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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Beach toilets are disgusting.

57 replies

Latchkey · 13/08/2025 20:32

I've seen some shockers when it comes to public facilities, but these are up there with the worst. Seaside Councils - do better.

OP posts:
greengreyblue · 14/08/2025 08:35

Beer beach toilets were spotless.I Pebble beach .

Tiredofwhataboutery · 13/08/2025 23:54

I think it’s to do with the volume of people using the facilities. I’m not next to the sea but close to a loch. An American firm have bought up a massive estate / most of a village near me and fenced off the land which really pissed off the locals. Then they refurbished and reopened a free public toilet at the loch beach which are regularly cleaned . It’s amazing the amount of goodwill you can buy with a clean toilet.

TranceNation · 13/08/2025 23:27

Beach toilets must be a bugger to clean with that all sand added to the mix. I also hate sitting on those stainless steel toilets. They always tend to look more filthy than regular toilets for some reason.

TotHappy · 13/08/2025 23:26

Oh my days @TurnmyselfoffshallI 😳

ChompandaGrazia · 13/08/2025 23:26

Sweetbeansandmochi · 13/08/2025 21:54

Recent toilet reviews:
Vilamoura beach - very clean.
Quarteria beach - better than just fine
Faro Airport - fine
London Stanstead - gross

Stansted loos are shameful. I feel embarrassed that visitors to our country will use them.

TianasBayou · 13/08/2025 23:22

It’s not the toilets that are grim, it’s the visitors.
Out of high season the loos are fine.

TurnmyselfoffshallI · 13/08/2025 23:21

I hate beach toilets because I was temporarily blinded in one years ago and the memory haunts me. Most painful experience of my life. I was rushing and they had this metal handwashing and drying machine thing i think you’re meant to push the button for soap and then the water comes out after then there was another button for the hand dryer but I did something catastrophically wrong and managed to push the soap dispenser button and then the hand drier one and managed to get what felt like a 50mph knife like jet of pink handwash blasted into both eyeballs. Couldn’t see , screamed , fell to the floor and crying made them foam up. It was awful. Couldnt see for 4 hours after and had to have them washed out at a and e 😭

KnickerlessParsons · 13/08/2025 23:20

Doesn’t everyone wee in the sea at the beach? Or is that just me? ☺️

Athreedoorwardrobe · 13/08/2025 23:14

RomeoMcFlourish · 13/08/2025 20:37

Beach toilets are grotty but some of the people who use them are much worse.

I was in some beach toilets the other day and realised they had run out of soap. Found an attendant outside and asked if she could refill the soap dispenser, she went off to get some from the stock room and in the couple of minutes that she was gone 9 different women (some with children) went to use the sinks - I told each of them that the attendant was on her way with more soap and wouldn’t be long. Only one woman waited alongside me for the attendant to return so that she could wash her hands properly, the rest just flicked their hands under the water or just walked straight out. Absolutely grim.

Well it's not that grim really.
I personally wouldn't stand and wait for some unknown amount of time for an attendant to turn up with soap if I'd just had a wee.
Water should do fine. And you are just gonna be putting your hands in the sand and sea after which as you can tell from this thread is full of people's wee...

Beach is quite grim in general when you think of it.
I tend to just not think of it coz I can't be bothered living in terror of germs when let's be honest, you're gonna be OK aren't you? You aren't gonna get dysentery from not using soap to wash your hands once after doing a wee and neither is anyone else.
You aren't a surgeon about to operate on someone's brain. You are just gonna go back out into the disgusting sand and sea.

Athreedoorwardrobe · 13/08/2025 23:10

It's a shame about Margate beach toilets being so grim coz the actual toilet block is an architectural gem.

FableLies · 13/08/2025 23:09

RomeoMcFlourish · 13/08/2025 20:37

Beach toilets are grotty but some of the people who use them are much worse.

I was in some beach toilets the other day and realised they had run out of soap. Found an attendant outside and asked if she could refill the soap dispenser, she went off to get some from the stock room and in the couple of minutes that she was gone 9 different women (some with children) went to use the sinks - I told each of them that the attendant was on her way with more soap and wouldn’t be long. Only one woman waited alongside me for the attendant to return so that she could wash her hands properly, the rest just flicked their hands under the water or just walked straight out. Absolutely grim.

What would you have done if there was no attendant?

Treeleaf11 · 13/08/2025 23:06

Shanklin toilets were the worst Ive been in (think they closed them they were so bad)

DorothyWainwright · 13/08/2025 22:59

Yanbu. I never go in beach toilets 🤮.

Wee in the sea instead. Forces me to have an actual swim and stop squinnying about it being cold.

HighHeelsOnCobblestones · 13/08/2025 22:49

Was on Lowestoft beach a couple times last week. I was expecting grim loo's, as beach ones usually are, but they were fine! Nice sandy beach too.

xsquared · 13/08/2025 22:48

Latchkey · 13/08/2025 22:18

That's so grim @xsquared. I remember when the stuff was everywhere - used to disintegrate on contact with liquid. Really, what was the point. Grin

I wasn't aware most people had a sneaky pee in the sea. Not possible if you're only having a paddle!

It really was at the time, but their strategy worked because they were not vandalised again for the rest of my time at that school.

Latchkey · 13/08/2025 22:18

That's so grim @xsquared. I remember when the stuff was everywhere - used to disintegrate on contact with liquid. Really, what was the point. Grin

I wasn't aware most people had a sneaky pee in the sea. Not possible if you're only having a paddle!

OP posts:
Sweetbeansandmochi · 13/08/2025 22:04

I think having a loo review like this quite handy.

boulevardofbrokendreamss · 13/08/2025 21:59

Margate - awful. We sued for ages and then left and went to the Turner gallery. Got out of Margate as fast as possible.

Eastbourne - quite impressed

Camber - fine, very sandy but it literally gets blown in

overmydeadbody · 13/08/2025 21:57

The ones at my local beach are usually fine.

Just wee in the sea surely? 😂

Leilaandtheloggerheads · 13/08/2025 21:57

Bridlington toilets were all pretty acceptable.

Bournemouth, however, I couldn’t wait to get out. Absolutely disgusting. Not helped by the ignorant people using them. Big signs saying “sinks for hand washing only.” All being ignored and sinks being hogged, full of sand. Just gross.

Messycoo · 13/08/2025 21:56

Why not just piss in the sea ! Of course there grim, over use by every one being out enjoying the weather . They’re not called shit houses for nothing. Hand sanitiser and tissues for future trips perhaps ?

Sweetbeansandmochi · 13/08/2025 21:54

Recent toilet reviews:
Vilamoura beach - very clean.
Quarteria beach - better than just fine
Faro Airport - fine
London Stanstead - gross

greengreyblue · 13/08/2025 21:54

In most public loos in fact. Why is there often loads of paper on the floor? Recently at Stonehenge and the visitor toilets were awful. Had to walk out of 3 cubicles because they were full of shit!

NavyRose · 13/08/2025 21:54

Wee in the sea

greengreyblue · 13/08/2025 21:52

I agree. In Devon and in Spain so far this year.