In our tour of coastal towns, we stopped at LittlehamptonThe Alice Rochester Pirate Ship.  It’s interesting to note that the flavour of each beach town has been very different. 

Littlehampton was somewhat busy, but not as much as I would have expected.  Not that it was very touristy, but with the amusements, I thought it would be more crowded.  Perhaps, the day was not warm enough or calm enough.  It was quite windy (I could not keep my hat on) and the wind was slightly chilly.

There were many sailboats out and several people were parasurfing, kids were paddling in part shingle/part sandy beaches.  There happened to be a fair/fete of some sort on the greens as well.  (They had a tug-of-war contest between what sounded like groups from London and Crawley and one side – needless to say, the winning side! –  had an anchor who looked to weigh in at 400 lbs, or nearly 30 stones.)

The highlight of the kids’ day was the amusement park.  This was better than the ones at Brighton or any of the towns.  It had the log ride!  They loved getting that splash at the end.  Of course, it’s costly, but we bought the discount tickets in the gift shop and they each had 5 rides – they both saved two rides for the log.

Splash!We enjoyed watching the boats come in, especially one that looked like a replica pirate ship.  It was the Alice of Rochester, apparently a barge based in Chichester, which can be chartered.  We’re thinking of going out on it one day.  That looked fun! The girls’ birthdays are coming up next week, but they want to do other things for that.

As we made our way back to the car, an emergency siren rang out and we watched as the coast guard rushed out in their high-speed motorboat.  We didn’t stay to find out what was the trouble.

It was a beautiful warm day yesterday, so we decided to go to the beach again.  This time, we went to Saltdean.  The tide was low, exposing all the chalky rocks covered with seaweed.  It’s an unbelievable sight, set against the chalky cliffs, with the promenades in between.  Unfortunately, we did not bring the camera.  We had debated it and was unsure what we would end up doing, so we didn’t have it.  It would have been too much to carry around while we were exploring the rock pools.[ad#ad-1]

It was fun and educational for the kids, but we learned a few lessons.  First, we need to make a list of things to bring when we go on such outings.  It seems we’re never properly prepared.  Perhaps, if I make a list now, I won’t forget next time.  Here’s what I’ll need to remember next time: hat (none of us have ever been in the habit of wearing hats), sunglasses (not an option for all of us), extra bag (to carry things that the kids collect), carry-all bag (because the kids never like to carry what they packed), waterproof shoes, bucket and shovel, towels, blanket.  I’m sure the list will grow as our outings increase in frequency.  I’ve also learned not to encourage the kids to bring too much, because it only adds to the weight on my shoulders.

After exploring the pools from Saltdean to Rottingdean (a famous smuggling town that I need to read up on), we stopped to get some drinks and snacks and walked back to Saltdean along the cliff path.  The views were awesome. We then drove over to Brighton, passing the famous Rottingdean windmill (which we’ll need to visit someday). 

We parked up near the marina and decided to walk towards the pier.  It was some distance away, but the kids ran towards the beach instead.  It was a shingle beach, not a sandy one, and walking on it was rough.  I looked up and read the sign “Boundary of Naturist Beach”.  I didn’t know what to make of it, but after walking a little ways, my husband suddenly remembers.  He recalled something about a nudist beach at Brighton and he thought that’s what “naturist” meant.  However, we doubted anyone would be out in their birthday suits at that time (evening).  Yet, the kids had run ahead and he thought it safest to take them away from the area.  Well, it was too late.  They had reached the edge, and just beyond, we saw some naked bathers.  We tried to call them over but they refused and kept going further.  They even rebelled and sat down, refusing to move.  We kept going and eventually they followed.  My husband insisted we go after them and after a while, I decided to turn back to get them.  But it only made them think that we were giving in and they started turning back towards the nudist beach.  Eventually, I had to yell at them to listen (they are very stubborn) before they stopped and we got them to us.  They both insisted they saw nothing, but we found that hard to believe.  Were we over-reacting or did they really notice nothing?

Well, we managed to get them away.  It was getting dark, so they didn’t want to go wading anymore.  Instead, they got on the playground. Then we went to the pier, where our older daughter managed to win Eeyore from the grab machines (and the other one cried because she didn’t get one).  Afterwards, they bought a dozen doughnuts.  It was a long walk back to the car, but it was enlivened with a display of fireworks from far off.  We didn’t realise it at the time, but the fireworks were being set off at the marina.  We hadn’t thought we parked THAT far!  Needless to say, the kids fell asleep on the way back and we had to carry them in and put them to bed.  We were exhausted.

Well, it’s the Easter break and though we have not made any plans for holidays, we have already taken two trips to the coast – once to Brighton Beach, and the other to Pagham Beach and Harbour and Bognor Regis. And despite the weather being rather windy and cold when it blew, I found last night that I had a rash on my hands, the only parts of my body that was really exposed. Now, I remember why I cannot tolerate summer very well. I was looking forward to beach trips during the hot summer months, but I fear getting the terrible sun rashes.[ad#ad-1]

Both days were very sunny but it was only warm when the wind wasn’t blowing, and there was quite a lot of wind. I was able to sit and enjoy the day at Brighton, but it was too cold to sit still down at Pagham & Bognor Regis. The kids didn’t mind in the least. At Brighton, they were wading and jumping over waves. The water must have been cold but they only complained about having to walk barefoot over the pebbles. At Pagham and Bognor, we spent the time building sand castles and finding different shells, followed by a casual walk round the harbour. Luckily, it was low tide and we were able to get out pretty far.

Of course, the highlight of their trip is always the amusement arcades. They have not yet learned that it is very difficult to win stuffed animals out of those grab machines. They also love to win prizes in those 2p and 10p slots that push coins down the chute. They are mesmerised by the shoving movements and the various monetary notes put in as prizes, not realising that it is near impossible to ever win those. The possibility is made even more slender by the fact that many of those machines have coins stuck in there, so further coins have difficulty getting down into the right spot. We always have to put a spend limit in those places or we’d be bankrupt. And with the weather improving and being so near to the coast, there are still many other seaside resorts to visit.