WITH the school summer holidays fast approaching and the Met Office predicting another heatwave for the remainder of the month, what better way to enjoy it than a trip to the beach.
Whether it's building sandcastles, exploring rock pools, or enjoying a bag of chips with an ice-cream, everyone loves a trip to the seaside.
We have looked at the top seven beaches to visit with the family all within an 90-minute drive of Newport.
Barry Island Beach (Whitmore Bay)
This soft sandy beach is the home of Gavin & Stacey, and it’s a popular destination for visitors, with everything you need for a fun family day out.
It has fairground rides, amusements, bars and plenty of cafés and fish and chips shops to choose from. Lifeguards are on patrol every day between 10am and 6pm, until September 3.
Barry Island is a popular place to visit on a sunny day
Where: Barry CF62 5AJ - only a 46-minute drive from Newport.
Coney Beach – Porthcawl
This mile-long beach is a great location for surfers and sunbathers, and everything you need is stone’s throw away. Lifeguards are on patrol every day between 10am and 6pm, until September 3.
It has a fairground, bars, amusements, plenty of food and drink outlets and even donkey rides for the children, and it’s a short walk from Trecco Bay holiday park for holiday makers.
Coney beach is a great beach to visit with everything you need all around you
Where: Eastern Promenade, Porthcawl, CF36 5TS - a 47-minute drive from Newport.
Rest Bay – Porthcawl
Just a nine-minute drive away from the hustle and bustle of Coney Beach is this blue flag beach, with low cliffs and rock pools to explore.
It has cafes and bars along the promenade, as well as ice cream parlours and a new water sports centre. Lifeguards are on patrol daily from 10am until 6pm until September 3, and then weekends only from September 9 to September 17.
Rest Bay is a perfect place for kids to explore Rock Pools.
Where: Rest Bay, Porthcawl, CF36 3UW and is only a 46-minute drive from Newport
Swansea Beach - Swansea
On the edge of the city this five-mile beach has plenty to do, such as beach activities for all ages, and even the promenade to visit.
You can even spot dolphins in the morning and evening, and there are ice cream parlours and restaurants in walking distance.
Swansea beach is a great place to visit. Picture: Google
Where: Swansea Beach, St Helen's Rd, Swansea SA1 3UP - an hour and 17 minute drive from Newport.
Weston-super-Mare beach
If you don’t mind travelling across the bridge and into England, Weston-super-Mare has a long sandy beach - very, very long when the tide is out.
It has donkey rides, the grand pier with plenty of amusements and places to eat and drink after a day at the beach.
Weston-super-Mare by Amy Blackmore
Where: Beach Road, Weston-super-Mare, BS23 1AS - a one hour and 12-minute drive from Newport.
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