Lusty Glaze Beach, Newquay, Cornwall
With a name like that, no wonder this privately owned, sheltered cove tops our list of romantic seaside hideaways. The golden sands can be accessed from the neighbouring beaches or by trotting down the clifftop path. Reserve a table at the Lusty Glaze restaurant, and, after a few rosés, no doubt your eyes will take on a lusty glaze of their own.
Llanddwyn Beach, Anglesey
These days Anglesey is calling itself the "island of romance", because it was once home to the patron saint of Welsh lovers, St Dwynwen. To be fair, Llanddwyn Island, where this star-crossed lover lived, is a quite beautiful spot, with delightful views across the Menai Strait to Snowdonia, especially at sunset. Walk there from Newborough Warren (a mile away), another delightful Blue Flag beach.
Appletree Bay, Tresco, Isles of Scilly
Tresco is the perfect place to get away from it all. Meander through the exotic Abbey Garden until you find Appletree Bay. With its powdery sands and turquoise waters, this is by far the best of the island's stunning beaches.
Rhossili, Gower Peninsula
Recently voted "best place to go for a romantic sunset" by our friends at Country Living magazine, the southern end of Rhossili Beach is sheltered by the Rhossili Downs, providing the perfect location for a gorgeous picnic at dusk.
Strangles Beach, Cornwall
This isolated, pebbly beach is reached by a scramble down from the cliffs, presenting the perfect opportunity for an accidental embrace. Thomas Hardy and his wife Emma walked dreamily here when they were courting. Keep an eye out for newlyweds, fresh from getting married at the National Trust farmhouse up on the cliffs.
Coral Beach, Port Luinge, Plockton, Scotland
This unusual beach is made up of calcified, crunchy seaweed, or maerl. Pack a sushi picnic, hunt for colourful shells and enjoy the views across to Skye - you'll more than likely have the place to yourself, apart from the odd nosy seagull.
Holy Island, Northumberland
If you really want to impress your date, take them for an exhilarating horse ride along the beach on Holy Island. Kimmerston Stables (kimmerston.com) organises rides for all abilities, and the photos alone of horses galloping along the surf make your heart soar. For the brave, a bareback swim in the bracing North Sea is always an option.
Loch na Ceall Bay, Arisaig, Scotland
A community thrived here until 1801, when everyone was shipped off to Nova Scotia to make way for sheep. Not the most romantic of histories, then, but a supreme place to cuddle up and marvel at spiritually uplifting sunsets over the isles of Skye and the not-so-romantically-named Eigg and Muck.
Aldeburgh, Suffolk
"Bring your lover, skim stones into the sea, take long walks along the pebble beach ..." says ivillage.co.uk ("the website for women"). Which pretty much says it all.
Brora Beach, Moray Firth, Scotland
Provided you can haul yourselves out of bed, the sunrise at Moray Firth rivals the most spectacular of sunsets. Look out for the resident bottlenose dolphins and seals. Then quietly slope off back to bed ...
No beach weddings please, we're British
The dream of getting married barefoot on a beautiful golden beach, water lapping at the shore, has always been a remote one for loved-up British folk. Unlike idyllic spots in the Caribbean, Asia and Australia, to get married in the UK you must be inside a licensed, permanent structure. So no tents, marquees or gazebos - and no beach weddings.
But don't despair. A government white paper published in 2002 proposed relaxing this law, so that local authority officials would be able to conduct ceremonies in any (safe) place at any time, roof or no roof. Although this is (predictably) still working its way through various committees, it has achieved almost full backing - so if you're willing to wait a couple of years, you may yet be able to get formally hitched with sand between your toes, without first having to take a less-than-romantic long-haul flight.
· The following correction was printed in the Guardian's Corrections and clarifications column, Thursday July 26 2007. In the article above we said that weddings in the UK must take place inside a licensed permanent structure. That is not the case in Scotland, where it is possible to marry outdoors.