WHAT makes a great beach? The quality of the sand? The view? The accessibility? The cleanliness? The facilities? All of them?

We are blessed with having the most amazing beaches on our doorstep.

Families travelling from the cities sit in traffic jams on hot days for hours just for the pleasure of visiting our golden beaches for an afternoon.

And yet we can pop down to sit in the sun or shade, stroll on the prom or go for a dip any time we like, providing the weather’s kind.

It is surely no surprise to people here that Sandbanks has been officially named the best beach in the country.

And I am sure many of our other beaches in Christchurch, Bournemouth, Poole and Purbeck must be up there, too, among Britain’s very best.

Why would anyone choose instead to park their towels on the uncomfortable pebbles to be found at some rival resorts in other parts of the country?

That, they say, is the riddle of the sands.