With the long summer holidays just around the corner and the cost of family days out soaring, parents are looking for affordable ways to keep their children entertained. YorkshireLive’s Tom Kershaw has taken on the challenge of finding as many budget-friendly yet fun activities for himself and his family as possible.
When his children asked him to spend a day at the beach during the sunny season, Tom packed up the car and set off for Bridlington one Sunday morning, keeping the day’s expenses under £20, considering parking fees, ice cream and other costs.
The family chose South Beach in Bridlington, attracted by the lovely sand and sea. Keeping the fun affordable and hassle-free gave the reporter another reason to choose this location over others.
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Tom explained, “More importantly, we wanted to resist the lure of amusement parks and fairs. A day at the seaside can quickly become expensive when you’re strolling to North Beach and the kids are discovering all the rides.”
They arrived at 10:30am and bought a day parking ticket (valid until 6pm) for £8. Tom said: “We thought this was the best option as three hours parking was £6 and we were sure we would be staying longer.”
“All in all, I didn’t think it was that bad. £8 a day is quite reasonable, especially compared to other tourist attractions.”
With the car parked right by the sea, it was a breeze for Tom and his family to access the beach via a few steps or ramp. With three kids and all the beach gear, being close to the sand was a huge advantage.
The promenade is well-equipped and offers public toilets, baby changing facilities, a cafe, an ice cream parlor and even a shop where you can buy any forgotten beach toys. For the little ones, there is a paddling pool and a number of quaint chalets and beach huts to explore.
The trip came at a price though: parking alone cost them £8 before they even got to the beach, making their £20 budget seem increasingly optimistic. But Tom had a few tricks up his sleeve to keep spending under control.
He said: “Luckily we had brought all our beach toys, paddles, balls, buckets and shovels from home so we didn’t have to pay extra for them. We also packed our own snacks, drinks and food for the day.
“One of the best tips I’ve seen for day trips is to get some canned hot dogs, put boiling water and the sausages in a thermos and take that with you. Bring some pre-cut buns and your own condiments and you’ll have hot dogs in no time.
“We settled down on the beach and, quite frankly, the kids would have been perfectly happy to play there all day. They dug holes, made running tracks, played with bats and balls, splashed in the sea, built sandcastles…not once did I hear them say they were bored or ask when we were going home.”
“It was such a joy.”
To end the day, the family used their remaining change to buy two iced lattes and an ice cream, totalling £12.60. Somewhat annoyed that they had gone 60p over their budget, Tom said: “If we hadn’t paid for parking, we probably could have managed the whole day without spending a penny.”
“Next time we’ll bring our own iced coffee too. After over five hours of fun, we headed home with three exhausted and sandy kids who declared they had the best day ever.”
