Sunday Times chief travel writer Chris Haslam visited a remarkable 791 beaches on mainland Britain to collate the guide.
The little-known mile-long Sandhaven Beach, in South Shields on the north east coast of England, took home the title of Beach of the Year.
But there was also plenty of representation north of the border, with no less than nine Scottish beaches making the cut.
Rural beaches were rated for access, cleanliness and beauty, while urban beaches were marked up for criteria including bathing water quality, lifeguard provision, toilets and wildlife-management.
Here are the beaches you should be visiting this year, according to the guide. You can read about the full top 50 here.
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9. Lunan Bay,
Beaches don't come much more picturesque than Lunan Bay, around three miles south of Montrose, in Angus. The two miles of silver sand are contained by wildflower-covered dunes and spectacular sea stacks - all looked over by the fairytale ruins of the 12th century Red Castle. Photo: Canva/Getty Images