Tenby Castle Beach

Castle Beach is the middle of Tenby's three beaches, tucked between the headland of Castle Hill and the tidal islet of St Catherine's, with the harbour side above and South Beach round the corner. It's the smallest of the three and the most interesting: a sandy bay at lower states of the tide, with excellent rockpools under the castle rocks and around the base of St Catherine's, and the RNLI lifeboat station on its long slipway forming one wall of the view.

The main event is the tide. From roughly mid tide down you can walk dry-shod across the sand to St Catherine's Island and the Victorian fort on top — an anti-invasion Palmerston fort that has been open to visitors in some seasons and closed in others, so check locally rather than assuming. Whether or not you can get inside, the walk out and around the rock at low water is worth doing. At high water the beach is much reduced and the island is genuinely an island.

Practically, it's a two-minute walk from the town and the Tudor Merchant's House, has beach cafés and toilets nearby, and gets a good share of Tenby's crowds without ever being as packed as South Beach. The seaward face of Castle Hill above gives the classic view over the harbour and the town. Swimming here is sheltered on a calm day; watch for the lifeboat slipway and boat traffic in and out of the harbour, and keep clear of the launch area.