Sandy beach - day trip from sw London

[fridayschild]

Any ideas? Nannynick has a thread looking for rock pools but in our house what we like is to DIG

west wittering

Camber Sands?

Kew Gardens

they have a baby beach all summer (no sea though) complete with buckets and spades

Thanks - but Kewcumber, we want sea too There's a sandpit and paddling pool in Bishop's Park which is MUCH cheaper than Kew Gardens. Free, in fact. DS1 thinks we need to go up a grade from that.

Where are west wittering and camber sands?

You can get to Poole in under 2h, if you set off early. Cross the harbour on the chain ferry and there's a lovely beach right there called Shell Bay. Drive on a little further and there's Knoll Beach, which has a cafe as well. Both beaches have parking. Shell Bay has a BBQ area IIRC.

Poole and Bournemouth beaches are lovely, but if it's a nice day during school holidays parking near them can be difficult, so get there early. Chain link ferry to Studland can get really busy too and the queues build up. Sandbanks beach (just before the chain ferry) is good. Also Hengistbury Head. There is a beach right next to the car park (but IME this can be a bit dirty) if you get the land train, or walk, you will get to the better beach with the expensive beach huts.

Echo re getting early to the Sandbanks ferry. We are going down next week - 2 hrs from SW London, so will leave before 8.

chopchopbusy, the land train, is that the bog standard train station , or a special funicular railway

re Mudeford Sandbank (the one with the expensive beach huts) you can also get there by parking in Mudeford on the quay and getting a little ferry across the mouth of the harbour. You park by a pub called the Haven IIRC (not been for ages though so could have changed)

the land train is called the Noddy Train and it is just a tractor pulling carts (I had a boyfriend who used to drive it when I was 16!)

The pub was still there yesterday

I second Camber Sands - lovely dunes and beach. Great fun for kids. Easy parking. One beach is designated not for dogs too.

It is near Rye - to the east of Hastings.

Camber Sands

Darrell, it's not really a train as such. It leaves from the cafe in the car park. The walk is not too far but if your DC are quite young then they might find it a bit too far, or if you are carrying a lot of stuff. Parking at Mudeford Quay as CD says is an option but you do have to get there early too.

If you are going to Poole I would stay on the poole side as the Sandbanks beach is beter than studland. Studland is really pretty but they dont rake the beach and as it is a natural bay all the seaweed builds up there and when it is hot it stinks. I have never understood why they dont clean it up. Also it can take at least 1 hour each way to get accross the chain ferry in peak season. If you go to the far end of the sandbanks car park the beach is much less crowded. Beyond the promanade towards the harbour mouth there are dunes but it is also the dog owners area so if you dont have a dog or dont like them dont go there as there will be dogs romping in the sea.(thats where we go) Dogs are banned from the rest of the beach. You need £10 in change to park all day.

I dont like hengisbury head much as the tide is really strong there and IMO its not all that safe for little ones to swim in the sea

If you have trouble parking take the road from poole through canford clifs and on to branksome. there is a car park back from the sea there where you can usually get in or take a right just after branksome beach up Pinewood road there is a litle car par off there with a road down to the beach which is nearly always empty

west wittering is lovely. we will be going there the first day the sun comes out

Frinton/Clacton/Jaywick. Can get to easily by train from Liverpool Street which adds to the fun

any ideas for a beach wid a bbq area...widin two hours from nw london???