Trips to the beach are a rare treat for my girls. It takes us an hour and a half to drive to the nearest beach from home. Thankfully my twin sister lives nearer to the coast than we do. One of the things we have to do when we stay with her in the summer is go to the beach.
Our stay at Auntie Fizz’s house was a fairly short one though. There was only one day when we would be able to do our beach trip. The weather didn’t look too promising that morning though. It was cloudy and drizzly. However, we had promised the girls a beach trip. A beach trip it was then, no matter what the weather was doing. On the plus side, it would mean that the beach would be less crowded and I knew the girls would still enjoy it.
West Wittering beach can get very busy in the summer. On sunny days, we always leave very early in the morning to try to beat the queues. The cloudy weather meant that we could be a little more leisurely about leaving. As expected, the car park was fairly quiet. We didn’t have to queue at all to get in. The weather was still looking miserable though so we decided to have our picnic lunch in the car before heading out to the beach.
By the time we’d had some lunch, the rain had stopped. The girls were excited to be at the beach even if it wasn’t sunny. Thankfully the rain held off for the rest of the day. Although it was cloudy, it was fairly warm. It turned out to be quite pleasant sitting on the beach. I found it nicer than it would have been if we’d been baking in the hot sun all day.
One of the things I love about West Wittering (other than it being a nice sandy beach) is the “big puddle” (as my nieces call it) that forms in front of the sandbar when the tide is out. My girls can go paddling in this stretch of water with their cousins, or sit in their big rubber rings with them. It feels safer than them paddling at the sea’s edge. The four girls know that they can go as far as the “island” but not to go any further, and to always stay where we can see them. My two nieces are very good with my girls and having the two older girls around to help look after them means I can relax a little too!
The tide was in when we first arrived so the “island” was still underwater. The girls made a beeline for the water’s edge so they could paddle. Jessica had lots of fun jumping over the waves. Sophie liked picking up handfuls of wet sand and throwing them into the water.
Jessica got tired of paddling sooner than Sophie did though. She was quite happy spending the rest of the day making sandcastles. Sophie would go and paddle with her cousins for a while and then come back with handfuls of seaweed for Jessica to decorate her castle.
Digging big holes in the sand was also fun. We managed to dig one that was big enough for Sophie to stand in. Needless to say, she wanted us to bury her in the sand too!
The four girls had a wonderful time at the beach together. It was lovely for me just to spend time with my twin sister and watch our girls enjoying each other’s company. We usually manage to take photos of the girls together but never get one of all of us together. This time though, I’d remembered my tripod. I made sure we got a group photo in front of one of the pretty beach huts.
It might not have been perfect summer weather, but the combination of sea, sand and fun family time together made it the perfect day out for us.
We love the beach. I wish we have visited more this year. Looks like everyone had a great time.#CountryKids
Thank you Claire, we had a lovely time. Would have loved more beach visits too! 🙂
You can’t beat the beach and fresh air! Looks like they had fun! I might have to try West Wittering for my New Year beach trip as we’ve never been there. #countrykids
It’s such a nice way to spend the day. West Wittering is a lovely beach to go to.
What a delightful post. I totally understand the need to fit in a beach day whatever the weather throws your way. I am a bit the same even though I do live by the coast. If we have a rough spell of weather I’m inclined to go to the beach anyway, there is always something to do. It looks like you did really well avoiding the rain and the crowds and enjoying a lovely family day. The photo at the end is gorgeous, you do look so like your sister and the cousins have a lovely bond.
Thank you for sharing with me on #CountryKids
Thanks Fiona. I love that photo of the six of us together – we so rarely get a group photo like that and it makes it all the more special to have this one. I love our beach days out – it’s just a shame that they don’t happen more often! It must be lovely to live near enough to go regularly 🙂
I love West Wittering beach. It feels so nice and safe for the kids to go for a paddle and the sand is perfect for building sandcastles or digging massive holes! #countrykids
It is a lovely beach. It’s a shame we can’t visit it more often.
Even without sunshine, it looks like a fun day at the beach. Glad the rain stopped for you and you were able to stay all day. #CountryKids
It was a fun day and I was so glad the rain stopped! 🙂
I think the beach is lovely whatever the weather, and I think that kids care even less if the sun is shining or not 🙂 Glad you managed to fit in a trip, looks like a lot of fun 🙂 #countrykids
Thanks Sara, the girls certainly weren’t bothered at all by the weather! 🙂
Kids are happy on the beach whatever the weather! Its only us grown ups that complain of rain 😉
Our favourite beach! Thankfully we live a bit nearer but its great you have family near. Love all the photos x #CountryKids
This just shows how much the kids enjoy a day on the beach, regardless the weather! Lovely pictures, if we ever come close by will definitely stop there. #CountryKids