A Day Trip to the Sandbanks Beach

This is my first post of 2021 and I really want to share one of my favourite trips that we managed to take in the past year - a fun-filled day trip to the Sandbanks beach. The year 2020 was sure a wild and stressful year for many travellers and people all around the world. We love travelling as a family and we always have a plan ready for our next travel. Though we enjoyed a lovely trip to Edinburgh, Scotland at the starting of the year 2020 and the next trip on our list was our long-awaited trip to Europe - which unfortunately never happened due to the pandemic. No wonder 2020 was an unfortunate year for travellers. We were forced to stay at home and eventually had to cancel all plans of travelling for the rest of the year.

We never imagined that travel would become a dream in the year 2020 because of the pandemic. However, the summer came with a bit of relaxation in lockdown and people started visiting nearby locations. We were still sceptical to take any kind of long trip considering our family safety because of the COVID situation. But it’s nearly impossible to control ourselves and kids in the summer season, so we decided to make a short trip to the beach. I must say in this case we were lucky that the nearest beach from our place was also one of the popular beaches of the United Kingdom - the Sandbanks Beach.

About Sandbanks beach

Photo ©The Blissful Aura

Sandbanks is a small peninsula or spit crossing the mouth of Poole Harbour (Poole is a bustling tourist resort in the east of Dorset and is well known for Europe’s largest natural harbour) on the English Channel coast at Poole in Dorset, England.

Sandbanks is considered one of the most expensive places to live in the United Kingdom, however, the beach is free to visit and enjoy.

If you are looking for a nice, clean and kid-friendly beach in the UK then Sandbanks beach is one of them. The real attraction of this beach is its fine golden sand and tempting shallow waters. The beach is patrolled by lifeguards and has plenty of facilities including showers, toilets, beach huts and shops - perfect and safe for a family outing.

Our visit to Sandbanks beach

Photo ©The Blissful Aura

We visited this beach in the month of August last year. The summer season in the UK is beautiful and suitable for any travel plans. I would say that this short trip of the beach was a great stress reliever for us.

The beach is located around 100 miles away from our location. It took 2 hours for us to reach there by car. To our surprise, the beach was crowded and there was no parking space available. We had to wait more than thirty minutes to find a parking space for our car. We did not hire any equipment from the beach for safety purpose. It really felt so good to see people enjoying all sorts of activities including swimming, volleyball, motor boating and water sports. For a short moment of time, we forgot that we just came out of lockdown and the whole world was still suffering from the pandemic.

Photo ©The Blissful Aura

My kids enjoyed playing in the water, building a sandcastle and collecting seashells, I think these are the activities most young kids enjoy at the beach. In spite of cold water, we literally had to drag them out of the water. After playing on the beach we took a lovely stroll and witnessed a beautiful sunset.

What is special about this beach

Photo ©The Blissful Aura

What I loved about this beach was its fine golden sand and sparkling clean water. The soft golden sand was ideal for playing in and making a sandcastle - the activities loved by most kids young or old. It is no wonder that Sandbanks is considered one of the best beaches in Britain. There are also a few more things that attracts many visitors to this beach:

• Winner of the prestigious Blue Flag award for a consecutive 31 years. This beach maintains high standards of cleanliness compared to other beaches of Britain.
• New slacklining posts have been installed. Beach equipment is also available to hire from the beach office.
• Activities at Sandbanks include crazy golf, a children’s play area, and the Sandbanks Beach Cafe.
• There is a car park next to the beach that holds 550 cars, 5 for disabled use. There is also on-road parking just a short walk away from the beach.
• Barbeques can be held at the western end of Sandbanks Beach at any time of the day for groups of between 30 and 100 people. You can hire metal tables and bins for barbecue purposes.
• Plenty of beach huts are available for rental too. There is also a separate large section at the western end for dogs all year round. The beach also has a dog washing station near the car park.

Best season to visit

Photo ©The Blissful Aura

I would say summer is the best season to go to any beach. However, Sandbanks beach is naturally beautiful all year round and offers spectacular views even in the winters. On a clear day, you can also spot the Isle of Wight from the seashore. This beach is a fantastic place to take a stroll, particularly during the colder months when you can’t go inside the water.

The beach is so popular that at peak times, visitors might wait over two hours just to make it inside the gate. In the summer season especially on weekends — Sandbanks often hits capacity and many visitors have to go back or wait for hours if they haven’t planned their visit beforehand.

Conclusion

Photo ©The Blissful Aura

It is said that If you need to relieve stress, head to the beach. There is no other experience like the warmth of the sun, the feeling of sand between your toes and the smell of the saltwater with the calming whoosh of the waves. You can feel all of them on the beach. I have visited many beaches all around the world but the cleanliness and beauty of this beach really impressed me.

If you ever visit the Sandbanks area in the UK then never miss the opportunity to experience the beauty of this beach. This is one of the best beaches in Britain to relax and enjoy and also good for families, groups of friends or just on your own.

May the year 2021 brings new hopes, adventures, and peace to everyone’s life.