Best "bucket and spade" holiday resort in Britain?
May 9th, 2007, 04:50 AM
#1
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 193
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Best "bucket and spade" holiday resort in Britain?
Interested to know where you think is the best seaside holiday resort in Britain and why. I spend so much of my holiday time in the UK in Cornwall I wondered if I was missing something?
May 9th, 2007, 06:24 AM
#2
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 8,351
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I have happy memories of Camber Sands in Sussex. Not really a resort - in fact we stayed along from Camber at Jury's Gap, which consits of a few holiday places, but a great beach. My own kids enjoyed Cornwall, the Norfolk coast and Anglesy - great beaches and great rockpools. I think they would vote for anywhere on Anglesey, followed by Cornwall, again for the beaches and rockpools (plus RAF Culdrose - they loved watching the helicopter demonstrations - do they still do that??).
May 9th, 2007, 12:57 PM
#5
hi, hetismij,
"plus RAF Culdrose - they loved watching the helicopter demonstrations - do they still do that??"
yep they have an open day every year, attended by loads of cornish school kids, even though it should be a school day. [ditto the Royal Cornwall Show - don't know why they just don't give the kids the day off!]
there are loads of great beaches here - the trick is to work out which way the wind is blowing, then head for the most sheltered coast. or if you're a surfer, vice versa!
our family favourite is Godrevy - lovely sand, nice swimming, rock pools, seals on the rocks round the lighthouse, nice cafe on the way out - just have to watch the tides.
my personal favourite is Carne - difficult to get to, but lovely swimming once you're there.
londonengland - which is your cornwall favourite?
"plus RAF Culdrose - they loved watching the helicopter demonstrations - do they still do that??"
yep they have an open day every year, attended by loads of cornish school kids, even though it should be a school day. [ditto the Royal Cornwall Show - don't know why they just don't give the kids the day off!]
there are loads of great beaches here - the trick is to work out which way the wind is blowing, then head for the most sheltered coast. or if you're a surfer, vice versa!
our family favourite is Godrevy - lovely sand, nice swimming, rock pools, seals on the rocks round the lighthouse, nice cafe on the way out - just have to watch the tides.
my personal favourite is Carne - difficult to get to, but lovely swimming once you're there.
londonengland - which is your cornwall favourite?
May 10th, 2007, 12:03 AM
#6
Original Poster
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 193
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I'm interested in Anglesey having beautiful beaches - wasn't even aware of it being a beachy place.
Annhig - You asked about my favourite in Cornwall. Well my favourite resort is just across St Ives Bay from Godrevy with the pick of 5 beaches for different moods - St Ives. Porthmeor Beach for wild and rugged, Porthminster for sunbathing and sandcastles, Porthgwidden for a quiet haven, Porthkidney for walking the dog (only beach in summer where you can do this). I know locals hate St Ives for the crowds but I just think it has that combination of spectacular scenery, great restaurants, things to do and good shops that make a resort special.
I admit that if I lived in Cornwall I'd probably get more excited about beaches like Porthcurno which aren't busy even in summer.
Annhig - You asked about my favourite in Cornwall. Well my favourite resort is just across St Ives Bay from Godrevy with the pick of 5 beaches for different moods - St Ives. Porthmeor Beach for wild and rugged, Porthminster for sunbathing and sandcastles, Porthgwidden for a quiet haven, Porthkidney for walking the dog (only beach in summer where you can do this). I know locals hate St Ives for the crowds but I just think it has that combination of spectacular scenery, great restaurants, things to do and good shops that make a resort special.
I admit that if I lived in Cornwall I'd probably get more excited about beaches like Porthcurno which aren't busy even in summer.
May 10th, 2007, 01:30 AM
#7
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 1,175
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Anglesey certainly has some beautiful sandy beaches - Trearddur Bay, Rhosneigr, Red Wharf Bay, Bennlech, Molfre, to name a few, also lots a quiet more remote coves. My favourite place is the walk across Newborough Beach to Ynyss Llanddwyn, an island (at high tide only) with some beautiful little coves, cliffs with sea birds and wild flowers and an interesting history.
Wales has many beautiful beaches, on the Lleyn Peninsula, on the west coast - Harlech and Barmouth have miles of sandy beaches - not to mention Pembroke and Gower peninsulas.
North west Scotland and the Hebrides have some incredible, often deserted beaches. I loved the silver sands of Morar, Gairloch is lovely and the beaches on Lewis and Harris were amazing.
Northumbria has great beaches and East Anglia too. Also Jersey and Guernsey. In other words, beautiful though Cornwall is, there are lots of lovely beaches and beach resorts to explored throughout the British Isles.
Wales has many beautiful beaches, on the Lleyn Peninsula, on the west coast - Harlech and Barmouth have miles of sandy beaches - not to mention Pembroke and Gower peninsulas.
North west Scotland and the Hebrides have some incredible, often deserted beaches. I loved the silver sands of Morar, Gairloch is lovely and the beaches on Lewis and Harris were amazing.
Northumbria has great beaches and East Anglia too. Also Jersey and Guernsey. In other words, beautiful though Cornwall is, there are lots of lovely beaches and beach resorts to explored throughout the British Isles.
May 10th, 2007, 03:24 AM
#8
Join Date: Jul 2004
Posts: 6,282
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
To me it has to be somewhere in Cornwall - best chance of good weather and lots to do, even if the weather is bad.
Anglesey does have lovely beaches but unless you're just interested in walking, there's nothing else to do there. The one time I tried it, we ended up getting the ferry to Dublin for a bit of excitement !
Scvotland and Northumberland do of course also have lovely beaches, but rarely beach weather and never swimming temperature.
Anglesey does have lovely beaches but unless you're just interested in walking, there's nothing else to do there. The one time I tried it, we ended up getting the ferry to Dublin for a bit of excitement !
Scvotland and Northumberland do of course also have lovely beaches, but rarely beach weather and never swimming temperature.
May 10th, 2007, 10:56 AM
#9
hi, londonengland, again,
you've hit the nail on the head. We wouldn't even think about going to St, Ives between Easter and September - too many emmets!
we went on New year's Day once to get away from it all - it was crowded!
best time is december - it's deserted - great christmas shopping.
regards, ann
you've hit the nail on the head. We wouldn't even think about going to St, Ives between Easter and September - too many emmets!
we went on New year's Day once to get away from it all - it was crowded!
best time is december - it's deserted - great christmas shopping.
regards, ann
May 10th, 2007, 12:03 PM
#10
Join Date: Jan 2007
Posts: 78,320
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I loved torquay on my two visits there - not sure it has a sandy beach however but must be one near. For UK seaside resorts very upscale - Fawlty Towers tackiness aside.
And they say the Cornish Riviera here has Britain's sunniest, finest weather, a claim i've heard several resorts boast about.
And they say the Cornish Riviera here has Britain's sunniest, finest weather, a claim i've heard several resorts boast about.
May 12th, 2007, 07:21 AM
#11
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 8,159
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I think it depends on what you mean by "bucket and spade".
If you mean something traditional and sort of Edwardian, I'd go with anywhere on the South Coast- Eastbourne, Bournemouth (I'd pick Brighton if it had sand)- or Scarborough or Whitby.
If you mean great beaches where you can swim and there's miles of beautiful sand and you don't have people looking over your shoulder, then those places aren't resorts.
Then I'd go for the west coast of Scotland- Islay, Tiree, the Uists.
If you mean something traditional and sort of Edwardian, I'd go with anywhere on the South Coast- Eastbourne, Bournemouth (I'd pick Brighton if it had sand)- or Scarborough or Whitby.
If you mean great beaches where you can swim and there's miles of beautiful sand and you don't have people looking over your shoulder, then those places aren't resorts.
Then I'd go for the west coast of Scotland- Islay, Tiree, the Uists.
Dec 23rd, 2007, 12:04 PM
#15
Way, way back when I was a kid in England, we either went to Cornwall, the Isle of Wight (near Tennyson Downs - nice to see that mentioned), or a cottage near Dymchurch, a bit up the coast from Dungeness. The nuclear power plant wasn't there then, although the narrow gauge railway was (wwww.rhdr.org.uk/rhdr/stations.html).
Dec 23rd, 2007, 12:11 PM
#16
Join Date: Jun 2007
Posts: 2,063
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Best resort by a long way - St Ives, best beach Porthminister, best eating and view - Beach cafe, Portminister.
Best beach view and setting by a long way in the England - Bamburgh, Northumbria
Best beach in UK - Applecross, Wester Ross, Scotland.
Best rockpooling - Flamborough Head, over the border in Yorkshire.
Best beach view and setting by a long way in the England - Bamburgh, Northumbria
Best beach in UK - Applecross, Wester Ross, Scotland.
Best rockpooling - Flamborough Head, over the border in Yorkshire.
Dec 24th, 2007, 04:16 AM
#20
Join Date: May 2006
Posts: 423
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
