EVEN though the summer holidays are drawing to an end in both England and Wales, there's still time to make the most of the last few days. Seaside towns and beaches in the south east of England are set to benefit from the best of the weather, with sunny spells reaching as high as 22C in places like Folkestone, Margate and Clacton-on-Sea on Wednesday. Brit holidaymakers who want to make the most of the summer weather should make a beeline for seaside towns in the south east of England .
Not only will these seaside towns benefit from the sunny spells, they're also home to some of the warmest waters in the country. And it'll come as no surprise to find that many of them are in the south east of England. Last year, research from Millets found that Clacton-on-Sea has the warmest waters along the UK coastline.
According to the research , the water temperatures in Clacton hit highs of around 18.2C, making it the hottest in the UK. Clacton-on-Sea is soaring in popularity, with Londoners flocking to the coastal Essex town on day trips.
Along with a long stretch of sandy beach, Clacton is also home to a Victorian pier. Clacton Pier is the largest pleasure pier in Europe, which means there are plenty of rides and attractions for holidaymakers to enjoy. If you've already been to Clacton, Millets revealed other beaches in the south east of England that had some of the warmest waters in the UK.
In the study, water temperatures at Folkestone Beach in Folkestone reached highs of 18C. Beaches in Folkestone have been praised by tourists, with one even saying it "felt like you were abroad". There are several beaches in Folkestone were holidaymakers can go for a dip, including Mermaid Bay.
Named because of its rock formation, which mimics a mermaid's tail, the shingle beach is often much quieter than the main strip. Meanwhile, Folkestone Beach is where visitors will find a stretch of bars and cafes, as kids' playground and crazy golf. Water temperatures in Margate are also some of the warmest in the country, with highs of 17C.
Just like Folkestone, there are several beaches in Margate for holidaymakers to choose between. One of those is Margate Main Sands, which has everything you'd want out of a beach in the UK. Although there are quieter spots in the trendy seaside town, including Walpole Bay.
As part of out Best of British travel series, one local revealed the best time to visit Walpole Bay is after 4pm because of its sunset swimming and crabbing. The dog-friendly beach is just 15 minutes from the town, and it's also home to Haeckels community sauna. There's also another beach in Westbrook Bay, to the east of the town centre, and it tends to have fewer tourists because it’s the less developed part of Margate.
Just like Margate, water temperatures in Southend-on-Sea also reached highs of 17C. Southend has long been a magnet for British holidaymakers, thanks to its beautiful coast - but it has also been the butt of a number of jokes. And it is enjoying something of a renaissance with tourists and one councillor has even christened it "Miami-on-Thames".
There's also Chalkwell Beach - a long sandy beach that's located close to the pier. Southend also has its own seaside theme park. Adventure Island is one of the few theme parks in the UK that's free to enter, with guests paying for ride passes instead.
Having first opened in 1918 as the Sunken Gardens, just a few rides targeted at children were part of the grand opening. It was renamed over the years, becoming Peter Pan’s Playground, later Peter Pan’s Adventure Island before becoming Adventure Island, which is now home to 36 rides. Best in the Southwest Winner: The Towans, Hayle, Cornwall Woolacombe, Devon Summerleaze, Bude, Cornwall Porthcurno, Cornwall Kynance Cove, Cornwall Mothecombe, Devon Soar Mill Cove, Devon Mattiscombe Sands, Devon Budleigh Salterton, Devon Branscombe, Devon Best in North England Winner: Beadnell Bay, Northumberland Cayton Bay, North Yorkshire Boggle Hole, North Yorkshire Whitby, North Yorkshire Redcar, North Yorkshire Rose Sands, Northumberland Bamburgh, Northumberland Best in East England Winner: Sheringham, Norfolk Walberswick, Suffolk Holkham, Norfolk Brancaster Beach, Norfolk Burnham Overy Staithe, Norfolk Sutton on Sea, Lincolnshire Best in South England Winner: Southbourne, Dorset Hive beach, Dorset Man O’War, Dorset Middle beach, Dorset Birling Gap, East Sussex Sandgate, Kent Westbrook Bay, Kent Best in Wales Winner: Freshwater West, Pembrokeshire Llanddwyn, Anglesey Porth Iago, Gwynedd Penbryn, Ceredigion Mwnt, Ceredigion Manorbier, Pembrokeshire Pendine Sands, Carmarthenshire Mewslade, Vale of Glamorgan Oxwich, Swansea Monknash, Vale of Glamorgan Best in Scotland Winner: Gullane Bents, East Lothian Balmedie, Aberdeenshire Findhorn, Moray Achmelvich, Highland Mellon Udrigle, Highland Sanna, Highland Best in Northern Ireland Winner: Ballycastle, Co Antrim White Park Bay, Co Antrim Benone, Co Londonderry Murlough, Co Down And a beach in Wales was named as one of the best beaches to visit this year by Lonely Planet.
The Sun's Deputy Travel Editor Kara Godfrey has been to two of the best beaches in the world - but here's one in the UK she says is just as good..
