Frolicking On Whitstable Beach

At the weekend we took the bull by the horns, chucked the kids in the back of the car and spent a glorious day at the beach in Whitstable. The last time I'd visited was some 4 years ago now, seven months pregnant with Reuben and working on a shoot in the blazing sun, so it was so good to be back again with our little family. This was to be Tabby's first beach experience and I couldn't wait to see how she took to it.Arriving into the town and spotting the coast from the top of the hill always fills us with a sense of excitement and anticipation for fresh fish and chips, ice cream and the cool water lapping at our toes.There's just something about seaside towns isn't there? We've toyed with the idea that we'd live happily in one (don't we all when the sun is shining?) and before we landed here in Rochester we were seriously considering it, but the right house never materialised. Not to say that it won't, but for now, we're happy just being tourists. And oh my, the beach houses, the beach houses. Wouldn't you love to have a little nose inside?I loved this chic extension-the grey blue door frames and weatherboarding with a courtyard backing onto it, complete with sea views and leafy plants in the garden.The children were in their element-Reuben, fascinated by the different types of seaweed we found and Tabby with the pebbles (she really didn't enjoy the water at all!) With a section of beach completely to ourselves we were free to paddle and relax on our own-such bliss.Famous for its oysters, you're never short of finding them here. Outside The Whitstable Oyster Company was mound upon mound of empty shells. We of course had to bring some home for Reuben's collection of found treasures.As we made our way back to the car, two children sleepy from the sea air, ice cream around their mouths, we came across a mobile garden organised by the Whitstable In Bloom action group who paraded past with wheelbarrows, bicycles and trollies filled with the most beautiful miniature gardens for everyone to enjoy. Just goes to show that you don't need a huge plot of land to enjoy gardening.I hope you enjoyed our little jaunt to the sea. Do you have any plans to visit the coast soon or maybe you live by it-what's it like?