But what a gorgeous spot in which to be stranded: the Mynydd Tir-y-Cwmwd standing Gibraltar-like on the right; seemingly endless sands to

the left; and in front, across Tremadog Bay, the sullen peaks of Snowdonia. “It wasn’t just this view that prompted the entrepreneur Solomon Andrews to open a horse-drawn tramway connecting

the wooded bay with Pwllheli in the 1890s — he also needed to bring customers to the pleasure palace he’d created at his newly purchased stately home. The tram is long gone, but that

magnificent view ensures Llanbedrog is as popular with modern Elizabethans as it was with Victorians, so if you come late be prepared to wait for a space at the NT car park until someone

else can drag themselves away. Dogs are welcome on the beach past the beach huts.” BARMOUTH, GWYNEDD Barmouth was ranked fourth best beach in Wales. It lies on the estuary of the Afon

Mawddach and Cardigan Bay in Gwynedd, north-western Wales, and is around a two-and-a-half hour drive from Coventry. Chris said: “Every time the 'Pearl of Gwynedd' appears in this

list, readers question my taste and my sanity, but I know I’m right because Barmouth — the mountain resort beside the sea — is a belter. The beach is epic: nearly eight miles long,

dune-backed and so wide that it can take ten minutes to reach the water at low tide. “It’s an elemental spot, wedged between the Irish Sea, the crags of Cell-Fechan and the fast-flowing

River Mawddach (spanned by a wooden railway bridge – the elegant work of engineers Piercy and Conybeare), but it softens the drama by mixing genteel Victoriana with the thump and clang of

the seafront amusements. There are donkeys on the beach, mussels on sale in the harbour and an endless supply of visitors happy to ride the Sizzler fairground attraction, even in the rain.

The beach is dog-friendly north of Beach Road.” WHITBY WEST, NORTH YORKSHIRE Up in the north, Whitby West comes in fifth on the list. It takes around three hours to reach the North Yorkshire

destination via the M1 from Coventry. Visitors will find various cafés, toilets and lifeguards. Chris said: “A pin-up for the renaissance of the British seaside, the port at the foot of the

moors and the mouth of the Esk grows ever richer feeding its visitors on a diet of chips, vampirism, and Botham’s lemon buns. There are hundreds and hundreds of Airbnbs here now, and the

quay has become so gridlocked that the swing bridge linking east and west Whitby is now closed to traffic at peak periods. “And yet there’s always space on the old whaling town’s superbly

managed west beach, running a mile from the West Pier to Upgang. There’s mini-golf, a skatepark and an outdoor pool on the clifftop, and, after a long walk down (the lift is shut for the

foreseeable), clean sands, safe bathing and beach huts for hire from £17 a day. The beach is dog-friendly north of the beach huts.” MABLETHORPE, LINCOLNSHIRE And in the east, Mablethorpe

comes in third. It is less than a two-and-a-half-hour drive from Coventry on the A46. It boasts two miles of golden sands and is popular with families as it has lots of traditional seaside

activities to enjoy. You can stroll along the promenade, choose one of the many cafés to stop at for lunch and ice cream and look out for the colourful beach huts too. Chris said: “Don’t let

the grim-looking hinterland put you off. Climb the ramp past the Queens Park Close flats and behold the clean, soft, flat sands of a resort that hides its light under bushels of bingo

halls, tattoo parlours and discount megastores. That’s not Mablethorpe’s fault: the area was in the top 10 per cent of poorest areas of England according to the 2019 English Indices of

Deprivation, but a government grant of £24 million is to be invested in a facelift for the town and the development of facilities along a wild coast running 15 miles to Skegness. “The beach,

though, is already levelled up, with an immaculate prom loaded with ice-cream vendors, chippies and beach huts for hire from £17 per day.” READ NEXT: