Packing for the beach

We are so lucky to live in Devon – we have some fantastic coastline here and a lot of beautiful beaches to choose from. In a recent survey, Devon was voted as the 10th best place for beaches – which I have to say surprised me a bit – I would have expected it to be much higher up the rankings. We love it here. It ranked behind places such as Blackpool, Brighton, Skegness and Cornwall – all beautiful places to visit and enjoy the seaside. Cornwall especially is another of our personal favourites, there are some gorgeous golden sandy beaches in the county.

As regular beach visitors, we have become quite good at knowing what to pack. Here are our top 5 must haves for a day at the seaside:

1. Picnic. Food at the seaside can be super expensive, so we always take a packed lunch. Take things that are non perishable and nothing that will melt. Sandwiches, crisps, cracker biscuits, cereal bars, fruit and gingerbread men are popular in our house. Don’t forget to take plenty of water or squash too, and keep a little bit of money aside for an ice cream – having an ice cream at the beach is the law 😉
2. Blankets. Take blankets to sit on. There is nothing worse than sand in your sandwiches. They also make a great place to get changed – when you are wet from the sea you don’t want to be sitting on sand!
3. Suncream and a sun hat. It is incredibly important to remember sun cream. Even if it isn’t that warm when you set off, it can get hot very quickly. You often don’t realise you are burning when you are by the sea as there is a fresh breeze – but by the next morning you can be very red and sore. Remember to re apply regularly and always after going in the water, and make sure little ones where a hat all the time.
4. Old shoes. For exploring the sand dunes and paddling in the water, take old shoes. We have wetsuit style slip ons, but old daps or crocs work just as well. It stops little stones from digging into your feet and protects you from any litter or sharp grasses. 
5. Towels, swimming kit and spare clothes. Swimming kit and towels are essential for swimming and paddling, and spare clothes always come in handy too – there is always one child covered in wet sand from sandcastle building or rolling down the dunes. Keep a spare set of clothes in the car so you can pop them on before the journey home.

Is there anything I have missed? What do you pack when you are heading to the beach?

* This is a collaborative post. The survey results were collected by Great British Bingo, who compare bingo sites in the UK *