From the best spots for surfing to the ideal beach for building sandcastles, new awards for England's best beaches celebrate the variety of the coastline. Rather than donkey rides and kiss-me-quick hats, Britons are increasingly enjoying a range of activities by the sea, from water-skiing to simply taking a clifftop stroll.

The Isle of Wight scores highly in the new scheme, with 11 of its beaches on the list of winners. The island was feted for its combination of swimming beaches and quiet coves.

Yorkshire has also been garlanded, with six beaches being commended as ideal coastal spots. Sandy Bay near Exmouth, Devon, was among the best for swimming, while Humberston Fitties beach at Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, which has never been recognised by any beach award before, is also among the winners.

Seventy-three beaches across England have been given the thumbs-up as top places to visit by receiving the first ever Quality Coast Awards.

The new scheme rates beaches according to their cleanliness, facilities and accessibility, rewarding those which are a clean place to enjoy a range of activities all year round.

Also recognised are locations off the beaten track which may in the past have been overshadowed by bigger, commercialised seaside resorts. They include Sandsend, near Whitby, North Yorkshire. Beaches with enforced dog bans where it is safe for children to play are recognised, including Walpole Bay, Margate, in Kent, and St Anne's Pier in Lancashire.

The scheme is run by the environmental charity Encams, which is responsible for the Keep Britain Tidy campaign. In England it replaces the existing Seaside Award, which will continue in Scotland and Wales.

Encams chief executive Alan Woods said: "The traditional seaside experience of building sandcastles and snacking on ice cream is still favoured by many. But it is just one of the reasons why people go to the coast; others use the beach as a place to walk their dogs or get a breath of fresh air whatever the weather. The Quality Coast Award commends those beaches that can offer the best cleanliness, facilities and standards for the type of visitor their sandy stretch attracts."

Every Quality Coast Award beach has to meet strict criteria including clean sands free of litter, pedestrians' safety on and around the beach, assessment of how many people the beach can hold, and good access. Facilities must be clean and in good working order.

Accompanying the awards is a new website, www.qualitycoast.org, which gives tourists the chance to pick the coastal destination best suited to their needs. By asking whether they intend to go in the water, take their dog, require disabled facilities or parking nearby, the site then matches them to the most appropriate beach.

Where to go

Best places for coastal isolation

East Yorkshire: South Landing, and Danes Dyke, Flamborough; Barmston and Wilsthorpe, Bridlington; Skipsea; Tunstall, Withernsea

North Yorkshire: Cayton Bay, Scarborough; Runswick Bay; Sandsend; Robin Hood's Bay

Lincolnshire: Humberston Fitties, Cleethorpes

Isle of Wight: South Springvale, Cowes; Seagrove, Seaview; Totland, Freshwater

East Sussex: Holywell, Eastbourne; Normans Bay

Devon: Coryton cove, Dawlish; Ness cove, Shaldon

Essex: Thorpe Bay, Southend

Best beaches for taking a dip

North Tyneside: Whitley Bay; Tynemouth

Lincolnshire: Mablethorpe; Sutton-on-Sea; Skegness

Devon: Tunnels beach, Ilfracombe; Sandy Bay, Exmouth: Westward Ho!; Croyde Bay

Dorset: Swanage

Isle of Wight: Sandown; Shanklin; Ventnor; Gurnard; Ryde East; Colwell

East Sussex: Eastbourne; Camber

West Sussex: West Wittering

Essex: Shoeburyness; Shoebury Common, Three Shells, and Chalkwell beaches, Southend

Best places for sandcastle building and paddling

North Yorkshire: South Bay, Scarborough

Lancashire: St Anne's Pier, Lytham St Anne's

North Tyneside: Cullercoats bay

Somerset: Burnham-on-Sea

West Sussex: Littlehampton; Worthing town beach

East Sussex: Pelham beach, Hastings

Devon: Teignmouth; Combe Martin

Kent: Viking Bay, Broadstairs; Ramsgate; Walpole Bay, Margate; Dymchurch

Essex: Jubilee beach, Southend; Bell Wharf beach, Leigh; Clacton; Frinton; Walton on the Naze