Sugar Loaf Beach, Portishead, Bristol, Somerset
Sugar Loaf Beach at Portishead may not be golden sand and shimmering blue seas, but without a doubt, it’s one of the prettiest beaches along this part of the Somerset coast. It’s a small cove with a shingle beach backed by low sandstone cliffs and in the summer, lots of greenery, so it has a sort of remote and secluded feel and it never gets crowded.
Swimming in the sea isn’t safe here as the currents are very strong, but if the kids or the dog want to go for a paddle before the tide comes right in, there’s a small tidal pool. The tidal range at Portishead is the second fastest in the world; when it’s out the shoreline has exposed rocks and mud, but when it’s in, Sugar Loaf Beach is at its best. Take a picnic and a comfy rug, enjoy your egg sarnies and fizzy pop, or wander up to The Windmill Inn for seasonal pub food.
Sugar Loaf Beach is dog friendly year round and is accessed via the coastal path and then down a slipway.
All information correct at the time of writing