Aibu to not know how to go to the beach?!

[Heartofstrings]

And to ask for help!

I live in north Hampshire and am desperate to take my kids to the beach tomorrow. We've hardly been anywhere for 12 months so I just don't know procedures. I guess I can go almost anywhere as most places will be a drive of at least an hour.

Do I have to book anything? Like parking? Am I allowed to go?

One boy is also coeliac which doesn't help. If I can get fish and chips on the beach that would be awesome but not essential.

I just don't know how to go about all this anymore.

You just go. Like pre covid times. Take a packed lunch you'll queue for ages for fish and chips and likely they will make him ill

Yes just go, you can go anywhere now, have fun!

You just drive there... get Out the car, and go to the beach.
It’s an open access public area, no need to book anything unless there’s a specific outdoor eatery you want to go to.

Did you do this pre covid?

Take change for parking. Take towels. Take bottles of water.

Park. Spread out on the beach. When everyone's hungry go for food and bring it back to the sand.

Stay til it gets chilly.

Depends where you are heading. Last year for west wittering you had to book.

Other beaches near Bournemouth - nope. We had put favourite beach day at sandbanks last year. Lovely sand and shallow water just off beach.

Avon beach is about an hour away, get up super early and arrive for breakfast. If you have a camping stove take that and cook bacon for sarnies (take your own gf bread) with a flask. There's a car park right at the beach. Toilets and a shop nearby and hopefully the fish and and chip shop will be open. Just take loads of layers or spare clothes as it will be cold first thing and after going in the sea. Don't forget the sun cream though. If you have a wind break that will be useful although you might be able to buy one at the shop. Take a hammer/mallet from home to bang in the pegs though. Hope you have a lovely day

I find this post really sweet and a little bit heartbreaking.

I hope you have a lovely day. Don't overthink or complicate it. You are just driving to the coast for sea and sand.

Go and have fun!!

Scroll right to the bottom of this article and you will find a map of places that do gluten free fish and chips.

Round here, the beach is operating as normal - although I'd expect it to be heaving tomorrow, as the weather us predicted to be nice.
Queues for fish and chips were massive last time we went.

Completely fine just to drive there and park. Don't forget spare socks/ trousers. The water is freezing! I agree fish and chips likely to be very busy but we were at the seaside last week and had a picnic lunch then early fish and chip tea outside, no queue. Could your son just have the chips?

If I was in North Hampshire I’d head for either Stokes Bay in Gosport which has a cafe and lavatories plus a big grassy area behind and plenty of parking or .
Southsea might take longer to park but it’s nicer with lots of cafes, a large park, long stretch of beach etc. Traffic will be busy though. Depending on age of children you might be better catching a train to Portsmouth Harbour and walking along to the beach area. It’s a pleasant walk with lots to see and do.

If you really wanted to make it fun, the train the fastcat to Ryde is brilliant fun for children but I don’t think the fastcat is running until beginning of May. A second day out, perhaps.

Aw hope you have a nice day OP! I get anxiety and like to plan everything. Decide which beach you are heading too and just google xx beach parking. They are usually council car parks and the web results should take you to a page informing you of the local car parks and any associated charges (I have noticed a lot of pay and display car parks are now set up for online payment too so this helps)

You can also do a quick google about food places so you know where has good reviews which will be close to where you are. Expect large queues.

Take towels, plenty of water, sun cream etc

Second Avon beach from N Hampshire. We usually aim to get there for 9 ish and you should be able to park right on the beach, There's a cafe, coffee hut, small shop, toilets and fish and chip takeaway right there. Use the app for parking and you can add time if necessary. We often do 4 hrs and leave after lunch before it's too busy and before the kids annoy each other! Have a lovely time

I agree with the suggestion of Avon beach near Christchurch, it's gorgeous with everything you need. If the beachside car park is full there's another huge one in Avon Run Road above the beach and up some steps.

Thankyou all so much. My boys are only 3 and 4. Both preschoolers. For various reasons we've never made it to the beach before. I'm a bit worried it might be too busy because ds1 may not cope with the crowds.

So I'm literally able to just drive and park? Toilets are open? Car parks not closed?

We've spent lots of time in local woods and parks and not ventured further. Plus petrol and parking is pricey

I think the biggest problem is how many councils shut toilets everywhere last summer even though going to the beach as ALLOWED

Total nightmare, folk shitting everywhere.

I never went anywhere.

Have a look for off the beaten track beaches. Don't head for the popular ones, I'm lucky to live on the coast in an area that has gradually become popular with tourists. Thankfully most people are lazy and head to the first, most prominent beach. Whereas the locals no to head out five minutes and walk for ten and they're pretty much guaranteed miles of sandy beach to themselves.

As for the rest take a breakfast picnic. I not sure about fish and chips but chips should be safe so long as they're cooked in a separate fryer.

Oh and take talc. It's years since my dc were small but talc is fab for running sand off and preventing sore patches. And if you have any old duvet covers they're loads better for sitting on.

I took our dog to the beach today (SE) and it was absolutely freezing .

Generally the oil is recycled or filtered so not suitable for coeliacs unless specified. It's a complete pain in the arse

You can travel wherever you like, just observe the usual procedures like wearing a mask indoors anywhere, sanitising hands etc. As an example, when I was looking at West Bay in Dorset last year, I looked on google maps for road route, and also at the map of the resort, so that I could see where car parks are, and all the cafe’s/food takeaways etc. Quite a lot are marked on the enlarged maps of the resorts, and local attractions.

There is a brilliant gluten free fish and chips in the UK FB group which has a file of all the places people report, or you can ask and usually someone knows where you are. I'm not good on south coast places, but the Harbourside f&c shop in Weymouth is somewhere I have been and has totally separate GF fryers

I'm up north but I live by the beach and everything is open as normal apart from the amusements. Be prepared for it to be busy though, it was rammed here last weekend

I went to the beach last weekend. Toilets, car park and cafe's open and it wasn't even very busy. It was lovely!

I second the PP who mentioned Stokes Bay, it's lovely there. I recall lots of parking too, but you may need cash for pay and display.

Take a blanket/towel, have a great time!