Get the best from a trip to the seaside
“Mum, can we go to the seaside?”
Now the sun is shining, it’s time for the traditional family day-by-the-sea. The kids will 
look forward to it for ages, so here’s how to make it a fun-filled, hassle free day.
Getting there
If you take the car, you won’t have to hump your stuff around all day, but on the other hand, it can be difficult (and expensive) to park. Taking the train might be the answer - no parking problems, no traffic jams, no road rage! A family railcard can make it a cheap travel option, but make sure you take snacks and drinks with you for the journey. If you go by train, take the minimum amount with you, and share the load – even a small child can carry a towel and sandals in a rucksack.
On the beach
If the weather’s good when you arrive, get straight on the beach – it could change later. Try to pick a beach that has some sand, even if it’s mainly pebbles – making sandcastles will keep them (and their dad) quiet for ages. If they start to get bored, it’s time for a bit of beach combing. Get them to collect shells and small pebbles to decorate their sandcastles, and allow them to take a few of the best finds home. If they’re going for a paddle, let them wear flip-flops or old sandals in the sea to protect their feet. Buy cheap nets and help them search the rock pools for crabs or shrimp. Or if you fancy something a little more active, a beachball or frisby will give you all some exercise.
Time to eat
If you take a low-cost packed lunch with you, perhaps you could justify treating yourselves to a fish and chip supper. Other things that simply must be eaten at the seaside (you can go back to healthy eating the minute you get home!) are: candy floss, donuts, cream teas and ice-cream – but keep portions small or they’ll end up feeling queasy.
Other activities
After lunch, move off the beach for a game of crazy golf or a trip on the boating lake – anything that the whole family can do together.
Amusement arcades attract kids like a magnet. They’re not really suitable for very little ones, but if you allow your older children to go in for a while, give them a limited amount of money and get them to regard it as already spent – that way they won’t be too upset when they lose it all. Be firm, or ‘just another 50p’ will go on and on. Encourage them to quit while they’re ahead by suggesting a trip to the gift shop where they could spend their winnings on postcards or other small keepsakes.
The tourist information office will have details of local attractions. Look out for free museums that may interest the kids for half an hour (don’t forget that little ones will get bored quickly), or take them on a planned walk. Many old seaside towns have exciting stories of smugglers inns with secret passages leading to the beach or caves in the cliffs.
Do they have their own cameras? If not, buy an inexpensive, one-use camera so they can take their own snaps. Getting them developed can be something to look forward to when the sound of the surf is a distant memory.
Finish your day with fish and chips out of the paper, and a walk along the beach before home and bed.n
Copyright © Susan Elliot-Wright
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