Please help me find the perfect seaside destination for my family!

[hels71]

So, trying to find a UK seaside destination for me, DH and DD(15).

We all would like a reasonably quiet sandy beach with clean loos!

DH would like somewhere near enough for a day trip where there are museums and art galleries.

DD would like quirky shops and a place for a day trip with " normal" shops.

The last few years we have been to Robin Hood's Bay. Whitby suited DD, both DH and DD liked York and we all liked Sandsend Beach.

However, the cottage we have had is already booked up. I could look for another cottage in the area, but wondered if there was somewhere else that we would like. We are based in Wiltshire, but happy to travel.

Any ideas where I could be looking?
Thanks

What time of year? I would say St Ives, but not in season because it's the opposite of quiet then. But I went first week in December and had a glorious time.

Dorset coast

Alnmouth!

Whitby and the surrounding area are so good, you might be best looking for an alternative rental.

Isle of Wight, Lake District, Northumberland all beautiful and lots to see and do.

Mousehole

quirky shops, day trips, nice harbour beach. Dylan Thomas said it was the most beautiful village in Britain!

Should have said. School summer holidays. August .

Broadstairs

North Norfolk coast. Norwich for your proper shops/galleries/cathedral etc, Burnham Market for pretty shops. Wells-next-the-sea for a coastal town with a huge beach.

Devon? Dawlish warren has the sand and there's several places that meet you shops requirements. Exeter has museum and art

I love North Norfolk and visit several times a year but never, ever in school holidays. It’s hideously crowded.

Northumberland

Croyde Bay

Broadstairs might work for you. There are quieter beaches close by rather than the main beach (Botany Bay, Kingsgate Bay, Joss Bay, Stone Bay). The town has some nice shops. A day trip to Canterbury for the museums and normal shops. Margate is close by for the Turner Gallery.

Plenty of beaches just west of Cardiff and Cardiff has loads to do

Tenby is gorgeous, lots to do around and lovely shops in town.

We also love the areas you've been to recently OP. How about Northumberland as someone has already suggested? We only go out of season, bit hopefully others can comment on just now busy places like Amble, Alnmouth, Seahouses and Bamborough are in season.

Also you might like the East Neuk of Fife? St Andrews and the surrounding villages. Beautiful, great beaches and lovely quaint villages.

I’ve done quite a few UK seaside holidays. I would recommend:

Elie (East Neuk of Fife), can go to Edinburgh for the day or Dundee.

Whitby (plenty of cottages to rent)

Northumberland Coast (busy but not horrendous in August)

Would swerve (due to crowds, not because they aren’t lovely, in high summer) - North Norfolk, Tenby, Cornwall

Exmouth? Across the estuary from Dawlish which has already been suggested. Long sandy beach so you can escape crowds, Exeter for shops and museums (and if the underground tunnels are back open Def recommend them), a la ronde.
Or, south Wales coast, but not Tenby if you want quiet. It's lovely but over run in the summer (maybe a day trip from elsewhere). Cardiff has great shopping.

We loved that bit of Yorkshire too.

We've done 2 holidays in Northumberland with a couple of nights in Newcastle. It definitely fits your criteria.

Wales? Last Summer stayed on the Menai Strait. With a car, it is a lovely area and gave plenty of beach possibilities (liked Rhosneigr best, good rock pools), the chance to go to Anglesey while also changing mind if too busy, for another day, visits to castles and galleries all over, then daytrip taking in Liverpool and Port Sunlight (other alternative cool places with great shops very possible, but I really fancy going again to soak up some Eurovision rays).

Elie is a good shout. Second half of August will be a bit quieter as the Scottish schools will be back.

Beaches, Isle of Wight for sure. Ryde and Ventnor have some quirkier shops, but there isn’t really a shopping day out as such.

Falmouth!

North Berwick. Lovely beach and the town has quirky shops. Easy train ride into Edinburgh. There are other lovely beaches nearby, or you could go to Portobello beach near Edinburgh too

North east coast near Newcastle. Tynemouth market for quirky shopping, Newcastle for big shops and museums, absolutely amazing culture, history and landscape up and down the north east coast and served by the Metro so teens can travel about independently if they want to.

Northumberland is beautiful too but if you also want visitor attractions I'd stay a bit further down the coast