Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Child-safe in minutes.

Meet the Other Phone.
Child-safe in minutes.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Nice seaside places near London

58 replies

Jophhii2req3 · 15/06/2022 21:05

Can anyone recommend nicest seaside places not to far from London and reachable by train? Just came back from abroad and promised the kids to do a couple of trips to the seaside over the summer but not sure where to go. I find some of the British seaside a little depressing having grown up abroad. Where would you recommend for the day or a short weekend. Any suggestions of somewhere nice to go?

OP posts:
4am · 15/06/2022 21:06

Brighton?

Cherry321 · 15/06/2022 21:07

Lyme Regis? Bournemouth?

ShirleyPhallus · 15/06/2022 21:07

Whitstable is just lovely
west wittering for sandy beach
brighton
margate is having a revival

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about this subject:

Holidays
legalseagull · 15/06/2022 21:13

Brighton

CandyLeBonBon · 15/06/2022 21:14

Whereabouts in london?

WitchWithoutChips · 15/06/2022 21:15

It depends where in London you are. From SE I like Whitstable, although the beach isn’t sandy. If you’re East then Frinton-on-Sea is lovely and much nicer than Clacton.

Trainfromredhill · 15/06/2022 21:20

Can someone recommend a beach near London?

Lyme Regis 🤨...3 hrs by car and it doesn't even have a train station.

Ballsaque · 15/06/2022 21:21

Minnis Bay

Westgate Bay

Joss Bay

Broadstairs

however,we always drive so not sure how easy these are to get to on the train!

Classicblunder · 15/06/2022 21:23

Margate is easy by train and has a nice sandy beach

ShirleyPhallus · 15/06/2022 21:24

Trainfromredhill · 15/06/2022 21:20

Can someone recommend a beach near London?

Lyme Regis 🤨...3 hrs by car and it doesn't even have a train station.

🤣a 3 hour drive is not close by!

Cyberworrier · 15/06/2022 21:29

Broadstairs is easy by train! Nice beaches and some arcades, ice cream, traditional seaside stuff. Can't remember if it's an hour or 1.5 from kings cross, but doesn't feel like too long.

Turmerictolly · 15/06/2022 21:33

If you don't mind cheap and cheerful, Southend. Has a family beach (gets crowded), mostly pebbly but some sand , lots for kids to do. About an hour from Liverpool St, less from West Ham. Super off peak fares are cheap and trains every half an hour.

Broadstairs also nice, although more expensive by train and a little longer.

Attictroll · 15/06/2022 21:38

Depends where your travelling from but camber sands, broadstairs or Folkestone come to mind as sand 😊

Needmorelego · 15/06/2022 21:43

By train....
Margate (train station is literally next to the beach)
Bournemouth
Southend
Weymouth (that's about 3 hours journey though)

TheSmallAssassin · 15/06/2022 22:04

Brighton is grim as a beach! Dirty and pebbly last time I went (living in Devon may have spoiled me). I'm surprised only one person has mentioned Camber Sands.

CandyLeBonBon · 15/06/2022 22:05

TheSmallAssassin · 15/06/2022 22:04

Brighton is grim as a beach! Dirty and pebbly last time I went (living in Devon may have spoiled me). I'm surprised only one person has mentioned Camber Sands.

Yep it's a horrible beach. West beach at littlehampton is lovely too

Bakedpotatoesfortea · 15/06/2022 22:09

Camber sands or west wittering

Pluvia · 15/06/2022 22:14

Bakedpotatoesfortea · 15/06/2022 22:09

Camber sands or west wittering

In the days when I lived in East Sussex to get to Rye (nearest station to Camber Sands) you have to go to Kings X-Ashford and change onto the Hastings line for Rye. So the best part of two hours including a change of trains and a 15-minute taxi ride at the end of it — all to get to a massive sandy beach with limited facilities, if it's anything like it used to be...

Riverlee · 15/06/2022 22:18

Broadstairs - for sandy beach and fab ice cream parlour, Morelli

Margate - beachfront area has really improved in the last ten years and is lovely now (although regeneration hasn’t fully reached all of Margate yet)

Whistable and Deal - nice coastal towns but not sandy beaches

Clacton also

Don’t forget to get a family railcard

Fluffruff · 15/06/2022 22:20

We like Frinton and Folkestone. Really didn’t like Brighton!

southlondoner02 · 15/06/2022 22:33

Southend is fun - big fair, old fashioned sweetie shop, arcades etc.

LouisRenault · 15/06/2022 22:34

If it's a traditional family resort with safe sandy beaches you're after, Margate or Broadstairs. There's also Ramsgate, but there's less beach. Fast trains via HS1 from St Pancras (not King's Cross!) or Stratford Intl., or non-High Speed from Victoria. Whitstable and Deal are quaint, interesting towns but the beaches are less child friendly. Whitstable there's a lot of mud when the tide is out and at Deal the beach slopes steeply and the water gets deep quite quickly.

Book a Premier or Travelodge somewhere and you can explore all the places around the coast and go inland to Canterbury too. There are good bus and rail connections around East Kent. Downside is I think even the budget chain hotels will be quite pricey this summer.

Benjispruce4 · 15/06/2022 22:37

Camber Sands for dunes.

NoToLandfill · 15/06/2022 22:50

Leigh on sea is 30 mins from fenchurch street. Proper sand and nice pubs. No idea why anyone would go to pebbly Brighton

averythinline · 15/06/2022 22:52

Broadstairs.....lovely sandy beach fab ice cream at morellis just a nife place..

Massive sandy beach at camber ..rye interesting old town not too far

Beach, art and mini theme park at margate ......shell grotto ..unique and a bit marmite

Oysters n shingle at Whitstable...love it but not especially child friendly...

Dymchurch mini steam railway...and Dungeness unique landscape..

Littlehampton funfair beach and promenade.

Bournemouth- sandy beach, activies on pier, seaside cafes and amusements.....very long so space for all some really nice quieter bits away from the pier..

All accessible from London...