How often to visit seaside?

[helpmelosemybigbelly]

I feel sad cos it feels like we only go seaside for a week in the school holidays when we go away, DH never wants to go at the weekends when we are at home and as I don’t drive, train tickets are expensive and we live pay check to pay check I just settle on going every day of the one week we are away (we have 2 young kids)

is anyone else with young kids also in my situation?

How far away is it?

Well, it makes a difference whether it’s five miles or fifty…?

Sometimes you can get deals on train tickets, would that help? This offer has been running on and off for the last year or so, I've had some great bargain trips. If it's not in your area, you could see if something similar is available near you? Or could you go on the coach?

But I think your DH should step up at least once a year for a day trip. Doesn't he want his DC to have a fun day out at the beach?

If it is close enough to go for a day trip, the train tickets are probably affordable with a railcard. I'm a single mum on UC and I can manage to do a couple of seaside day trips every year. It's about £31 for a return day trip to Margate for me and 2 dcs, which is a couple of hours away from me. I save £3 a week towards it, and bring a packed lunch and camping chairs so I don't have to spend any other money while I'm there.

I use Trainline with a family and friends Railcard and buy tickets in advance.

Going to the beach isn't something you have to do. I get it's nice but the way you have framed your question is as if there is a minimum amount that is reasonable. Some people have never seen the beach or the sea and are perfectly happy and well adjusted. You can have just as much fun in a park or forest.

But on the other hand the beach is actually not that relevant to your question and you are asking if your DH should put the effort in to facilitate you being able to do what you would like to do every now and then then yes he should.

Totally depends on how close you are. I’d say we go once a month probably. We were away camping this weekend so spent 3 days at the beach. We live about an hour away and we both drive.

Depends where you live.

I’m an hour away from my nearest beach and visit a few times a year for days out and a caravan holiday once a year if lucky.

I’m not in your situation but it is a nice outing for the kids. Maybe sit down with your dh and explain how important it is to you and would be fun for the kids and all of you and it’s so much cheaper if he drives.

If not, is there a coach station easily accessible as they’re usually cheaper than the train? Or look for the super off peak fares. Or see if a family member/friend who drives also wants a day out you can do together.

It really does depend on where you live. I had periods of time actually living three minutes walk from the beach and not going there for months (no kids at that point and I was more keen to walk in the opposite direction to visit my allotment every day).
We lived in a city two hours drive to the beach and we would take kids every couple of months either camping or for a day out.
I now live by the sea again and I am there most afternoons just for a stroll after work.
As a child, I had a period of living in a country without sea border and haven't seen the sea at all for 9 years. It was perfectly fine.

I would learn to drive, if I were you and then there will be a lot more flexibility for you to do as you wish without relying on your husband.

Where do you live and how far is the sea? Does your husband even like the sea? My mum never liked beach trips but my dad took us. Can you take the coach (cheaper). I would really prioritise learning to drive asap-can you work/more hours and save up for lessons?

What an odd thread. Obviously it depends on where you live (which presumably isn't that far from the seaside for this to be bothering you) but to answer your question there are literally millions of people in the UK who live too far away from the sea for a day trip to the beach with the kids. We survive just fine.

Can you go on the coach?

And look out for coach outings in the summer hols. In our area (S London) various community organisations organise day trip coach outings open to all, at v reasonable prices.

Have you got any “fake” beaches near you? I’m near Rutland Water, and they created a “beach” there years ago now. It’s not amazing, but it would probably do just to take the kids to build sandcastles etc.

We are about a 2 hour drive from the nearest seaside beach. We don’t ever do day trips there. I’ve started taking my youngest sons camping a couple of times a year near a coast, so we sometimes visit the beach then - but they aren’t bothered about going on the sand.

Could you look for a cheap B&B at the seaside and ask if your husband fancies it as a weekend away? It might be that he doesn’t want to do lots of driving in one day.

You’ve just reminded me of how much I hated living in east Leicestershire!

It depends on the distance to the beach? I live 20 minutes from a popular holiday resort beach and we go fairly regularly in off season but in the height of the summer it is a nightmare to get to traffic wise. Luckily my parents live there so we can nip over early before the traffic builds up but tourists coming for the day face long queues of crawling traffic for miles! Could it be something like that putting him off driving?

As a child? Once a year or less. We lived about as far from the sea as you can get in England

As an adult? I currently work about 5 miles from the sea. Maybe once a month. When I worked in the seaside town, I often used to walk to the headland in my lunch break (30 mins was long enough to see the sea and get back).

We're about an hour away, and we go frequently. About once a month/six weeks over the winter for a blustery ́dog walk and warming pub grub, and at least a couple of times a month over the summer months, with the odd weekend stay or week away thrown in. But we're really outdoorsy and love the beach.

I don't think it's really a requirement though. A day at the park or in the woods can be just as much fun.

I know you said you live pay cheque to pay cheque so this will not be easy but I would focus more on why you can't go places, rather than where you can't go. Not being able to drive is very restrictive and really curbs your independence. I would move heaven and earth to get a driving licence.

I’m in London

A day trip to the beach from London if you are living pay check to pay check is rather a luxury.

You could try taking a picnic to Ruislip Lido - take a Tube and bus ?

I go pretty much daily but I live half a mile away.

I do like to be beside the seaside

I live 1.2km from the beach so most days there for one reason or another but if you cant get there would you just buy the kids a sandpit and pool instead and improvise somewhat?

I grew up in London and went several times a year to the south coast, took sandwiches, a flask of tea and squash (meals out were rare back then) and we loved it as kids. My own children didn’t go often as we lived too far to day trip, about as far as you can get in the U.K. from a beach, but their grandparents lived near to the coast so some years we stayed with them for holidays. Now the coast is at the end of my road so after work I’ll be going for a walk along the coastal path.

so depends where you live, look at coach travel as a cheaper option to trains