HarrisonFamily Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 Christmas is over so now the holiday search starts..... For the past few years we have always been camping in Cornwall as we have relatives there, however this year my relatives move to Australia and my camping budget does not quite stretch that far.... We live in Kent have 2 children aged 5 & 7 - my husband is always left behind ...so where should I go...my criteria is ... 1) Hopefully within 4 hour drive.... 2) Near sandy beaches - it has to be a beach holiday not worried about entertainment etc as the beach is enough even in the rain..... 3) Not too crowded... I was looking at Somerset but have no idea what the beaches are like.... So what county \ area would you recommend....and if you can recommend a campsite even better.... Thank you and Happy New Year Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Chick Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 Have you thought about South Wales and the Gower? Probably just about a 4 hour drive, but a beautiful part of the country, lots to do, and lots of reasonable campsites? Alternatively, and a bit nearer, the Devon/Dorset border is beautiful Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadietoo Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 depending on where in Kent you are what about Northern France...fabulous beaches, and lots of good camping sites! We always "did" france with our littlies and it never disappointed. Some Dorset beaches are a bit stoney so choose carefully...Sandbanks/Studland bay is fabulous but busy, further afield the countryside is stunning... Putting a word in for my own county, West Sussex has some very good beaches...Littlehampton has sand dunes, as do the Wittering beaches also windsurfing/sailing opportunities in fairly safe waters....the countryside around here is very lovely too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted December 28, 2011 Share Posted December 28, 2011 I second the Gower, Oxwich bay is lovely with a little bit going on and easy access to the beach the nearby Three Cliffs Bay has a nice campsite and the beach is great and far quieter than Oxwich but is a walk down a cliff path (safe-ish) or a longer walk by road and along the valley. There are wild ponies there too Rhossili has to be probably the most amazing beach I have ever seen in the UK but I only saw it from the tops of cliffs and am not sure what access is like Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
percy049 Posted December 29, 2011 Share Posted December 29, 2011 How about the east coast? The beaches at Lowestoft, Hopton-On-Sea and Gorleston-On-Sea are really nice. However, this will get very crowded in the summer. What about Southwold? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarrisonFamily Posted December 29, 2011 Author Share Posted December 29, 2011 These places all look great so I know have the idea of Easter at Southwold (In a cottage Half term towards Littlehampton in the tent And a Long summer in South Wales........ Any more ideas are great....due to lack of passports we are restricted to this country........ Thanks everyone I love planning holidays something to look forward too....except my 7 year old wants to go to the beach NOW for a swim !!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gongladosh Posted December 30, 2011 Share Posted December 30, 2011 I second the Gower, Oxwich bay is lovely with a little bit going on and easy access to the beach Been there, loved it - very nice on a summer day. I also went narrowboating for the first time this year so I've got to plug that also! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bantambabe Posted December 30, 2011 Share Posted December 30, 2011 It's probably outside your 4 hour radius, but not too far. We loooooooooooooooooooove Anglesey. It's about 3.5 hours for us from south warwickshire (depending on traffic in north wales). The beaches are amazing and not at all crowded, the surfing/kite surfing/ wind surfing/body boarding is great, especially at Rhosneigr. The beach at Trearddur Bay is really family friendly if your children are younger. South Stack lighthouse is a must. Anglesey has it's own microclimate, and we have found time and again that we have sunshine and beach days whilst the mainland is grey and gloomy. Something to do with the air coming in off the irish sea and hitting snowdonia i believe. We're going there this summer (to Rhosneigr) (you don't have to mind jet planes on the west side of the island though as RAF Valley is between Rhosneigr and Trearddur) sorry, just re-read your post - your kids are younger. Trearddur would be fab then, it's an gradually sloping, enclosed bay with no sideways currents which is great with dinghys etc (you just have to watch it as the tide is going out). Rock pooling/crabbing great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelsea Posted December 30, 2011 Share Posted December 30, 2011 I would not recommend Somerset for it's beaches. They resemble more like mud as they are on the Bristol Channel, and some of them are particularly dangerous (sinking sand) so I would avoid if you want a beach holiday. If you want sandy beaches you will have to pop across into North Devon. Woolacombe, Croyde, Saunton Sands etc are all lovely long stretches of beaches and some lovely places to visit in the area. But I would say from Kent to North Devon is outside of your 4 hour drive AND the roads from Bristol onwards down here to the South West are an absolute nightmare in the Summer (gridlock every weekend) so unless you plan to travel through the night I would avoid Devon & Cornwall too! What about Norfolk? It's on my list of places to go, they have long sandy beaches there don't they? And I think they get their fair share of sunshine on the East Coast compared to our wet & mild weather here down in the South West. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowy Posted December 30, 2011 Share Posted December 30, 2011 I was just going to suggest Norfolk! Stunning beaches and quaint villages. Wonderful for camping. Also, think about long weekends nearer home. We started doing this last year when we couldn't get any decent length holidays. We thoroughly enjoyed it - there are often lots of lovely places within a very short drive of your home that are often overlooked, and once there you could be miles away! The bonus is that if the weather is dire, you can nip home to get dry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yvonne Posted December 30, 2011 Share Posted December 30, 2011 As someone who lives in Somerset, I too would definitely NOT recommend the beaches - muddy cannot be over-exaggerated also pretty naff places like Minehead and Weston (apologies to anyone who likes them). There are some lovely spots along the Sussex and Dorset coasts; much better bet in my opinion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sageandonion Posted December 30, 2011 Share Posted December 30, 2011 I see you are considering Southwold - it has a lovely pier and a nice beach, and there is plenty to do around there for children. The world and his wife goes crabbing at Walberswick but your kids will love it. It has a small play park on the village green too. Head for Aldeburgh for great fish and chips and the most wonderful icecream parlour. Thorpeness, again on the coast has a small lake where you can hire a rowing boat and pretend to be Peter Pan and the Lost Boys. Further down the coast is Snape Maltings if you like to shop for nice household bits and pieces. Have fun choosing where to go . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
percy049 Posted December 30, 2011 Share Posted December 30, 2011 I would not What about Norfolk? they have long sandy beaches there don't they? And I think they get their fair share of sunshine on the East Coast compared to our wet & mild weather here down in the South West. Yes! Its the driest part of the British Isles here Also, Dunwich is a really nice place to go (especially their fish and chips!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sadietoo Posted December 30, 2011 Share Posted December 30, 2011 It's probably outside your 4 hour radius, but not too far. We loooooooooooooooooooove Anglesey. It's about 3.5 hours for us from south warwickshire (depending on traffic in north wales).The beaches are amazing and not at all crowded, the surfing/kite surfing/ wind surfing/body boarding is great, especially at Rhosneigr. The beach at Trearddur Bay is really family friendly if your children are younger. South Stack lighthouse is a must. Anglesey has it's own microclimate, and we have found time and again that we have sunshine and beach days whilst the mainland is grey and gloomy. Something to do with the air coming in off the irish sea and hitting snowdonia i believe. We're going there this summer (to Rhosneigr) (you don't have to mind jet planes on the west side of the island though as RAF Valley is between Rhosneigr and Trearddur) sorry, just re-read your post - your kids are younger. Trearddur would be fab then, it's an gradually sloping, enclosed bay with no sideways currents which is great with dinghys etc (you just have to watch it as the tide is going out). Rock pooling/crabbing great. My husband's family always holidayed in Anglesey, and his aunt still has a cottage there that we have used for holidays in the past with our kids...I agree that Trearddur is good as is the little beach at Roscolyn, and there are some great rockpooling opportunities, but I have to say our experience of the Anglesey microclimate veered more toward the horizontal stair-rods kind of rain rather than sunshine... and perhaps we aren't hardy enough coming from the south coast...but that Irish sea is freezing I don't think I'd want to camp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laurmurf Posted December 30, 2011 Share Posted December 30, 2011 I see you are considering Southwold - it has a lovely pier and a nice beach, and there is plenty to do around there for children. The world and his wife goes crabbing at Walberswick but your kids will love it. It has a small play park on the village green too. Head for Aldeburgh for great fish and chips and the most wonderful icecream parlour. Thorpeness, again on the coast has a small lake where you can hire a rowing boat and pretend to be Peter Pan and the Lost Boys. Further down the coast is Snape Maltings if you like to shop for nice household bits and pieces. Have fun choosing where to go . I can recommend the youth hostel at Blaxhall near Aldeburgh - we've always used them as bases for holidays when the kids were wee cause we didn't need all the stuff for camping but it had self catering facilities to make it a cheap holiday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Webmuppet Posted December 30, 2011 Share Posted December 30, 2011 I can recommend Suffolk too ( but then I am biased ) There's some beautiful places on the coast, there's also plenty of places inland to visit, Easton Farm Park, Jimmy's Farm, Woodbridge to mention a few ( and if you are really lucky tea and cake at Chez Webmuppet ) and the local food is good too. You can even buy fish off the beach direct from the fishermen at Aldeburgh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lavenders_Blue Posted December 30, 2011 Share Posted December 30, 2011 Another vote here for Norfolk. I have enjoyed many holidays there, both as a child and as an adult and still love it. Wells-next-the-Sea has a super campsite, right next to the beach and I can highly recommend French's fish and chip shop. Holkham is the next beach along and much quieter as no facilities there and the beach is huge so plenty of space to get away from others. Also can recommend Cromer, I had many happy holidays there as a child. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HarrisonFamily Posted April 9, 2012 Author Share Posted April 9, 2012 Thank you for your help on this...we have just returned from a great week in Southwold....we spent everyday on the beach on in southwold itself so we are planning to go back to explore a little further... So now to plan the next holiday or 2.... Thanks for the recommendations... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
craftyhunnypie Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 Funny enough I thought of South Wales. Anywhere from Newquay down is lovely! Poppit Sands is gorgeous. We are fans of Aberporth. Best to avoid the typical tourist traps - as that's where the prices get shoved on everything, including parking! We also love it around Harlech. That's a gorgeous beach too! Is it a caravan site or tenting site you need? We know of a couple of small sweet, non commercial sites that way - that we used to go to. They were very handy as they were a stones throw away ( 2 mins walk) from tiny station platforms & the beach. Brilliant for getting a day rover ticket & going along the coast to Porthmadog, Criccieth & Pwhelli. Or to Barmouth the other way. Somerset is lovely, especially Wells - but Cheddar Gorge - is a tourist rip off trap. I believe The Mumbles is very nice. Always wanted to go. We also like Bath & Bristol - it all depends what you are after. Emma.x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
millie Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 Anglesey has it's own microclimate, and we have found time and again that we have sunshine and beach days whilst the mainland is grey and gloomy. Something to do with the air coming in off the irish sea and hitting snowdonia i believe. i can second that bantambabe, many times we look across and are , its a great place to camp, we usually go to newbrough beach, or red warf bay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lesley Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 Anglesey has it's own microclimate, and we have found time and again that we have sunshine and beach days whilst the mainland is grey and gloomy. Something to do with the air coming in off the irish sea and hitting snowdonia i believe. i can second that bantambabe, many times we look across and are , its a great place to camp, we usually go to newbrough beach, or red warf bay. .....and if one side of the island has 'off' weather then the other side is usually clear.......I miss Anglesey now my Mum and SF have moved back to Stratford. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
