Best beaches for a day out

The best beaches within a short distance from London have been named today.

From the lesser-known coastline in Essex to the sandy beaches of the Isle of Wight, environmental charity Encams has highlighted some of the top spots to enjoy the sunshine this Easter weekend.

Its list ranges from beaches that offer quality surfing to those where you can build spectacular sandcastles. Probably the biggest winner is the Isle of Wight, with 11 of its beaches scoring highly on the recommended list.

The island was congratulated for its combination of swimming beaches and quiet coves.

Others recommended for a visit include Walton-on-the-Naze and Frintonon-Sea in Essex; Ramsgate, Herne Bay and Viking Bay in Kent; Camber Sands and Holywell in East Sussex; and West Wittering in West Sussex.

In total, 73 beaches across England have been given the thumbs-up by Encams - which is responsible for the Keep Britain Tidy campaign - by receiving the Quality Coast Awards.

The scheme rates beaches according to cleanliness, facilities and accessibility.

The list is published just as the Easter weekend looks set to be one of the sunniest and warmest in recent memory. Britain is expecting a mini-heatwave this Bank Holiday weekend, with temperatures predicted to hit a balmy 21°c.

Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday are all expected to be warm and dry, with morning mist quickly dispersing to be replaced by glorious sunshine.

Temperatures will range from 18C to 21C, outdoing many European resorts. Met Office forecaster Keith Fenwick said: "In the Costa del Sol, for instance, it will be slightly cooler and with a high chance of storms."

However, as motorists prepare to make their getaway today, experts were predicting-that traffic would be even busier than in recent years. More than 18 million will take to the roads, the RAC and the AA have warned.

Routes most likely to be affected include the M25, the M1 northbound, the M4 westbound and the M6 through the West Midlands and the North.

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