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.

So what do you take @keiratwiceknightly, apart from your smug attitude?

And beach shoes are absolutely life changing!

You can wear them to and from the car thankfully, so you don't have to pack them.

The festival trolley is a great idea - I wish I had one - and all the stuff makes an average beach trip in to an amazing one. Granted I'd not make the effort for the sake of an hour but personally I've only every witnessed it when people stay all day. My dc have dark Mediterranean skin but I still put sun cream on them regularly if it's very hot and sun suits save having to do it everywhere when it's all sandy. Not really sure what your problem is?! Where my dc were born families basically take their entire kitchen to the beach on a Sunday . Nothing you see in the Uk compares 😆

When we beach, we beach 🤣 parents, siblings, their partners, my husband, extended family if they want to come and 2 dogs.

We get there for 10am,set up in the car park includes strategically parked cars, gazebo, camping chairs, windbreaks and a small kitchenette.

Dog walks, bacon sandwiches, sea swimming, lunch, another dog walk, ice creams, bbq and then home when the car park shuts at 8pm 🤣

@didireallysaythat

I don't remember ever going to the beach as a kid for more than an hour or two, and I don't think I've ever taken my kids (10, 15) to the beach. They don't like to swim and if you don't swim, what's the point?

I remember us all listening aghast a few years ago when a friend told the group she didn't get taken to the beach as a child. She was actually the only person I'd ever heard of til now. You definitely don't have to swim at the beach, in the Uk it's too cold for most to do so!

We are a bit. It's in ikea bags though because my teens can carry them. We only stay for a couple of hours as I get so cold once I've swam (even in a wetsuit) that were happy to head back for food.
I can even refold our pop up tent down and get it in the bag.

Was at a packed beach a couple of weeks ago and was hugely jealous of this family who parked their huge people carrier car practically on the beach and simply opened the boot and used it as a tent all day.

They must have been there at the crack of dawn to get that parking space, but I almost wept at the luxury of it. I think the Mam was actually having a full length snooze!

Nope turned up yesterday without anything kids had sun cream on at home and dinner was only when got there and dc wanted to paddle in sea I thought I should of been a bit more organised.
Kids still had a great time and just jumped over the very small waves so never got clothes to wet and played with other children who had lots of buckets and spades.

I grew up in a seaside town, it was great. We’d just go out playing for the day sans parents. None of us drowned, although I did loose a welly.

Yep, thats us! And we dont even have kids yet just two dogs and they have their own little sun tent. We have a kayak as well.. full on picnic with proper hamper, loads of lovely food 🍓 🧀 🥖 I just like to be as comfortable as possible wherever I go....you would hate us 😂

Nope. Couldn't pay me to go near a beach. Hate all things sea related. Sand, salt water, fucking jellyfish and crabs etc etc etc. Pity my name is also sea related, poor choice DM

We live in walking distance to a beach so tend to not take much with us. Bucket and spade each for the DC which they carry themselves, swimsuits on under their shorts and tshirts so that when we get there they can take the shorts and tshirts off, I put some once-a-day suncream on them before we leave the house so no reapplying while there. I either sit on my towel and build a little sand hill behind me to lean back against or I hire a wooden deckchair from the man in the little hut if he's there (£2 for the full day plus a £5 returnable deposit). No windbreak, no tent, and no picnic because we just get chips from the nearby chippy instead. All that's in my bag is drinks and talc to get the sand off our feet at the end.

I don't think I've ever seen anyone with big trolleys and loads of stuff, it doesn't seem to really be a thing where I live.

Personally I love the beach best out of season when it is not too hot.

I appreciate not having to cook as well. There is generally a local fish and chip place, or snacks that are decent.

Rucksack on, with towel in. Dive in to local large pub to dust sand off feet in ladies and off you go.

What a sneery OP.

Friends have an Igloo. Amazing thing you can strap all your bags, body board on top and away you go

www.igloocoolers.co.uk/igloo/trailmate/liddup/portable/wheeled/led/light/cool-box/

I can even refold our pop up tent down and get it in the bag.

Huge respect. When dc were small and I used one of these it was held together with bungee cords as I never did master this skill 😬😆

I don’t think OP is sneering, just laughing at all that effort setting up and dragging things to just sit down for an hour then leave

I’m taking notes! I had no idea there were special rugs, shoes and wtf is a festival trolley (presumably not the pilfered Tesco trolley I’m picturing?)

Do wonder where some people’s sense of humour disappears to.
I don’t think the op is meant in a sneery or unkind way but the idea of all that effort for an hour is faintly ridiculous.
I’m a performance beach goer (sort of) and I can’t get worked up about other people thinking I’m overdoing it.
I think they’re slightly nuts to come to the beach with nothing more than a towel. But hey, ho we’re all different!!

Nah, I live by the sea so it’s just shoes off, dog lead off and off we go. DS tends to go in his beach clothes or wetsuit and take his bodyboard or skimboard depending on the tide.

live the tent is ancient, I've only mastered it in the last couple of years. When the dcs were little it would just get dumped in the boot folded open and squashed in.

I love our pop up tent, just unzip the bag loose the tent and ta-daa we have shade on the beach

Ha no. Mine went in wetsuits and went home in wet suits once they had been out the sea long enough for the wind/sun to dry them (ish), I’d rather get the car valeted then deal with a whole load of Sandy towels and shit.

Sun cream, water bottle, towel and book.
We live close to the beach so no suitcases of stuff needed!

I like to take a windbreak to section off a little bit of beach to avoid the people who come and sit Right Next To You when there is loads of space.