Seaside with 5yo near SE London?

[coffeemonsterr]

Looking to arrange a day trip to the seaside for my 5yo. He is an adventurer and likes exciting things so I’m hoping to find somewhere with a few funfair rides or extra things other than just the seaside.

Ive been to a number of these places in my pre-kids life but no ideas how they compare for entertaining a hectic 5yo. Does anyone have any tips? We are in SE London so ideally no more than 1.5hrs drive max.

Whitstable vs Herne Bay / or Hastings?

I think Margate is a bit far to drive.

We have family in Brighton so not there as we go a lot.

Thank you

Dymchurch? Could include a ride on the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway

Broadstairs is miles better for this purpose than Whitstable, and isn't much further. Sandy beach, easy to swim in shallow water when the tide is in, nearby ice cream parlours, amusements and some activities (swing boats, carousel, bouncy castle) on the beach itself. We were there for a week earlier in the summer with my 5yo and 10yo and it was idyllic.

Is Hastings doable? There are the smugglers caves, a pier, crazy golf etc.

I'd agree about Broadstairs v Whitstable.

However, for a five year old, I'd recommend Herne Bay. It is shingle, not sand. But it has a small pier, with a few fun rides, fairly empty beaches, loads of parking very near the sea front. It also has the telly-go-round! And if you are happy to walk a mile or so along the sea front,and the tide is low you can search for (& more importantly, find) fossilized sharks teeth.

Margate is very easy to get to on the train - the station is tight on the sea front. So perhaps training it, rather than driving, could be an option.

Have you thought about going by train? We found a direct train to Margate from Dartford around 9.45 last week and the train journey could be an adventure in itself . Other than that broadstairs or one of the bays ,Joss bay Botany Bay or there’s another ( can’t remember what it is called ) around broadstairs

We like Littlehampton. It's got a sandy beach and a funfair called Harbour Park (you can get a wristband for unlimited rides and if he's under a certain height, and adult gets one for free). Some of it is quite old and maybe a bit tired but there's some newer bits as well and my kids (11 and 7 now) always have a fabulous time there. The rides aren't huge but there's quite a few of them, plus golf and two arcades.

We're in the SE too but in Sussex. It's about 45mins for us, but we did it from London once and it was about 90mins so might be a bit far for you. Good parking though, and the train station is about 15-20mins walk to the beach.

If you are thinking of going this weekend, Herne Bay have their carnival this Saturday, there is a fair in the park but also the usual bits are on the seafront. There are also fireworks on the seafront Saturday evening! 2 guesses where I live!

Lots of seaside towns in Kent and Sussex have activities for kids. Whitstable is probably the worst town for activities for kids, despite being a popular place for adults.

Depending on where you are in south east London, getting a train from Bromley South to the Kent resorts or, if accessible to get to East Croydon, getting a train to Sussex resorts, which are mostly a shorter journey. Hastings would probably be quicker by car. Broadstairs and Margate are my favourites for kids.

One thing my son loves is crabbing - we have family in North Norfolk and have done that a few times. So I thought Whistable might provide that.

You can crab off the pier in Herne Bay.

id do Margate and get the train but we prefer sand beaches so depends what you want

Herne bay for crabbing.