Are YOU a performance beach goer?

[keiratwiceknightly]

At the beach yesterday. So many families arrived with bags and bags of stuff - some even with festival trolleys. Shelter up, double rugs on sand, windbreak, chairs, elaborate picnic. Kids into sun suits, then sun cream rubbed into all exposed bits approx every 10 mins.

40 min set up. Sit for an hour. Then dismantle and clear off.

Great spectator sport.

I need one of these picnic rugs that the sand goes through!

Good point about car picnics at Goodwood etc, I'll give you that. If you have a wicker hamper, tartan blanket and your own butler with you then it's absolutely fine.

I've never been to West Wittering due to the traffic, although the post pandemic pre-bookable parking spaces has tempted me. I'm gobsmacked people would go to all that trouble then barely leave the carpark - I'm almost tempted to go there just to see it

Excellent stelth photo MintyGreen - really made me chuckle.

OMG we always say that at West Wittering! Why camp up in the car park?! I mean its quite a nice grassy carpark, as they go, and has the estuary bit at the end - but surely you'd at least eat on the beach?

We always arrive after midday as are a way away and theer's always loads of people eating their lunch as we reverse past them into a space - very weird.

I saw an elderly couple at West Witterjng car park with their chairs & a small grill style BBQ cooking lunch. They weren't even facing the beach but the field behind!

and saw a huge gathering in the car park comprising off 3 gazebos, 20 chairs & 2 bbqs. They even bought dog cages with them.

Last time we went to the beach we spent £13 on 2 buckets and spades and left within an hour with both kids in tears because they were cold and we didn’t have towels. We will try a little harder next time 🙄

41CoronaPeroni

I didn't think op was being nasty, just musing that the setting up and dismantling was out of proportion to the time actually spent on the beach.

This.

Loving all the West Wittering car park nonsense, baffling!

I grew up in a beach town and my sister and I used to spot the tourists a mile off as they needed equipment.
We would turn up with a towel, swimmers and suncream.
They would have a lot of stuff - windbreaks, bodyboards, mats etc. And the kids would get told off a lot.

Agree about living in a beach town where you turn up with a towel and not much else. But I suppose if you come from further away you'd need to be prepared more as you can just pop home and return when the weather is better..

We take loads of stuff to the beach too and have just discovered an absolute game changer by way of an old pram bag....some beaches are no good for trolley access but the pram bag fits so much in it. Would probably even fit a tired kid in, but haven't tried that yet!

I don't understand why so snide OP? I've never noticed my 'festival trolley' causing offence. I take drinks, snacks, beach towels, change of clothes, windbreaks, chairs, beach games, suncream (and apply it liberally and regularly, who knew that was cause for embarrassment??); how the fuck else am I supposed to get all that to the beach, by donkey?! On the return journey it usually also contains at least one child in the place the picnic and drinks had been occupying on the way there. I hadn't realised there was a right and wrong way for people to enjoy their family time. People who only have a short window and make the most of that by taking their family and copious amounts of paraphernalia, whether by trolley, muscle power or cart horse have my full admiration for making the most of precious moments, however fleeting. I'm sure you're beach trips are far superior though, congratulations.

I live by the beach and still take the whole house if I’m going for the day.

(I might just be lazy because it’s a steep uphill walk home and if I go back - for lunch, for example - I know I’m not going back down.)

Beach trips need to done properly. One bag: suncream, towels, underwear, very simple picnic. Children carry their own bucket and spade. Everyone dressed in swimwear plus beach dress/ shorts and tshirt over the top. Strip off to swimwear upon arrival. Paddle in sea, eat picnic, make masses of sandcastles, change into clean underwear and original sun dress. Total stay 2-3 hours, usually 9-12pm ish. Then put bag and buckets back in the car and go for lunch somewhere in the shade. Anything else is just wrong.

Proud to be a minimalist beach goer. Bikini, towel, bottle of water and sun cream. I’m enjoying the beach and the sea while others are still getting their act together.

We’ll be seeing golf buggies at the beach next. 😂

I've just realised we probably own a version of a festival trolley (a name I have only just leaned on here). It is a 25 year old metal Little Red Wagon which we used to use for the children when we lived in the states. I wouldn't take it to the beach tho bc it would rust.

I'm waiting for grandchildren so I can give them rides in it 😁

In the meantime I remain a minimalist beach goer. For a start many of the beaches we go to are down cliffs and reunite a walk (to avoid the crowds). You can only use such paraphernalia if you go to the crowded honeypot beaches with massive car parks right nearby

I grew up near the beach. My parents had their set-up finessed. Essentials were:

Windbreak
Ground sheet and then picnic blanket
Deck chairs
Parasol

We were always there by 8 to avoid car park queues and had an amazing time.

Two things I’ve learnt from the thread.

1. There are a LOT of very sensitive folk on mumsnet

1. If you live near a beach and you posted on this thread, it’s a given that you’ll mention something contemptuous about being being able to ‘spot tourists’ a mile off. FYI your mocking tone just makes you come across as a bit of a tosser 🤷🏻‍♀️

@DarlingFell

Two things I’ve learnt from the thread.

1. There are a LOT of very sensitive folk on mumsnet

1. If you live near a beach and you posted on this thread, it’s a given that you’ll mention something contemptuous about being being able to ‘spot tourists’ a mile off. FYI your mocking tone just makes you come across as a bit of a tosser 🤷🏻‍♀️

I don't think I've said anything g contemptuous. We own a holiday business and I love it when folk ask for suggestions for quiet beaches off the beaten track. And they're grateful for those suggestions. Share the love is what I say.

My parents were everything but the kitchen sink beach goers. They didn’t have a trolley and as a kid I hated lugging all the stuff to abs from the car! So I vowed to be a more minimalist beach tourist!

I live within easy reach of the beach and go often in summer. I take swim stuff, towels, a picnic rug if I remember it, if not I use towels and some times an inflatable. If I’m in Cornwall then I’d swap the inflatable for bodyboards. Also a minimal picnic. If we’re with DH then it’ll be 3 hours max, if it’s just me and the dds then we are quite happy all day like this.

Before I had children I took a book and a towel to the beach, and a flask of coffee if it wasn't hot because I happily swim in the sea from March to October. Now I have a baby and a preschooler and gradually we have ended up taking half the house to the beach with us. We only live 20 minutes from the beach so very occasionally I sneak off and have a sea swim on my own (or with my dad, who is a much more dedicated and hardcore all weather swimmer than me!) and get to just have a coffee and my towel, but this is now a rare pleasure! For everything there is a season, and right now mine is the season for lugging a load of shit to the beach only for the baby to cry the whole time so we leave after an hour!

I'm not but I do get envy when I see a group with all the gadgets and equipment. I love people watching at the beach

Darlingfell I live near the beach, and I can spot a tourist a mile off, you are quite correct.
I suspect city dwellers can also spot us city break goers a mile off too, with our country bumpkin clothes, tourist map and standing on the wrong side of the tube escalator

Two massive IKEA bags full of toys, wetsuits and blanket and towels, coolbag rucksack with food and drinks and a backpack of bodyboards. We don’t travel light.. but have fun.
We do also go on the beach when we go to West Wittering, although have sometimes had bbq lunch in the car park to save carrying extra bags!

Sometimes - if it’s just me I do tend to take the tent, rugs, all the toys, picnic etc but then I can spend longer at the beach, the kids are entertained, I can lock the tent and go paddle with the kids. If my husband comes too we don’t spent as much time at the actual beach so I don’t bring so much.