The 10 Best beach towels

From big and brash to dandelions and Ed Ruscha

1. Bold Stripe

£20, johnlewis.com

Bright, bold and charming – what more do you want from a towel? Well, this one from John Lewis is generously proportioned, too.

2. Nautica

£22, astonsoflondon.co.uk

There is something pleasingly retro about this, as though it's just escaped from an early-Eighties Wham! video.

3. Linea Butterfly Jacquard

£12.60, houseoffraser.co.uk

Is there any other creature that says "carefree summer day" quite like a butterfly? Well, this towel has three of them.

4. Febronie Honey Comb Greek

£35, febronie.com

Has a lovely Mediterranean look to it, this one, with the blue and white giving it as sophisticated an air as ever a towel can have.

5. Nairobi Beach

£20, johnlewis.com

This towel is inspired by the Masai phrase enkare nairobi, which apparently means "cold water", hence its fresh oceanic colours.

6. Stephen Joseph Hooded Shark

£18, dottyhippo.co.uk

When your little nipper comes out of the pool they can dry themselves on this cuddly shark towel.

7. Green Giant Tasselled

£12.60, houseoffraser.co.uk

Minimalists will be turned off by the hand-tied cotton braid on this but there is something to be said for a bit of beach brashness.

8. Clarissa Hulse Cow Parsley Sunset

£29, clarissahulse.com

This takes a standard bucolic scene and jazzes it up to give a shock, sunset-red background.

9. Orla Kiely Stripe Petal

£19.50, amara.co.uk

The repeated pebblestone design is a real eye-catcher and, as you'd expect from a Kiely towel, it's made of a fine cotton.

10. Ed Ruscha

£65, othercriteria.com

You've seen his pictures in a gallery, have his prints on the wall and now you can take Ruscha's work with you to the beach.