Going to the seaside around 1950-1955

We didn't have a car so holidays were by coach or, more exciting, by train.
By train to London then we had to cross London by taxi and I remember the taxi driver stopping so that we could watch the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace.
Then we caught another train to Cornwall and we went into the corridor for a first glimpse of the sea at Dawlish.

We had a car and went to the seaside every year for a week. Some years we had days out instead of a full week. We lived in London so normally Kent or Sussex, no woolly swimsuit though mine was nylon bubble effect, didn't itch and dried very quickly. My dad taught me to swim in the sea.

For various reasons, seaside holdays were fairly rare between 1950 and 1955.

However we did spend a week a in Girvan, on the west coast of Scotland one yeat. My main memory is of pouring rain and as far as I can rememeber we never made it on to the beach once during the week. We did however go to Ailsa Craig in a boat, sought shelter and stayed there until the boat back, and we went to the circus, which I didn't much enjoy and still do not enjoy.

We lived quite near the sea so often went to the beach for the day on Sundays in the summer. My Dad was always convinced it was windy so the first task was to put up the windbreak. We would have a picnic lunch, usually chicken cooked the night before with salad. The afternoon treat was a tray of tea from the beach cafe for the adults and ice creams for the children.

We had a Sunday School outing one day of the year to the seaside, and that was it.

A ride on a donkey was the highlight.

How lovely of her giulia. I've seen the sea many times as an adult!

Kate1949. My poor dear mum (Bless her) would save up to take my sister and I to the sea for one week a year.

How wonderful. I never had a holiday as a child. Never saw the sea.

Freezing cold sea and glorious North Yorkshire beaches.

Egg sandwiches and hot tomato soup to warm us up.

Oh, yes! The occasional knickerbocker glory but also chocolate nut sundae and banana splits! I never knew which to choose. All soooo yummy!

Changing on the beach out of my knitted swimsuit (!), then walking from the beach through the park where there were red squirrels then going to Bobby's Department Store for a Knickerbcker Glory and watching mannequins walk amongst the tables to model the clothes for sale in the store.