The Coast is Calling … Kids!

Read on for three stand-out family experiences in Essex, inspiring bank holiday and half term activities plus a raft of child-friendly events on the Thanet coast including a new Playground Festival.

Family-friendly attractions, 350 miles of coastline and a string of traditional seaside resorts like Clacton and Southend – the Essex coast is a magnet for kids! 

Come for sandy beaches, piers, fish and chips and candyfloss, then take your pick from attractions like Sealife Adventure, Funtopia Indoor Amusement Park or Adventure Island in Southend, or take the kids to Maldon’s Splash Park while Mersea Island is ideal for  water sports. 

For a magical wildlife adventure, plan a seal-watching trip from Harwich, an amazing opportunity to spot playful seals diving and bobbing along the Essex coastline while guides share facts about local wildlife and coastal conservation. 

Brightlingsea Boat Trips offers scenic cruises along Brightlingsea Creek exploring the Colne Estuary, a great low-cost, high-impact activity for all-ages, nature lovers and day-trippers. For fossil-hunting, get the kids over to Walton-on-the-Naze to become coastal explorers with Family Fossil Discovery.  The Naze is a wonderful natural classroom, kids can hunt for fossils from the cliffs with a guide, bringing exploration to life and can  get hands-on examining shark teeth, ancient shells and prehistoric bones. 

Hop across the border into Kent and let everyone burn off energy on Thanet’s coast - rock-pooling, crabbing, riding open-top buses, kite-flying and enjoying sea life on-board boat trips – each ideal for multi-generational groups. 

Don’t let the kids just sit on a beach, hire a coastal explorer pack for £5 to explore the sands at Margate, Broadstairs and Ramsgate. They’re filled with equipment for making sundials, learning to use a compass and identifying marine life to become rocky shore researchers. 

If you’re after May half-term entertainment, Operation Dynamo, The Little Ships Come Home sees Dunkirk little ships returning for four days of fun, with workshops, visits to the Little Ships, funfair and the Ramsgate Tunnels, 22-25 May. 

On 23 May, The Ramsgate Air Raid Experience is ideal for ages seven and above, when time rolls back to August 1940 for an immersive experience with air raids, sirens and re-enactors powerfully demonstrating what it was like to shelter in the Tunnels during WW2. 

For those seeking a calmer experience, there’s a free kids sand art session at Margate’s Oval Bandstand and Lawns, 23 May, pre-booking essential. 

Bank Holiday action also includes Kidz Fest at Quex Adventure Farm Park, 4 and 25 May, here story time features Peppa Pig, Mummy Pig and Evie Pig, a Garden Party at Quex House on 4 May and a family-friendly music festival at Quex Park, Kent Tribute Festival, 22-24 May. 

New this year is Playground Festival,  an early years festival celebrating the creativity of babies and young children at ARK, Cliftonville’s Cultural Space, 23-30 May. 

Looking for May bank holiday adventure? Head to Dorset for fluffy swans, seals and dolphins, canter along the sands on the Cumbrian coast or to Bridlington for mind-blowing kites!  

There’s nowhere else you’ll find fluffy baby swans hatching than at Abbotsbury Swannery in Dorset, and what could be cuter! Head here between mid-May and end of June to glimpse the newly-hatched cygnets taking their first shaky steps from nests across the Swannery. 

But Dorset boasts the Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site, so fossil hunting is a must! Top spots include the cliffs at Charmouth and Lyme Regis which house thousands of marine reptile fossils that swam here 145 million years ago, making it one of the richest slices of Jurassic life anywhere in the world! 

Want to get everyone out on the water? Lyme Bay RIB charter now offers a water taxi from West Bay to Lyme Regis as well as adrenaline-pumping RIB rides along the dramatic Jurassic Coast and sightseeing cruises, with the chance to spot hidden gems, sea caves and natural wonders on every trip.  Based in Bridport Harbour, coastal trips run from Easter to end of October. 

This stretch of coast is crammed with water sports opportunities, Breakwater Coaching provides Sea Kayak, SUP and canoeing lessons in small groups. Expect to see Portland Harbour, Tudor castles, lagoons and listed war monuments as well as cormorants, seals and maybe dolphins. 

For classic tall ship sailing check out Moonfleet Adventure Sailing, coasteering, abseiling, tag archery and bushcraft are on offer from Cumulus  Outdoor Adventure. Tackle the first pier to shore zip wire in the world in Bournemouth at Rock Reef skimming 250 metres above the sea, an all-weather, all-year activity at Bournemouth Pier. 

Planning a break on the Cumbrian coast with the family?  

Head to sandy beaches like Seascale and Haverigg, hop aboard the historic Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway and enjoy key attractions like the Lake District Coast Aquarium in Maryport. 

When tummy’s rumble, indulge in ice creams at Betty’s Beach Hut near Millom, Suset Café at Silecroft Beach or Twentymans in Allonby.  Tempting cookies are on offer at Studio Pixel café in Maryport or with milkshakes at Beach Road Bakehouse in St Bees. 

Build sandcastles at Haverigg, Silecroft, Ravenglass, St Bees or Allonby or strike out for a walk to spot wildlife at the RSPB reserves at Hodbarrow, St Bees Head and Campfield Marsh. 

Little is more thrilling than cantering along the sands but for the inexperienced, Cumbrian Heavy Horses near Millom offers rides for all ages and abilities.   

A host of marine life features at Maryport Harbour’s Lake District Coast Aquarium, there’s clip ‘n’ climb and soft play at Maryport Activity Centre plus a pirate themed and accessibly designed Shiver Me Timbers adventure playground, while nearby Senhouse Roman Museum offers a chance to step back into Roman times. 

Interactive exhibits make history fun in Whitehaven at The Rum Story and the Beacon Museum and there’s the chance to catch a family show at Rosehill just outside the town. 

To blow off the cobwebs, the flat, tarmacked Solway Coaster offers traffic free cycling, it connects Silloth and Allonby and passes Mawbray Banks Nature Reserve’s sand dunes and shingle beaches. Stop off at The Moody Cow for farm-fresh milkshakes. 

Some of the world’s largest inflatable kites take to the skies Saturday 16 and Sunday 17 May for the Bridlington Kite Festival, East Yorkshire. This fun, two-day event sees kites of all shapes and sizes colourfully flying high,  attracting thousands of spectators. 

No kite? No problem! Have-a-go with loaned kites in supervised sessions, kites on sale if you get hooked. Come for street food, fairground, face-painting and bags of family entertainment. 

From 2 May, take the family on the pleasure cruiser from Bridlington, great for every age, whether a quick hour trip to Flamborough Head, a two-and-a-half hour cruise to spot puffins at RSPB Bempton or a longer leisurely sunset or rum- and gin-themed party cruise for everyone