I can’t say I’ve ever really shopped for a beach towel before. The last one I had was bought at the last-minute without much consideration. It was going to get covered in sand anyway, so what did it matter what it looked like? Right?

I have never been more wrong. When I looked at my trusty old towel the other day it occurred to me that it might not see me through another summer. So I started looking online for other options – and a whole new world of shopping opened up to me.

Tall tip: Beach towels come in different lengths (who knew?) so it’s worth checking the item description. The longest one I found was the Sunnylife towel (via ASOS) which is a lengthy 175cm.

Row 1: John Lewis Basics / Sunnylife Stripe / Next / John Lewis Beach Hut
Row 2: Seafolly / Biba / Ralph Lauren
Row 3: Next Exotic Floral / Accessorize Floral Union Jack / Accessorize Vintage
Row 4: Linea Polka Dot / George Anchor
Row 5: Linea Flamingo Stripe / George Ice Lollies / John Lewis Flamingoes