Beach Picnic

Oh! I do love to be
beside the seaside!

Here in the UK, a beach picnic is something that most of us can enjoy fairly easily, while six million U.K. coastal residents can fill their lungs with salty air every day.

The weather in the UK is changing. We’re going to have wetter winters and hotter summers, so they say. Maybe it’s time to explore our own coastline a bit more, as well as jetting off to those in traditionally much sunnier climates.

(Added in 2007 during a very wet British summer - my grandchildren still enjoyed the beach this year - but in their wetsuits! You can buy little ones at Kids Window - see below)

Whatever sort of picnic experience you’re looking for, be it a fun-filled family day out with lots of facilities, or a solitary bite to eat in a sheltered, rural cove, there’s a beach in the UK to meet your needs. In fact there are 377 Seaside Award beaches in the UK, scattered along the 9,040 miles of coastline.

A beach picnic is good for the soul! As we listen to the seagulls and watch the perpetual motion of waves breaking on the shore, or crashing against the rocks, problems tend to diminish. What a tiny part of the universe we are!

These sights and sounds of the seashore are welcome on a beach picnic but there are others which you’ll not want to experience.

Wind is your worst enemy, so choose somewhere as sheltered as you can to lay out your picnic table or blanket. Sand and sandwiches are not perfect partners!

However, sandwiches or wraps are actually ideal for an outdoor meal in this type of environment. I don’t believe the beach is the best place for a banquet. This should be an easy meal to eat. No fuss.

A nice fat Cornish pasty, a big vegetable tortilla, to share, or some scrumptious scotch eggs – these are the kind of things that are easy to eat beside the sea, along with a tasty salad recipe or two perhaps.

Beach picnics shouldn’t be reserved for the height of summer either. On a clear spring or autumn day the coast can look spectacular, so wrap up warm, grab you picnic hamper and get out there!

You can build magnificent sandcastles without the crowds around to spoil them or spend hours beach combing, stone skimming, and paddling in rock pools in search of crabs and shrimps.

Britain has a wealth of beaches extremely well suited to sandcastle building. Fine sand is what's needed and, according to a study done in 2004, the best beaches to find this in the UK are:

Torquay, Devon; Bridlington, East Yorkshire; Great Yarmouth, Norfolk; Bournemouth, Dorset; Tenby, Pembrokeshire; Blackpool, Lancashire; Eastbourne, East Sussex; Herne Bay, Kent; Newquay, Cornwall; and Rhyl, Denbighshire.

In a rural location, a barbecue in a sheltered cove is hard to beat for a beach picnic. Barbecue recipes can be prepared in advance and you might be lucky enough to find some freshly caught fish for sale in a harbour.

Beach Picnic Reminders:

• Check your picnic list for towels, swimming and diving/scuba gear, extra layers of clothing, beach toys, surfboards, kites etc.

• Take torches or lanterns in case you’re still there after that beautiful sunset. Darkness can descend very quickly in some places.
• Never leave a young child unsupervised near water.

• Observe warning signs and flags regarding the safety of the beach and water.
• Check the times of high and low tides. You don’t want to lose your blanket, or worse, while you’re strolling at the other end of the beach!
• Avoid sunburn – take hats, sun shades, sun cream etc. You can burn more easily by the coast because the sun reflects off the water and sand.

  On the other hand, think about wet suits for kids to keep them warm! You can get these at Kids Window:

  

• Don’t use inflatable beds or toys in the sea/ocean as they can easily drift out into deep water.
• If your dog wants to come along too, make sure you choose a beach where dogs are allowed.

• After your beach picnic, take all your litter home.








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