Let’s hit the coast!
When you think of London, you don’t automatically think of the beach or the sound of the waves crashing on to the sand.
However there are some surprisingly good beach options within easy reach of London – and no, we’re not talking about Brighton!
Here are seven to get you started:
1. Whitstable
It takes about ninety minutes by train to get from London to Whitstable. This is a popular weekend getaway and it is quite popular for Londoners to own a cottage here that they can escape to. Famous for its oysters, Whitstable has very good restaurants (try the Crab & Winkle; or Wheelers Oyster Bar), plus it has a thriving art scene so there are lots of galleries to explore and admire the work of local artists.
2. Shoreham-by Sea
Shoreham locals like to refer to this relaxed little haven as Sho-be, there are direct trains here from London and it takes about an hour. Shoreham has a great farmers market, and an unusual art deco airport building, but the stand-out feature is the town’s beach – a long sandy stretch that grows wild grasses and native flowers.
3. Skegness and Mablethorpe
These are a bit further away from London but you can get a holiday b&b in Skegness quite cheaply, have a break from the tube for the weekend, and see a bit of the Lincolnshire countryside.
4. Southend-on-Sea
If you want to check out the longest pier in the world then you will find it at Southend. Only an hour from London by train, this tends to be a destination favored by families. Don’t forget that Southend has an airport that EasyJet uses for a number of European destinations – it’s surprisingly quick to get here and the airport is small and efficient. Southend is surrounded by the South Downs – a stunning part of the English countryside that is definitely worth exploring if you have time.
5. Hastings
Famous as the site of the Battle of Hastings which began the Norman conquest of England in 1066, you can get to Hastings in just under two hours by direct train from London. You can feel the history in Hastings, from the medieval Old Town, the hill-top castle, and the Victorian-era sea front.
6. Portsmouth
It takes about two hours by train to get from London to Portsmouth – the UK’s only island city. Throughout history Portsmouth has played a strategic naval role in England’s defenses, and many of these significant buildings and locations have been converted into naval museums. Portsmouth also has a vibrant nightlife – much of it focused around the recently constructed Gunwharf Quays and Spinnaker Tower.
7. Aldeburgh
On the Sussex coast, you get the train from London to Aldeburgh but it is quicker and easier to drive (which will take you a good two hours). An old fishing village, fresh fish is still sold daily from the fisherman huts that line the beach. Aldeburgh is famous for an annual music festival that was established by composer Benjamin Britten who lived most of his life here. Britten’s tragic opera Peter Grimes is set in Aldeburgh and this is celebrated an enormous steel sculpture of a scallop shell that stands hauntingly on the beach, pierced with the words “I hear those voices that will not be drowned”.
photo credit: Ben Sutherland via photopin cc
