While the Caribbean is famed for its beaches, the UK is not. Instead, we’re known for our love of fish and chips, bustling cities, and quaint countryside towns. However, you might be surprised to find that some of our beaches are just as dreamy as those in the Caribbean, and you won’t need to spend an arm and a leg to get to these ones.

Three Cliffs Bay, Gower Peninsula

With rolling sand dunes you have to clamber down to access this beach, you often arrive on this stretch of golden sand in Wales’ Gower Peninsula to find that you’re the only people there. What’s more, those sands slip into twinkling waters, making it a lovely spot for a dip on a balmy day.

Luskentyre Beach, Outer Hebrides

We don’t usually like to show bias but we think that Luskentyre Beach might be the finest beach in our isles. Located in the Outer Hebrides on the Isle of Harris, this sweeping arc of white sands is made only all the more beautiful thanks to the turquoise waters that nestle up to it.

Carbis Bay, Cornwall

On a warm summer’s day, as you kayak through brilliant blue seas and look back at the shore where golden sands backed by verdant hillside await, it’s hard to remember that you are, in fact, in England. That’s what sunny days at Cornwall’s Carbis Bay offer up. There are watersports aplenty, and an upscale hotel, the Carbis Bay Estate, serves up tipples overlooking the sea.

Whiterocks Beach, County Antrim

In Northern Ireland, you’ll find Whiterocks Beach, a stretch of white sands given a sense of privacy by the grass-coated cliffs that surround them. Here, you’ll find activities aplenty—you could horse ride along the water’s edge, test your strength and your nerve with some surfing or paddle out in a canoe.

Bamburgh Beach, Northumberland

Bamburgh Beach, located at England’s northernmost tip, is a stretch of sand with a real sense of history. Here, undulating dunes and golden sands are watched over by the imposing Bamburgh Castle. That’s not all either: at the nearby St Aidan’s Church, a crypt houses bodies dating all the way back to the 7th century while just across the road, the RNLI Grace Darling Museum tells the story of a Victorian woman who risked her life to save those of nine people shipwrecked at sea.