Minehead beach, Somerset

Posted on August 29, 2011 by mtargettuk

Minehead beach is a busy sand and shingle beach. It has great views over the Bristol Channel, North Hill and Exmoor. Fab for young and old alike as it has so many convenient features: easy parking, clean and tidy toilets, sand for castle building, shallows for paddling, steam train for Grandad, to name but a few.Minehead is the beginning of the South West Coast path and has some stunning scenary as you stroll along. Wander in the other direction to spot speedboats in the small harbour.

Minehead hosts one of England’s largest Butlins camps which not only offers the usual array of Redcoat frolics: funfair, ballroom , boating lake, etc, but also a chairlift system and a miniature railway.

Head into the town for a wide selection of shops and treats. We hear the fish foot spa is a must! Perhaps combine with a cream tea? The Farmers Market is open for business every Friday in The Parade from 8.30am to 2.30pm come rain or shine!

rightbeach recommends this beach for families of all varieties. Lots of fun on and off the beach with the necessary requirements of parking, toilets and food all within convenient reach.

Beach blurb

Tide and weather »
Lifeguards: None
Water quality: Recommended »
Dogs: restrictions apply, see signs at beach

See Minehead beach on a map …

Things to note to ensure your trip goes well:

Change for Pay and Display is a must.
Plan a stress free lunch and take advantage of the many food vendors along the sea front.
Windbreaks to create an element of privacy on the popular beach.

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Area	Rating	Observation
Beach		Wide and sandy with some shingle. Rock and pools. Known for kites and windsurfing.
Crowded (1=deserted)		Butlins near by means you are not likely to be alone.
Surf		More wind surfing than surf boarding.
Sand		Good sand but much of it is covered during high tide. Some sand has been washed away by sea defences.
Toilets
Parking		Pay and display along sea front.
Food		Nice selection of hot, cold and ice cream vendors.
Shopping		Walking distance to Minehead town centre. Usual high street stores as well as some quirky stores, check out ‘Fizz’ the retro sweetie store.

Review by Sharon S

St Ouen’s Bay beach, Jersey

Posted on August 28, 2011 by mtargettuk

St Ouen’s Bay is a massive five-mile-long stretch of sand, making up the majority of the west coast of Jersey. It feels the full force of the Atlantic which can be a blessing and a curse. Surf can be fabulous but it can also be very exposed if there’s a westerly wind blowing given there’s little shelter on the beach.

The beach does have non-sun worshiping activities though, with rock pools and surf lessons to be enjoyed. However, the beach’s primary assets are it’s epic expanse of fine, flat sand and mega surf.

rightbeach recommends this beach for its space, sand and surf, and deems it suitable for families with children and surfers.

Beach blurb

Tide and weather »
Lifeguards: RNLI Lifeguard service May 28th – October 2nd
Water quality: Recommended »
Dogs: Allowed on this beach.

See St Oeun’s Bay beach on a map …

Things to note to ensure your trip goes well:

If you’ve got the motivation, take a BBQ with you, buy some fresh fish from Faulkners at the north end of the beach, and eat on the beach in style.
There’s virtually no beach left at high tide so timing your trip right is essential.
If you fancy a break from all that sand and surf take a stroll around the World War II German gun emplacements. Jersey (and the other Channel Islands) were occupied by the Germans from June 1940 to May 1945.

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Area	Rating	Observation
Beach		Massive amounts of space and sand, but can be exposed and beach is virtually non-existent at high tide.
Crowded (1=deserted)		Sooooo much space
Surf		The Atlantic 2,500 miles to get ready for St Oeun’s Bay. The waves can be big!
Sand		Fine, flat and lots of it.
Toilets		In the car park so think twice about venturing too far away from civilisation.
Parking		Lots of parking along the length of the beach (three or four car parks all along La Grande Route des Mielles) all right next to the sand.
Food		A reasonable selection of icecreams / pasties, but most of the food outlets are clustered around the car parks.
Shopping		Good for fresh fish (at Faulkners) less good for other stuff as the beach is so spread out.

Review by dom perrignon

Harlyn Bay beach, North Cornwall

Posted on August 4, 2011 by mtargettuk

Harlyn Bay is a super beach for kids. It’s wide, sandy and rich in ice cream vans. But significantly it also has a couple of warm, shallow pools in the sand during low tide which are perfect for fledgling bathers. Large wide spaces even when reasonably busy. rightbeach took a super whizzy frisbee which was very popular with the kiddies.

It’s an old-fashioned classic beach. Lots of sand, wind breaks, and families (some with kites, some with grannies), probably influenced by the proximity of the Harlyn Sands Holiday Park.

It also has a pub/shop in the shape of the Harlyn Inn tucked behind the sand dunes which also hires out boards and wetsuits.

rightbeach recommends Harlyn beach for all generations of beach loving families (and the dog too!)

Beach blurb

Tide and weather »
Lifeguards: RNLI Lifeguard service April 29th – September 25th & Easter weekend
Water quality: Recommended »
Dogs: Not known

See Harlyn Bay beach on a map …

Things to note to ensure your trip goes well:

The loos are a right trek, across a stoney overflow carpark, so plan your kids’ toilet trips for them!
The beach can get quite breezy of there’s an strong off shore wind, so taking a beach tent or wind breaks is advisable.

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Area	Rating	Observation
Beach		It’s an okay beach – it’s size and the kid-friendly tidal pools are it’s best features.
Crowded (1=deserted)		Can get busy in patches.
Surf		Pretty reliable North Cornish surf.
Sand
Toilets		An uber trek across two car parks.
Parking		Lots of parking over looking the beach. Expect to pay around £3-4 for the whole day in peak season.
Food		A pub and ice cream vans.
Shopping		A beach shop which doubles as an surf hire place.

review by The rightbeach Team

Trebarwith Strand beach, North Cornwall

Posted on August 2, 2011 by mtargettuk

Trebarwith is, in rightbeach‘s opinion, the jewel of the North Cornish Coast. It’s a tidal beach – completely covered by the sea three hours before and after high tide, meaning that you have to time your visits right to get the maximum time to explore and enjoy the fab surroundings. It does have a tricky slipway entrance to the beach so take it easy and wear appropriate footwear!

Here’s a round up of its many attractions: golden sandcastle sand; decent surf; fabulous kid-friendly paddling pools of sea water with sandy bottoms; beautiful sheltering surrounding cliffs; cute gift shops and nice cafe choices. In past years, rightbeach has turned ‘beach left’ to set up camp by the freshwater stream flowing onto the beach, and also ‘beach right’ to find the more secluded and very safe sandy pools. rightbeach also likes to go climbing and see how high we can get (maybe not with the small children!)

rightbeach recommends Trebarwith Strand for families with young and/or older children (and the family dog!). Oh, and great for surfing if you manage to find a safe place to leave the children! Do check the tide times first though or there may be no beach at all.

Beach blurb

Tide and weather »
Lifeguards: RNLI Lifeguard service May 21st – September 25th
Water quality: Recommended »
Dogs: Allowed on this beach

See Trebarwith Strand beach on a map …

Things to note to ensure your trip goes well:

There are two car parks. If you’ve got young ones, you may want to get to the beach early in the day (tide permitting) and pay the extra charge for the closer car park to spare yourself the walk down to the beach.
To make a day of it, take plenty of supplies and head onto the rocks to sit out high tide; alternatively retire to the Port William pub (up on the cliffs) or cafes and munch through sandwiches and ice creams.
Seek out the secret tidal pools and explore the rocky protrusions – guaranteed to keep kids and grown ups occupied for at least an hour.
TIDE TIDE TIDE-check it out before you leave home!

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Area	Rating	Observation
Beach		Awesome when the tide times fit with your holiday dates but sadly that’s out of our control.
Crowded (1=deserted)		Lots of mini camps of groups of families together.
Surf		Pretty reliable rollers. Popular with body boarders and surfers alike.
Sand		Coarsish but good for digging and epic sandcastles.
Toilets		Pretty average – bit of a bind having to walk up the slipway from the beach.
Parking		Two car parks. The closest one is quite expensive (£6-ish for all day – price drops as tide comes in) and fills up quickly. Get their for 10am to ensure a space.
Food		Nice selection of hot, cold and ice cream vendors.
Shopping		A couple of art galleries and the usual beach shop offerings. We like the Crazy Mermaid for wacky prints and paintings.

review by The rightbeach Team

Polzeath beach, North Cornwall

Posted on August 2, 2011 by mtargettuk

Polzeath (also known as Hayle Bay) is a big lively wedge of sand ideal for active families and families with older children. It nestles nicely between rising cliffs on either side and is a popular part of the North Cornish coastal path for walkers.

It’s probably best known for its reliable surf credentials which draws in surfers and body boarders by the drove. In fact, rightbeach felt positively out of place in old skool swimming cossies as opposed to the much-in-evidence wetsuits. rightbeach‘s neice had her very first surf lesson there this Summer. Hopefully no real wipe outs!

Past the on-beach car park sporting SUVs galore, there’s a broad flat expanse of sand (especially huge at low tide) ideal for beach cricket although not all of it stays dry during tidal cycles.

The little town of Polzeath has grown into a mini resort over the years and now features a couple of “fairground rides” and a scattering of bars and cafes, taking advantage of the coolish/semi-bohemian vibe.

rightbeach recommends Polzeath for families of all shapes and sizes. Tiddlers will be catered for by easy parking and the opportunity to ‘pop back to the car’ for feeding or just quiet time out of the elements. Toddlers will love the sandy pools and digging channels to their moat. Teens will enjoy the beach life and surf lessons. The rest of us will be grateful the kids have got so much to do and can grab a quick coffee.

Beach blurb

Tide and weather »
Lifeguards: 29 Apr – 25 Sept (+ Easter and Oct half term)
Water quality: Recommended »
Dogs: No dogs from Easter to September

See Polzeath beach on a map …

Things to note to ensure your trip goes well:

Of the two car parks the one on the beach is the most convenient. You can usually get a car park space on the beach if you arrive just before 10am. Alternatively, do something else in the morning and arrive after 2pm and there’s a steady trickle of people leaving the car park.
You can easily hire wet suits and body boards for all ages and sizes. It’s so much easier than lugging them down in the car if you only plan on doing this once or twice during your holiday and the charges aren’t that extortionate.
If the weather is inclement and your little ones are in need of warming up, head over to the Galleon Beach Cafe for hot chocolates (with marshmallows) and fresh cooked doughnuts …

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Area	Rating	Observation
Beach		No rock pools, sand gets a bit soggy and there’s a fair amount of litter as it’s such a well-used beach.
Crowded (1=deserted)		It’s a busy beach, popular beach. On warm days the sea in particularly can be rammed with body boarders and surfers meaning that swimmers and splashers are forced into certain areas.
Surf		Reliable rollers, hence it’s popularity.
Sand		Sandy beach, although it can be a bit slimy in places due to the proximity of the car park to the rivulet running off into the beach.
Toilets		No problems.
Parking		Two car parks means you should always be in with a shout to get a space. One smaller pay and display on the beach (high tide can spill into this one!), and another larger one up on the cliff over looking the beach.
Food		The town is fairly lively, so there’s plenty of choice with pubs, beach cafes and shops.
Shopping		Again, lots of shops in the town.

Review by rightbeach, Tom v A and Sam T

rightbeach

where will you go?

Tag Archives: sand

Minehead beach, Somerset

St Ouen’s Bay beach, Jersey

Harlyn Bay beach, North Cornwall

Trebarwith Strand beach, North Cornwall

Polzeath beach, North Cornwall

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