Beside the Kent seaside: family days out in Broadstairs
I grew up in Stoke-on-Trent – the middle of the centre of England. It might not be the furthest point in the country from the sea but it was hardly on the doorstep.
So to this day I get excited about seeing the blue of the sea on the horizon (‘I can see the sea!’) as I did on family holidays, firstly to the North Wales coast with sandstorms and donkey rides at Rhyl and later down to Devon and Cornwall.
I love a walk on a blustery beach with the waves crashing, but as soon as the sun starts to shine, I feel a real pull towards the seaside. It doesn’t even have to be that hot (I am British after all, with plenty of formative memories of cold beaches – see above for Rhyl sandstorms).
And from west London, my main choices are the Kent coast or down towards Brighton. As we were visiting friends in Kent, I jumped at their suggestion to try one of their favourite family days out in Broadstairs, including a wander along the front.
Minnie has seen the sea but when she was just over three months old in Lanzarote, and since then it seems to have been endless winter, so I was intrigued to see what she’d make of it.
I’ve never actually been to Broadstairs before, although I’m a big fan of Whitstable nearby. But with its bandstand, little boardwalk by the beach huts at the back of the sands, and traditional seaside shops, I loved it.
Looking down on the beach from above, watching kids playing and sandcastles being built, I had a sudden feeling that I could have stood here at almost any point in the last 50 years and seen a fairly similar scene, apart from the changing fashions.
So, in keeping with tradition, I bought an ice cream cone – coffee and chocolate from Morelli’s gelateria, which actually hasn’t changed for decades, according to my friend’s mum, who’s lived here for years.
Broadstairs is pretty buggy friendly too, with a little lift down to the sands and the small boardwalk, as I established the Bugaboo Bee definitely couldn’t cope with beach.
Minnie took to it with gusto – sitting on a towel, she proceeded to scoop up great handfuls of sand which then trickled through her tiny fingers until it looked like she was trying to bury herself (who knows, maybe she was).
Thankfully this also meant she didn’t manage to get much to her mouth, unlike all other objects known and unknown which get decisively chewed and dribbled on.
Deciding it was too cold for a paddle, I carried her down to the shore to point out the boats and the waves. She barely glanced up before going back to trying to pull the metal buttons off my jacket.
Ah well, if her two (and a bit) year-old companion is anything to go by, beaches are set to get a lot more fascinating in the next year or so – given her way, I suspect we’d still be sitting there now. A girl after my own heart!
For more days out with kids in Kent, check out my pick including more ideas for family days at the Kent coast, as well as the best sandy beaches in Kent with kids
Main image: Depositphotos. Image of baby copyright MummyTravels
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