THE British coastline offers huge variety, from wild sandy expanses to rugged headlands and picturesque bays. Here, LIZ BIRD, co-author of Britain's Best Seaside Escapes, suggests some top family-friendly locations

BLACKPOOL SANDS, DEVON
Boasting   a Blue Flag award for its clean and safe bathing, this pine-fringed, sheltered shingle beach near the bustling British port of Dartmouth is the perfect base for a bucket and spade holiday.

There are sand pits for youngsters from May to the end of peak season, summer lifeguards, a freshwater paddling pool, showers and even a lost-child collection point. Older children can hire windsurfing boards or kayaks at the Royal Yacht Association accredited training centre next to the Venus Beach Café, an award-winning restaurant specialising in local, organic produce with drawing activities to keep the children entertained while you eat.

Nearby Dartmouth makes an excellent base to take a boat trip up the River Dart, a steam train to Paignton from Kingswear, a car ferry ride across the harbour, or to just go crabbing on the quay.

Click here now for amazing offers to Dartmouth!

WHERE TO STAY: Leonards Cove (01803 770206/ www.leonardscoveholidaycamping.co.uk) offers three-bedroom Ocean View Lodges (six sharing), self-catering, from £477 per week.

Dartmouth Tourist Information Centre: 01803 834224/www.discoverdartmouth.com

HOLKHAM, NORFOLK
It's the vast expanses of sea, sky and sand that make this stretch of beach fringed with pine trees so enticing. Don't expect summer lifeguards or beachfront facilities;
Holkham is best for simple pleasures such as sandcastle building, kite flying and spotting the abundant wildlife such as the pink-footed geese.

The North Norfolk coast is also home to more than 500 common and grey seals, residing at The National Trust-run Blakeney Point and accessible by regular boat trips from Blakeney harbour 10 miles from Holkham.

Take the ferry (April to October) from nearby Burnham Overy Staithe to Scolt Head Island, a wildfowl reserve with creeks and marshes that's perfect for a picnic or swim. Children and the young at heart will love riding the fairground carousels at the Thursford Collection near Fakenham, home to the world's largest collection of steam engines and organs.

WHERE TO STAY: The White Horse, Brancaster (01485 210262/ www.whitehorsebrancaster.co.uk), a gastropub with rooms near Holkham, offers doubles from £150 per night (two sharing) and £30 per child on a Z-bed, B&B.
Cot hire from £5.

Visit North Norfolk: 0871 200 3071/ www.visitnorthnorfolk.com

SOUTHWOLD, SUFFOLK
This well-heeled resort on Suffolk's Heritage Coast is a perfectly preserved piece of old-fashioned seaside escapism with a traditional Victorian pier and colourful beach huts. You won't find any noisy fruit machines in the pier's amusement arcades, just the traditional two-pence pushers, air hockey and racing horses.

Next to the pier is the town's main beach, a mix of sand and shingle with summer lifeguards and overlooked by the iconic beach huts, which are available for daily hire. In summer take a ferry from Southwold Harbour to the sleepy seaside village of Walberswick, with its national nature reserve famed for its otters, deer and rare butterflies or head further afield to Africa Alive! near Lowestoft; a safari park where you can take a roadtrain to view the lions, zebras and giraffes which wander freely.

Want incredible offers to Suffolk? Click here now...

WHERE TO STAY: Newlands (01502 722164/www.newlandsofsouthwold.co.uk), a family-friendly B&B with an indoor pool and eight bedrooms, four of which are in a garden annexe, offers doubles from £105 per night (two sharing) and from £15 per child sharing, B&B.

Southwold Tourist Information Centre: 01502 724729/ www.visit-southwold.co.uk

CALGARY BAY, ISLE OF MULL, ARGYLL AND BUTE
Otters can often be spotted around the old pier on Mull's undisputed best beach Calgary Bay. On the north-west coast, it is famed for its silvery sand, clear water and craggy headlands filled with nesting seabirds and the windswept islands of Coll and Tiree shimmering in the distance.

In summer, the island's capital Tobermory is overrun with excited children trying to spot PC Plum and other characters from the CBeebies children's show Balamory, which is filmed in the town. It is also renowned for its colourful houses which line the harbour.

Youngsters will love the narrow gauge miniature steam train that runs from Craignure to Torosay Castle, a rambling Victorian mansion set in a beautiful garden.

Sea Life Surveys offers a fun, two-hour "Ecocruz" boat trip where you can listen to prawns "chatting" on the seabed and dolphins through an underwater hydrophone.

WHERE TO STAY: Calgary Farmhouse (01688 400256/www.calgary.co.uk), a former hotel with self-catering apartments and a café near Calgary Bay, offers seven nights from £450 or £195 for three nights, in the Carthouse Loft (four sharing). Caledonian MacBrayne (0800 066 5000/www.calmac.co.uk) operates ferries from Oban on the mainland to Craignure. A five-day return from £80 based on two adults and two children (5-15 years) and a car.

Visit Scotland: 0845 225 5121/ www.visitscotland.com

LLANBEDROG, NORTH WALES
This glorious wide bay, edged with powder-soft sand on the wild and unspoilt Lleyn Peninsula, is lined with picturesque multicoloured beach huts. It's safe for swimming, with a gently sloping sandy beach overlooked by an excellent café, The Galley, that's perfect for a family brunch or lunch.

Explore the peninsula by train on the Porthmadog-based Welsh Highland Heritage Railway, which offers scenic rides from March to October. Or visit the Llechwedd Slate Caverns, a Victorian slate mine where the temperature stays at a steady 12C whatever the weather. The fairy-tale Italianate village of Portmeirion with its sandy beaches and sub-tropical woodland gardens is also within an easy drive.

WHERE TO STAY: Wernfawr Manor Farm (01758 740156/ www.wernfawr.co.uk), a family-friendly B&B with self-catering cottages, offers seven nights in a threebedroom cottage (sleeps five) from £455.

Visit Wales: 0870 830 0306/ www.visitwales.co.uk

Britain's Best Seaside Escapes by Liz Bird and Annabelle Thorpe (New Holland, £14.99). Published on Monday.