The Great British Seaside
The great thing about living in Britain is that you are never more than a couple of hours from the coast and the great British seaside.
Dotted around the coast are the classic British seaside resorts. Brighton, Weymouth, Blackpool, Clacton to name just a few.
These resorts although unique in their own way all have the basic British seaside ingredients listed below in no particular order;
A Crazy golf course
The Olde Sweete Shoppe
At least three Amusement Arcades
Numerous ice cream shops
Two shops selling kids wetsuits (that will only fit for two weeks) but they always seem like a good idea.
A shop that sells fancy goods; fancy goods is another name for a shop that sells tat, jokes, hen party gifts (round the back) and those fleeces that have pictures of wolves baying at the moon. This and those catalogues you get through the door is the only place you can buy these hideous items of clothing.
An aquarium, sometimes with a scary owner who looks like the crook from Scooby Doo
Four fish and chip shops all claiming to be the best in whatever resort you are in.
Glass shelters on the promenade that are usually occupied by individuals over 70, although this is over 85 in Eastbourne and Bournemouth.
Those grabbing machines which tempt you with soft toys depicting Angry Birds or Muppet characters. One red letter day I won three toys for a pound, never to be repeated!
These are all important ingredients for the best day out at the beach, and if any are absent then you can rightly feel short changed.
But the best bit about the British seaside is the British public. We are ready to brave the elements just to spend a few hours on the beach, making sand castles, digging holes and rolling up our trousers for a quick paddle in the sea, which is always colder than you think it will be. The paddling inevitably ends with a large wave rising higher up your legs and soaking your entire bottom half apparel.
Some truly brave souls decide to don their swimsuits and gingerly tiptoe over the sharp shingle to take a full dip in the sea. Following this activity they return to their position on the beach and then have to try and change back into their clothes underneath a beach towel. This invariably ends in embarrassment as the towel becomes loose or worse falls to the ground at an inopportune moment.
An amusing thing to do at the seaside is to stand back and watch what happens when a heavy shower (better if accompanied by gusty winds) suddenly descends on the coast. This is when the poorly pitched tents and wind breaks turn into kites, towels become temporary rain covers and people pack up and run to the nearest cafe. There will always be a few stubborn families sitting on the beach with the rain falling around them sticking it out adamant that it is only a shower and that it is staring to 'brighten up.'
If you haven't been for a bit I recommend that you take trip to the seaside. Whatever the weather you can be sure of some fun, and any rain is bound to clear soon, isn't it? I'm sure I see some blue sky!?
Dotted around the coast are the classic British seaside resorts. Brighton, Weymouth, Blackpool, Clacton to name just a few.
These resorts although unique in their own way all have the basic British seaside ingredients listed below in no particular order;
A Crazy golf course
The Olde Sweete Shoppe
At least three Amusement Arcades
Numerous ice cream shops
Two shops selling kids wetsuits (that will only fit for two weeks) but they always seem like a good idea.
A shop that sells fancy goods; fancy goods is another name for a shop that sells tat, jokes, hen party gifts (round the back) and those fleeces that have pictures of wolves baying at the moon. This and those catalogues you get through the door is the only place you can buy these hideous items of clothing.
An aquarium, sometimes with a scary owner who looks like the crook from Scooby Doo
Four fish and chip shops all claiming to be the best in whatever resort you are in.
Glass shelters on the promenade that are usually occupied by individuals over 70, although this is over 85 in Eastbourne and Bournemouth.
Those grabbing machines which tempt you with soft toys depicting Angry Birds or Muppet characters. One red letter day I won three toys for a pound, never to be repeated!
These are all important ingredients for the best day out at the beach, and if any are absent then you can rightly feel short changed.
But the best bit about the British seaside is the British public. We are ready to brave the elements just to spend a few hours on the beach, making sand castles, digging holes and rolling up our trousers for a quick paddle in the sea, which is always colder than you think it will be. The paddling inevitably ends with a large wave rising higher up your legs and soaking your entire bottom half apparel.
Some truly brave souls decide to don their swimsuits and gingerly tiptoe over the sharp shingle to take a full dip in the sea. Following this activity they return to their position on the beach and then have to try and change back into their clothes underneath a beach towel. This invariably ends in embarrassment as the towel becomes loose or worse falls to the ground at an inopportune moment.
An amusing thing to do at the seaside is to stand back and watch what happens when a heavy shower (better if accompanied by gusty winds) suddenly descends on the coast. This is when the poorly pitched tents and wind breaks turn into kites, towels become temporary rain covers and people pack up and run to the nearest cafe. There will always be a few stubborn families sitting on the beach with the rain falling around them sticking it out adamant that it is only a shower and that it is staring to 'brighten up.'
If you haven't been for a bit I recommend that you take trip to the seaside. Whatever the weather you can be sure of some fun, and any rain is bound to clear soon, isn't it? I'm sure I see some blue sky!?
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