Best beaches within two hours of London

After a miserable March of snow, sleet and rain, spring has finally arrived with blue skies and broad sunshine. And what better way to make the most of the weather than a day or weekend at the beach?

Although London often seems like an endless urban sprawl, just a short hop away lie some of the most beautiful stretches of coastline the UK has to offer. Here are five of the best beaches within two hours of the capital:

Camber Sands, East Sussex

Our list begins with one of the country’s most beloved holiday hotspots; the beautiful undulating dunes of Camber Sands in East Sussex.

Just east of the picturesque ancient town of Rye, the sand here is unusually soft compared to the rough pebbled beaches that cover the remainder of the Sussex coast, and the dunes serve as a vital habitat for plant and animal life, according to the Sussex Biodiversity Partnership. 

Cuckmere Haven, East Sussex 

A few miles down the coast to the west is Cuckmere Haven, a large floodplain flanked on all sides by the iconic Seven Sisters chalk cliffs and cleaved in two by the River Ouse.

Although the beach here is pebbled, the surrounding area is a stunning wash of green hills and a curved oxbow lakes, perfect for an easy bike ride or a picnic in the sunshine, while young ones are kept happy by the ice cream trucks that regularly patrol the plain.

West Wittering, West Sussex

“Weathered shabby-chic beach huts on a huge powder-white Blue Flag beach makes this West Sussex spot one of the south coast’s finest for all kinds of beach activities,” writes Time Out of West Wittering, one of the most picturesque beachfronts in the UK.

Sandbar-sheltered tidal lagoons give ample room for safe swimming away from riptides, while the rockpools and salt marshes nearby allow for a great day of wildlife spotting.

Whitstable, Kent

Perched on the southern bank of the Thames Estuary, the colour seafront houses and winding lanes of Whitstable are just a stone’s throw from central London.

Fresh fish huts and cafes are dotted up and down this peaceful stretch of beach, with surfing and kiteboarding facilities drawing in extreme sports enthusiasts from across the southeast.

Way out on the horizon are the fascinating Maunsell Forts, a collection of WW2-era defence forts propped up on stilts visible from the beach on a clear day.

Broadstairs, Kent

Described as a “swaggering, story-telling town”, Broadstairs has become one of Kent’s hottest prospects in what Conde Naste Traveller calls the county’s “seaside renaissance”.

Although Broadstairs is a town with a wealth of gorgeous and varied beaches, Viking Bay in particular takes the crown here, its curved stretch of coastline playing host to plenty of high-end restaurants, shops and, of course, warm yellow sand.

At just under two hours from St Pancras, the train journey to Broadstairs is swift and takes in glorious, desolate views over Dover and Dungeness in this isolated corner of the UK.