London to Broadstairs: Sandy Seaside in 2 hours
When the weather begins to warm up my kids love going to the beach; they especially love going to a sandy beach. If its sand you seek, head over to Broadstairs for the most enjoyable day at the seaside in a charming little town.
We went for just a few hours during a sunny interval last week, and it is a fantastic day out of London, I strongly recommend this outing for anyone. The walk to the beach from the train is easy-peasy, just turn left out of the station and walk down, you will be there in 10 minutes and pass a grocery store if you need a picnic.
At the bottom of the street is Viking Bay, a good-sized stretch of lovely, pleasant sand. To get there, you have to walk down a en enormous staircase. If you are travelling with a pushchair, take a left at the enormous staircase and you can make your way down to the beach step-free.
The bay is shallow, its a very slow and gradual descent - boring for older, confident swimmers, but safe and relaxed for parents. There are rock pools near-by for older kids to explore. There is a bouncy castle, trampolines, and some swings on the beach, but even my kids were not tempted as they were more interested in playing. At the opposite end of the beach, the left hand side, you can rent chairs and wind blocks at reasonable prices.
Should you be fortunate enough to need a break from the sun, there are loads of lovely cafes and ice-cream stands right around the beach. I had a great IPA in the beer garden right off the beach and the kids found some real ice-cream. There is a great chippy on the way back to the train station, you pass it right on the way to the beach. I cannot believe I have already forgotten the name, but it has an enormous banner stating that they were voted best fish and chips in Kent. We grabbed a couple orders for the train home, which we all very much enjoyed.
From Victoria station, Broadstairs is about 2 hours away. You may have to change at Faversham, but it is a fairly simple change and there is a lift if you need to change platforms, but there are loads of direct trains. When you are pricing your train travel, make sure you specify that you do not want high speed rail service from Victoria as the tickets will be costly. With a Friends and Family Railcard, 1 adult and 2 children were £28 off-peak. You can also travel high speed from London St. Pancras in 1 hour 20 minutes, but those tickets will be £20 each way.
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