To ask - does anyone know anywhere for a common/old-fashioned seaside day out?

[whatever17]

I live in SW London. The obvious answer is Brighton. But Mum is feeling miserable and I think a day (or night or 2 in a B&B) would cheer her up. I am thinking deck chairs, fish n chips, bingo, amusement arcades. Just old fashioned non-fancy stuff and I will take her and Dad and the kids.

I really can't think of anywhere my side of the M4. Not too far, 3 hours tops.

i bloody love Holmbush Tescos/ M&S for a bit of a wet weekend outing.

Shoreham is quite nice of course, but not really seasidey in that way

You could come to Southend-on-Sea.

We live in SW London and go to Littlehampton or Bognor.

Camber Sands? Long beach, sand dunes and lots of shops selling tat.

Another vote for Broadstairs. We have a family house there on the Eastern Esplanade and it is my absolute favourite place in the world to be:

Three gorgeous beaches (Viking bay in the centre, Stone bay to the left (facing out to sea) and Dumpton Gap to the right.

A small amusement arcade.

Arguably the best Italian restaurant in the world ever Osteria Pizziera Posillipo

As a PP said a mavelous Ice-Cream parlour.

Fireworks in the evenings...

Need I continue?

littlehampton, Selsey, Dymchurch, look on the Kent / East sussex coast lovely places very close to London

Well I live in Southend On Sea but my vote would be for Southwold!! It's gorgeous - we stayed there once, actually in a little B & B in Reydon which is just a few minutes away. Same neck of the woods, Thorpeness is lovely too - so quaint!!

Another vote here for Broadstairs. Wonderful place, quite old-fashioned, good beaches, ice cream, fish & chips etc. Am of LadyFlumpalot having house on Eastern Esplanade - ds and I stayed in an apartment there last summer and loved it!

Forgot to say if you are in SW London the Kent coast is very close and very old fashioned

Great Yarmouth? As about old fashioned seaside as they come.

NormanTheForeman It's one of the maisonettes with balconies opposite the steps down where the public loos are. It was my great-grandparents then they left it to my grandparents who, already having a house decided to keep it as a holiday home for us all to use.

My favourite seaside place is Great Yarmouth. I bloody love it! Walton-on-the-Naze is also very nice, as is Weston-Super-Mare.

Weymouth

and shame you didn't post this earlier because my house in Poole has been empty for a while you could have stayed there for free but just heard we have new tenant today!

In Kent, there's Herne Bay, Whitstable, Sandgate etc

If you travel to wales for the weekend we thought Barry Island where Gavin and Stacy was filmed was great!

LadyFlumpalot, we stayed here, which must be really close to your family house!

Yep, right next door! I was watching them being built two years ago!

yea whitby gets a lot of praise. I even like Skegness on a nice day. Met my wife at Great Yarmouth. Blackpool? it blew a gale for the whole week. A little place called Gorleston near Yarmouth

Clacton, Frinton and Walton are all good (I maybe biased though ). I also love Southwold, we have promised to take the children there for a day as they like a certain tv program set there!

Southwold or Aldeburgh definately

I've put a couple of pics of the view from our balcony on my profile Norman

Hastings
Plenty of touristy stuff, nice history, good selection of restaurants.
Excellent crazy/adventure/pirate golf courses.
Smugglers Adventure, Blue Reef aquarium.
Nice tea shops....

Looks very familiar, LadyF!

Is your maisonette to the left of the one we stayed in (if you are standing facing the sea)?

Another vote for Southwold here - I long to live there. Journey time from West London is about 2.5 hours. It is a bit posh, so you could do a daytrip to Lowestoft if you want seaside tackiness (and before anyone gets up in arms, I was born and raised in Lowestoft so allowed to say such things!).
If you're feeling brave you could also try Great Yarmouth for the pleasure beach and their second to none waxworks museum (so bad it's hilarious!)