The August Bank Holiday is the final dash for the coast before the kids go back to school, the nights draw in and we all batten down the hatches for autumn. Here are some places to take your bucket and spade, slop around in sandals and soak up the last hazy days of summer.

St Ives

It's hard to beat this seaside, fishing port and trendy artistic haunt. On a warm day, St Ives is summer. The kids can play on the stretch of golden sand opposite the Tate, while the harbour and town have a mix of traditional seaside shops and fashion able art houses. But if the kids are in a buggy, get in training now for those hills. For car-driving day-trippers, park up, catch the train from Hayle and enjoy the sight of a truly spectacular coast.

• Trains go from London and Penzance via St Erth (rail enquiries 08457 484950). For accommodation, try the Cornwall Tourist Board (01872 322900), Helpful Holidays (01647 433593, www.helpfulholidays.com) and Classic Cottages (01326 555555, www.classic.co.uk). Tate St Ives' Summer Show runs until September 2, (01736 796226, www.tate.org.uk ).

Holkham

Stand on Holkham beach and you could convince yourself that the world's population is shrinking - there is no oppressive fighting for a bit of soft sand on this vast beach. Parking is easy and ice-cream vans are on hand to provide sustenance for the trek through the pine forest to the sea. Do take a picnic though: it is wild, windy and without amenities here - but great for flying those kites.

• Just open is Victoria, a hotel on the outskirts of the Holkham Estate within strolling distance of the beach. Double rooms from £130 with breakfast. The restaurant specialises in local fish and game (01328 710469, www.victoriaatholkham.co.uk) Local tourist information, 01328 710885.

Wells-next-the-Sea

This sandy beach joins up with Holkham and has the same pinewoods and enticing dunes. Parking is easy, and there are plenty of places to buy ice cream on and off the beach. Crabbing is a popular children's pastime in the local harbour; the competition is healthy, so take your net. Older kids will enjoy the arcades, which have managed to remain unobtrusive.

• Stay at The Normans (01328 710657) from around £50 per night. Further down the coast at Thornham is the Lifeboat Inn (01485 512236, www.lifeboatinn.co.uk) - very child-friendly with a safe play area, good food, decent rooms and a large airy conservatory, complete with grapevine, where you can chat, relax and mingle. From around £78 for a double.

Brighton and Hove

Brighton might seem a traditional British seaside resort, with its long promenade, pebbly beach and kiss-me-quick pier. But there's an arty twist to this resort which has become synonymous with celebs and trendy trippers. Wander round the cobbled lanes full of antique jewellery boutiques, or buy hot ringed doughnuts on the pier - the choice is yours. The train from London is direct and fast.

Hove is less cosmopolitan than its big sister but has its own distinct atmosphere. There are lots of shops and restaurants and if you want to try your hand at surfing, east of the Lagoon is the place to start. The beach is cleaned mechanically and manually every day of the year; it's also perfect for dog-phobics since canines are banned till September. Change at Brighton for Hove if you arrive by train.

• Brighton Tourist Information Centre, 0906 7112259. See also the family-friendly Beach Hotel, 2-4 Regency Square, Brighton BN1 2GP, (01273 323776, www.beachotel.co.uk). Doubles from around £55.

West Wittering

If you want to feel cut off from the world but still have access to those beach basics like a cuppa and a deckchair, this oasis is for you. The sand stretches on seemingly for ever, there are plenty of dunes to hide in and views over the Solent and nearby Chichester harbour. For paddlers there are tidal pools; thrill-seekers can hire surfboards. Plenty of parking and disabled access to the top of the beach.

• Tourist Information, 01243 539434) or West Wittering Estate 01243 514143.

Putsborough Sands

This is Devon heaven: three miles of golden sand reaching round towards Woolacombe and Baggy Point. The beach is clean and safe with clear water and rock pools galore to occupy the kids. Access is good with slopes and steps, but dogs are banned from many areas. Boat trips run from nearby Ilfracombe to Lundy Island, a marine nature reserve. Surfboards and canoes are available for hire. Hang on for the sunset - it can be unforgettable.

• Stay in the 16th-century thatched cottage with its own secluded garden (sleeps four, £495 per week). Putsborough Sands, Georgeham, near Braunton, North Devon (01271 890121, www.putsborough-sands.co.uk).

Woolacombe

Two-and-a-quarter miles of golden sand backed by the Woolacombe Downs and imposing sandy hills. But more importantly, the swingboats, train ride and bouncy castle will occupy the kids. Find them at Woolacombe village, perched at the northern end of the beach. The beach itself is generally safe - except at low tide and near the rocks - and professional lifeguards are on patrol between 10am and 6pm. Dogs are banned from a section of the beach. Toilets are nearby with disabled and baby changing facilities. Parking is plentiful.

• Woolacombe Tourist Information Centre 01271 870553. Lodges, apartments, villas and luxury caravans from award-winning Woolacombe Bay Holiday Parcs (01271 870343, www.woolacombe.com). Family packages available.

Exmouth

Wide pavements, broad sand and plenty of fun for the bucket-and-spade brigade. There are ice-cream parlours, more of those swingboats and a sense of old-world charm in this pleasant coastal resort.

• Stay at Ashelford Country House, Ashelford, East Down, near Barnstaple, Devon (01271 850469, www.ashelford.co.uk). They even have outside baths and kennels for muddy dogs.

It may only be a short ferry ride away, but the island has a distinctive feel - like stepping back in time to a gentler way of life. Even the climate is kind. But the landscape can change quite suddenly; there are shades of rugged Scottish glens, rolling Devon hills and very British seaside, all within the space of just a few miles.

Ventnor

Fantastic for families. Restaurants and cafés are crammed into one pretty seafront street. The beach is sandy, the waterfall cascades and views of distant ferries on the horizon add to that get-away-from-it-all feeling.

Sandown and Shanklin

The island has a new and exciting claim to fame. It is the dinosaur capital of Europe. Remains are being unearthed along the cliffs of the southern shore where Eotyrannus, an ancestor of T Rex found nowhere else in the world, was discovered. A brand new museum shaped like a flying reptile opened in Sandown on August 6 (Dinosaur Isle, Culver Parade. Adults £3.80, children £2.20, family ticket £12).

Sandown links to Shanklin and it's a fun cycle ride between the two. Bicycle hire, from £5, at Offshore Sports, Shanklin (01983 866269).

Cowes

Complete maritime novices and more experienced sailors can try their hands safely at the UK Sailing Academy (01983 294941, www.uk-sail.org.uk ). Excellent, patient and fun tuition is a must for bored teens and budding Ellen MacArthurs. Weekend sailing courses run from Friday to Sunday night, (adults £350,under-18s £295). Prices include two nights' accommodation, food, equipment and instruction.

• Take the Wightlink car ferry from Portsmouth to Fishbourne (0870 5827744, www.wightlink.co.uk). Stay at The Royal Hotel, Belgrave Road, Ventnor (01983 852186, www.royalhoteliow.co.uk). Good food, there's an outdoor pool, sandpit and swings. Family rooms are spacious. Two-night breaks start from £153 per person and include half-board with return car ferry crossings.

Scarborough

Spa towns have a certain watery fascination and Scarborough is no exception. Since the 1600s people (and politicians) have flocked here. It has all the coastal ingredients we know and love, plus a little bit extra - an elegant esplanade, genteel parks with boating lakes and gardens, and a castle on a rocky headland for extra drama.

There are two bays - north and south. North Bay is busy with the Sea Life Centre, water and fun parks, while the beach is quieter. South Bay is by the harbour so you can watch the boats come in while the teens head for the arcades. The 1950s Stephen Joseph Theatre is home to Alan Ayckbourn.

• Stay at The Royal Hotel, St Nicholas Street, Scarborough, North Yorkshire YO11 2HE (01723 364333, www.englishrosehotels.co.uk/scarboroughroyal/index.html), overlooking South Bay. Once visited by Winston Churchill, these days it has a fitness and leisure club but retains the magnificent ballroom - a reminder of Scarborough's opulent past. From around £55 a night.

Whitby

Kids love gore so taking them to the place Bram Stoker chose to set his Dracula is bound to get them hunting for those fake fangs. Add a pier, fishing boats and an arcade and they won't want to come home. Don't allow yourself to leave unless you have savoured the fish and chips, especially recommended in the Magpie Café. Pedal off the calories on the 20-mile cycle path through an old railway line to Scarborough. Or travel a little further south to Robin Hood's Bay for rock pools teeming with crabs and stretches of sand where the kids can run off all that vampish energy.

• Tourist information (01947 602674, www.ycc.org.uk). Stay self-catering with Shoreline Cottages (0113-289 3539, www.shoreline-cottages.com), which sleep up to eight. Eat at The Vintner Restaurant, 42 Flowergate (01947 601166), or call in at 14 Pier Road for the Magpie Cafe (01947 602058).

Inch

The Dingle Peninsula on the west coast of Ireland is the place to blow away the cobwebs. There's a sandy spit where you can walk a mile out to sea and the water is still only an inch deep - hence the name. Kids will love the fossils and cliffs.

• Stay in The Captain's House, The Mall, Dingle, Co Kerry ( 00353 66915 1531). The owner used to be in the merchant navy and the house has a nautical feel. From around I£30 (£23) per person. Ryanair (0870 156 9569) or Aer Lingus (0151-231 1480).

Tyrella Beach, Clough

This has always been a firm family favourite. Dundrum Bay is a wide sandy beach next to a dune conservation area, giving a feeling of space and serenity. The water is clean, shallow and safe. Delamount Country Park is close by and there's a coastal path at Killough. There are six golf courses in the region.

• Downpatrick Tourist Information Centre, 02844 612233. The Beach Centre, 02844 851228. See also www.holidaybreaks.co.uk. Stay in The Narrows, 8 Shore Road, Portaferry, Co Down. BT22 1JY (02842 728148, www.narrows.co.uk ). Brothers Will and James have created an award-winning shorefront guesthouse and restaurant overlooking Strangford Lough. From around £43IR per person.

Manorbier Bay, Pembrokeshire

Described as one of the most beautiful places in Wales, this sandy bay enclosed by cliffs and dunes is popular with bathers and surfers, so get there early to pick your spot. Shops and pubs are near to the beach, but if it rains you could visit the 12th-century castle and church, or the King's Quoit, a 5,000-year-old burial chamber. Or stretch your legs with the circular walk round Old Castle Head. Tenby, meanwhile, is just three miles away.

• Tenby Tourist Information Centre, 01834 842402. See also www.pembrokeshire-holidays.com . Kids will love the indoor pool at The Atlantic Hotel, The Esplanade, Tenby SA70 7DU (01834 842881, www.atlantic-hotel.uk.com). From around £45 per person.

FBM Holidays (01834 844565) has a variety of self-catering holidays in this area. You can also book activities through them, such as kayaking and coasteering. Bro Bikes are also situated in Tenby, and can provide maps and advise on routes suitable for families when you hire bikes through them.

Caerfai Bay

If you like coves you'll love Caerfai Bay. It rests between imposing cliffs a mile from St David's, with the sandy beach appearing at low tide. Probably not one for the buggy brigade because access is via a steep and winding cliff path. The views are wonderful: this is part of the Heritage Coast and the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park. Wildlife and walks are plentiful; dogs are allowed; parking is free but limited.

• St David's Tourist Information, 01437 720392. Stay in The Manor Town House & Restaurant, Main Street, Fishguard, Pembrokeshire (01348 873260). Good food, a warm welcome and fabulous sea views. B&B from around £50.

Elie and Earlsferry Beach, Fife

A natural sheltered sandy bay facing south across the Firth of Forth with plenty of cafés and shops in Elie. Parking is next to the beach and in the town. There are facilities for the disabled. Dogs are restricted to an exercise area.

• St Andrews and the Kingdom of Fife Tourist Board, 01334 472021.

Dornoch, The Highlands

Sandy with dunes and spectacular views of the Dornoch Firth. There is a camping and caravan site near to the beach and a slipway to launch small boats, if you happen to have one. The beach lies next to an SSSI (Site of Specific Scientific Interest).

• Highlands of Scotland Tourist Board, 01862 810490. Stay in The Royal Golf Hotel, Dornoch (01862 810283, www.morton-hotels.com). Rooms from around £50 per person. If the kids are over 10, check out The Instore Guest House, Castle Street, Dornoch (01862 811263, www.inistore.co.uk). Rooms from £25 per person. For general information see www.visitscotland.com.

The Good Beach Guide, £3 incl p&p, from the Marine Conservation Society, 9 Gloucester Road, Ross-on-Wye, HR9 5BU (01989 566017 www.goodbeachguide.co.uk).