A day at one of the UK’s gorgeous beaches is part of any quintessential British summer.
Bundling everyone into the car with an ice box full of treats and heading to the horizon is a guaranteed good time and one of the many highlights of living within travel distance to the coast. It’s also a cheap day out with nothing really more to budget for than a go on the arcades, a stick of rock, and some fish and chips as the salty sea air speckles your cheeks.
Whether you’re headed to the pebbly beaches of Whitstable or Brighton or perhaps going further afield for the softer terrains of West Wittering or Camber Sands, there’s one essential aside from that cool box and towels that you shouldn’t leave home without: a windbreaker.
Why use a beach windbreaker?
Helpful particularly if you’re travelling with small children or pets, it’s essentially a portable barrier that can stop the wind from whipping sand into your face (not to mention your homemade sarnies). They’re excellent at creating privacy to sunbathe if the weather is on your side. They’re also rather useful for marking out your territory on particularly busy weekend visits. Taller windbreaks can even act as a pop-up changing room so you can wrestle out of your wet swimsuit and into something more comfortable after a dip in the water.
They’re not just for the beach. Take them camping for the same reasons, or use them to divide areas in your garden. Some windbreakers are shaped like tents with a wall missing, while simpler designs are a stretch of fabric with wooden poles interspersed throughout to help it stay grounded and upright.
The great news is that they’re relatively inexpensive, making them worth adding to your beach or camping kit so you can head outdoors in almost any weather.
Best beach windbreakers at a glance
- Best for chic easy style: Orla Kiely Pop-Up Beach Shelter - £100, Regatta
- Best for slimline design: Easy Camp Shell Beach Shelter - £71.99, John Lewis
- Best for pleasingly compact: Eurohike 3-Pole Windbreak - £35, Go Outdoors
- Best for vintage vibes: VW 5 Pole Tall Windbreak Red - £39.95, Amazon
- Best for faking beach hut ownership: Olpro Beach Huts Four Pole Compact Windbreak - £54.99, The Range
- Best for everywhere: B&Q 6 Pole Windbreaker Caravan Camping Beach Wind Break - £34.99, B&Q
- Best for windy days: Decathlon Beach Parasol 2 Person UPF50+ Paruv Windstop - £29.99, Decathlon
- Best for portability: ALPHA CAMP Pop Up Camping Beach Tent - £39.99, Amazon
- Best for nautical and nice: Halfords Easy Camp Beach Windscreen Surf - £25, Halfords
- Best for families: Halfords Beach Shelter - £24, Halfords
The colourful canvas or plastic windbreaks, screens and tarps come in a host of styles - we’ve gathered the best below to help you shop for the right one.
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Orla Kiely Pop-Up Beach Shelter - Daisy Black
Best for: chic easy style
The enduring popularity of the Irish designer (twice crowned Irish Tatler’s Woman of the Year) means that you can find Orla Kiely’s distinctive prints on just about anything, from blackout curtains to this beach shelter.
Bringing monochromatic style to the beach, this tent-style shelter is perfect for all weathers, erects in seconds and remains grounded thanks to four adjustable guide ropes.
It even offers UV protection of (UPF) 30+ and is waterproof too. A marriage of style and substance.
Buy now £100.00, Regatta
Easy Camp Shell Beach Shelter
Best for: slimline design
With a built-in ground sheet, there’s no need to worry if you’ve forgotten to bring extra beach towels or yours is still damp after your paddle in the sea. There’s plenty of space to catch some rays while still protecting yourself from the ferocity of the sun thanks to this inside/outside design.
Buy now £71.99, John Lewis
Eurohike 3-Pole Windbreak
Best for: pleasingly compact
Chill without shivering in the wind thanks to Eurohike’s slim, streamlined windbreak, which uses three poles to set up a barrier between you and the wind or other beachgoers. It’s extremely compact when packed, measuring 53 x 9 x 9cm and weighs just 1.65kg, so there’s absolutely no reason not to include it in your seaside essentials.
Buy now £35.00, Go Outdoors
VW 5 Pole Tall Windbreak Red
Best for: vintage vibes
Stand out from the crowds and let friends and family easily spot where you are on the beach thanks to this eye-catching white and red windbreak, patterned like the front of a classic VW van. At 1.2m tall, there’s plenty of height to keep your beach banquet clear of sand, sea salt and beach bugs or you can use it to divide pitches at a campsite.
Buy now £39.95, Amazon
Olpro Beach Huts Four Pole Compact Windbreak - blue
Best for: faking beach hut ownership
This cheerful space-saving polyester windbreak keeps the seaside vibes high thanks to the print, a run of classic beach huts with blue and green doors. Measuring 140cm high and 480 wide, it uses pegs and guide ropes to stay upright and can be positioned in a curve as well as lined up straight to offer adequate shelter.
Buy now £54.99, The Range
B&Q 6 Pole Windbreaker Caravan Camping Beach Wind Break
Best for: everywhere
If you’re looking for a longer design to wrap around your sunny spot or provide shelter for several cars or tables, this yellow and orange windbreaker is extra wide at 3.7m and 1.2m tall and fitted with six wooden poles which make sinking into the sand or pebbles that much easier. It comes with a three month guarantee.
Buy now £34.99, B&Q
Decathlon Beach Parasol 2 Person UPF50+ Paruv Windstop
Best for: windy days
Designed like a parasol with two extra long side panels, this colourful shelter allows you a clear view of the waves while shielding you from strong, sudden gusts of up to 20km per hour. There’s enough room for two adults to sit comfortably inside, and it can be propped up to use like a traditional parasol too.
Buy now £29.99, Decathlon
ALPHA CAMP Pop Up Camping Beach Tent
Best for: portability
For beach trips, camping stays, festivals or just sitting in your local park, this portable shelter will more than earn its keep for anyone who likes making the most of being in the great outdoors. Fitting three people at a push, the waterproof fabric will keep you dry from raindrops, while three large mesh windows keep things breezy and well ventilated. Comes with a carry bag for even easier portability.
Buy now £39.99, Amazon
Halfords Easy Camp Beach Windscreen Surf
Best for: nautical and nice
The temperature is finally heading towards the toasty thirties and everyone’s had the same idea - off to the beach! Secure your spot quickly and easily with this sail-aesthetic design, a contemporary version of a traditional screen with extra strength thanks to the U-shape. The blue and while panels stand 70cm tall at the highest point, creating plenty of wind protection while you enjoy your ice cream or beach picnic.
Buy now £25.00, Halfords
Halfords Beach Shelter
Best for: families
Give yourself a break from the hottest part of the day by retreating into this beach shelter, which saves you from the worst of the sun, wind and sudden showers that may appear on the horizon. Measuring 115 x 150 x 150, there’s enough room for parents and infants to sit inside on the built-in groundsheet and the pop-up nature of the design means it unfurls and repacks in mere seconds.
You can also pick up this shelter as part of the Beach Ready Bundle at Halfords for £46, which also throws in an XL picnic blanket in a blue tartan print, a holding camp chair and a battery operated fan.
Buy now £24.00, Halfords
