A seaside adventure with my 5 year old

[Actuallylookingok]

My DS and I will have a couple of days where we can go where we want for a mini holiday/adventure. Where is a genuinely great beach, not full of arcades or stones! Pref Suffolk, Norfolk or perhaps Dorset or North Devon..though want to avoid Olympic traffic..but completely open to all suggestions and maybe ideas of somewhere to stay. We want sun, sand and mum and small boy fun!

Best beaches IMO are in Pembrokeshire but don't tell anyone!

Well Wells-Next-the-Sea is Norfolk is lovely and I have spent many happy long weekends there with DS, just the two of us, camping (we got trains and busses there, is was a right adventure!) and there are lots of lovely beaches along North Norfolk that are just sand, sea, and dunes (no piers, arcades or stones)

Similarly in North Devon you have Woolacombe (if you walk far enough from the entrance it is quite empty, even in August, and no arcades there) or Croyde and a few other lovely beaches along there.

Studland/Swanage, great beaches, steam train.

marking my place because dm has offered to take me and dcs away for a few days and we want a nice but not arcade-y beach too. she was suggesting lyme regis, apparently you can go fossil hunting on the beach there....

This is great..loving the suggestions, will be googling tonight..please keep them coming and big huge thank yous for the ones so far

Kimmeridge, near Swanage is just as good as Lyme Regis and not as crowded, has great rock pools too.

wells next the sea looks amazing. Am hoping DM agrees as she's paying (I know, she is amazing) although as she's a fairly posh oldish lady who loves taking kids to the seaside but hates tat I can't see how she could not like it.

We loved Lyme Regis when we went a couple of years ago. Your DM would like it as it is definately not tacky.

Agree Wells is nice, as is Sheringham and there is loads to do with kids in Norfolk (have been about a million times).

Northumberland will fullfil all your wishes (and more)........but maybe too far?

Woolacombe and all the little beaches round there? The tunnels beach is nice.

Lyme & Charmouth are nice. Swanage is fab, nice beach, genteel town and the steam train to Corfe Castle is great

Definitely agree with Tikabillajive about Wales. Saundersfoot (lovely beaches and rockpools) and Tenby are fun and the beach at Pendine is amazing.

Or what about Southwold/Waberswick in Suffolk?