A Coast for All …. Summer Experiences

With kids’ adventure camps, beach yoga and foraging classes, the Durham Heritage Coast boasts choice for all tastes and pockets. 

Are you up with the larks, enjoying life before the rest of the world wakes up? Then head to Seaham Habour Marina and join a new sunrise paddle board and beach sauna session with Adventure Access. 

Watch the sun rise over the horizon on a SUP then warm up in the beachside sauna. Or enjoy a refreshing and energising morning of yoga and SUP with Hotpod Yoga Sunderland.  Book sessions in August and September – fully accessible, what better way to start you day! 

Or book for Adventure Camp with Adventure Access during the summer holidays, kids aged 8-16 can be dropped off for an afternoon of fun-filled water sports and beach activities including SUP or kayaking, fire lighting, problem-solving games and much more. 

Dalton Moor Farm is a pretty, 24-acre regenerative veganic fruit farm and food forest, in Dalton le Dale, Seaham. Discover something new with an Introduction to foraging class, a Mindful Morning or a Drum Circle session, all events bookable here. 

To unwind in luxury, book a Dine and Drift Away package at Seaham Hall Hotel. Enjoy a unique, curated escape with sumptuous dinner in The Dining Room restaurant, relax in a luxury suite and ease into breakfast delivered to your door the following morning. For total escapism, complete your stay at the Serenity Spa.  Also new this year, Tides and Tranquility, the hotel’s new luxury self-catering lodges with full access to the spa, elevate your break with dining upgrades and bespoke spa treatments. Lodges feature hot tub, bbq, firepit and unbeatable coastal views. 

Nestling on a 30-acre rewilded farm on the Durham Coast sits The Barn at Easington. Pitch your tent, glamp, book a pod or one of two caravans at this eco-friendly farm where the focus is firmly on being at one with nature. Or stay amongst the branches at a treehouse or at a waterside lodge at Rest at the Nest, chic retreats just 10 minutes’ drive from the coast with hot tubs, log burners and views of the Hurworth Brun Reservoir. 

There’s still just time to meet local ranger Jason on a nature walk in August. Explore rocky headlands, wildflower meadows and secluded bays, discover local birds, butterflies, moths and try out specialist equipment such as moth traps and bat detectors, book here.  

Or go at your own pace walking part of the 20-mile Durham Heritage Coast Path, running from Hendon in Sunderland to Hartlepool Headland in the south.  Come for travels through the industrial heritage, stunning clifftop scenery, impressive coastal denes and brilliant wildflower meadows. Along the way boards and panels chart its history. 

Download the free SeaScapes Coastal app, as you explore the Tyne to Tees coastline you’ll get an alert on your phone providing info at key points including locations of wrecks and hidden heritage beneath the waves. 

Hire a camper van, try a leather craft workshop or give something back with a beach clean-up, from Kent to Essex, create unforgettable coastal memories, stay in quirky retreats and meet the locals.

If you’re heading to the Isle of Thanet, a slew of new experiences is on tap.  Dive into a private Cocktail Masterclass at Seabird in Ramsgate, learn stories of the secrets behind each drink, enjoy tasty snacks from the kitchen as your bartender creates three signature cocktails bespoke to you. Ramsgate’s Coco Barclay creates a range of leather handbags, purses and accessories and now you can get hands-on with a workshop to create your own belt, cuff bracelet or glasses case, lessons from £25. 

Designed to improve inner and outer body strength, HunkyDory Fitness and Lifestyle in Broadstairs has launched a series of new beach classes in Kettle bells, yoga and pilates. All ages and abilities welcome. 

For something different, book a new moon experience at Sea Scrub Sauna Margate, New Moon Cacao takes place 23 August, or choose between a Nordic wood-fired barrel sauna or electric cube sauna for a rejuvenating experience with amazing sea views. 

To blend with your new experience, choose a quirky bolthole. New for 2025, Quex Glamping offers 20 beautifully furnished bell tents on the Quex Park Estate in Birchington, Kent. Each offers cosy home-from-home comforts, tipi clubhouse and every stay includes free entry to Quex Adventure Farm Park and Quex Adventure Golf. 

Why not enjoy the freedom of the road with VW Camper ‘Rose’ from Botany Bay Campers, she sleeps up to four, has gas hob, sink, heating and USB connection and solar power so staying in a field for a week without hook-up is possible! 

Enjoy an outdoor kitchen and en-suite facilities in a converted horsebox staying in one of four luxury new bell tents at Quex Livery Glamping set on 12 acres of the private estate but close to Birchington-on-Sea. 

Fans of Charles Dickens should plan a stay at Fagin’s Den, the UK’s first Dickensian themed holiday cottage in Broadstairs. This two-bed cottage is full-on Dickensian but with very 21st century facilities and furnishings. Just 100 metres from the beach and local shops, restaurants and bars, this is the quintessential quirky bolthole.  

Looking to give something back to the local community? Check out the beach clean-ups at Margate and protect the marine environment, visit Rise Up. Clean Up. 

There’s always plenty happening in Essex and never more so than in peak holiday season.  

Hop aboard a Top Sail Charter from Maldon for an afternoon tea two-island cruise. Sail past Northey Island to Osea Island enjoying scones, cream and cake. Dates to 25 September. 

Super hero fans need look no further than Adventure Island in Southend for its Superhero Weekend, 9-10 August. Everyone’s favourite heroes and villains come down to Adventure Island and Sealife Adventure for a superhero treasure hunt and themed entertainment. 

Southend has also welcomed a colourful huddle of penguins to its seafront this summer. Waddle-on-Sea features a trail of 31 giant sculptures alongside 72 baby statues dotted from Southend to Leigh-on-Sea, visit before 3 September to spot them. Also in Southend, 200 local, national and international artists will storm the town at the Southend City Jam, 29-31 August, showcasing it as you’ve never seen before! 

Clacton’s seafront will also be transformed into a hub of aerial excitement and family-friendly entertainment in the Clacton Air Show, 21-22 August.  Running weekends from August to 28 September, Music in the Park takes place in Southend with free live music at Priory Park bandstand, bring chairs and blankets for classics and big band standards. 

There’s a great line-up of quirky places to stay too. Stay on Reminder, a historic sailing barge on Maldon Quay, at a luxury adults-only glamp pod at Lee Wick Farm near Clacton, with firepit, underfloor heating and hot tub or at the Holland Beach Bungalow close to Clacton beach, dog-friendly and with stunning garden.