When temperatures soar, the thought of airport queues, delayed flights and hauling a suitcase across the country suddenly loses its appeal. Happily, one of the dreamiest beach houses we’ve spotted is less than two hours from London – and you can bring the dog, too.
Sitting directly on Camber Sands in East Sussex, Barefoot Beach House looks as though it has been lifted from the Hamptons and dropped among the dunes. With its weatherboarded exterior, sun-bleached timber and wonderfully relaxed interiors, it delivers far-flung coastal charm without the long-haul flight.
Here, the beach really is your front garden. Mornings can begin with coffee on the sand, afternoons with a bracing dip and evenings toasting marshmallows on the deck as the sun slips behind the dunes. And because the house can only be reached along the beach, it feels deliciously removed from the bustle of everyday life.
Inside, stripped wooden floors and doors give the house plenty of seaside character, while large windows keep the landscape centre stage. There’s space for eight guests across four bedrooms – three with king-size beds and one twin – making it ideal for a multi-generational family holiday or a seaside escape with friends.
The wood burner means this isn’t solely a fair-weather bolthole, either. When the great British summer inevitably changes its mind, you can retreat indoors, light the fire and listen to the weather rolling in from the sea.
Four-legged holidaymakers are welcome, too. Guests can bring up to two well-behaved dogs for an additional fee of £35 per dog, per stay. From October to May, dogs have free run of the entire beach; between May and September, the dog-friendly stretch begins just 50 metres from the house.
When you can tear yourself away from the sand, the cobbled streets, antique shops and cafés of Rye are less than 10 minutes away, while the otherworldly landscape of Dungeness is around a 15-minute drive.
There is one practical detail to bear in mind: Barefoot Beach House is accessible only along the beach. Guests with a 4x4 can drive across the sand and park beside the property; everyone else can leave the car nearby and walk the final 150 metres.
A little extra effort, perhaps – but for a slice of the Hamptons on the East Sussex coast, we’d say it’s well worth kicking off your shoes.
