10 best out-of-season seaside treats
winter,by the sea,days out,Coast
family on beach in winter. Photo: Britain on View
Blustery and wild, romantic and surprising - enjoy the crowd-free pleasures of winter by the coast.
By Mary Vere-Parr
For over-wintering birds
by the sea,days out,Scotland,watching wildlife,Coast
surf scoter ducks on sea
Ruddons Point, Earlsferry, Fife In February, birders flock to Ruddons Point, on the eastern coast of Largo Bay, as the best place in Britain to see the over-wintering American duck, the surf scoter (Melanitta perspicillata, left). A large, mostly black or dark-grey bird, the drake is distinguished by a yellow-orange bill. Inland, on Loch Leven, the RSPB\'s Vane Farm offers viewing hides and trails to spot other migratory birds, such as Greenland\'s pink-footed goose (Anser brachyrhynchus). Trails and hides open 24 hours daily, visitor centre 10am-5pm. Adults £3, children 50p (01577 862355,
www.rspb.org.uk).
For melancholy reflection
by the sea,days out,places to stay,Southeast,Coast
Romney Bay House Hotel, Kent
Romney Bay House Hotel, New Romney, Kent On a bright, sunny day, the views from this 1920s ten-bed Clough Williams-Ellis-designed house, set amid sea, sky and shore on the vast flats of Romney Marsh, are spectacular. Under leaden winter skies, what better place to hear what the Victorian poet Matthew Arnold called in his famous poem Dover Beach, ‘the melancholy, long, withdrawing roar\' of the tide on the ‘naked shingles of the world\'? Double B&B with a sea view costs from £149.50 in the low season (01797 364747,
www.signpost.co.uk/hotels-in-kent.htm).
For a windy winter\'s walk
by the sea,days out,Southwest,walking guides,Coast
coast between Portreath and Porthtowan, Cornwall
Hell\'s Mouth, near Portreath, Cornwall In winter, the north Cornish coast assumes a rugged splendour far removed from its bucket-and-spade summer serenity. Walking along the South West Coast Path on a windy day is a reminder of raw elemental power - and man\'s frailty in the face of it. Many ships have been wrecked in the aptly named Hell\'s Mouth, a churning, rocky chasm filled with a deafening tumult of sea and spume. South West Coast Path walks (
www.swcp.org.uk).
For seaside vaudeville
cheer me up,by the sea,days out,Northwest,Coast
Tower Ballroom, Blackpool, Lancs. Photo: Britain on View
Showzam 09, 13-22 February, Blackpool, Lancashire February sees the town famed for its illuminations abuzz with a festival of circus, magic and variety. From a carnival ball in the Tower Ballroom to cabaret and family shows at The Grand Theatre, and the quirky - and seriously scary - arthouse funfair ride, Carnesky\'s Ghost Train, in the Winter Gardens, go for tricks, illusions and glittery fun (01253 478222,
www.showzam.co.uk).
For low tides and pluckiness
by the sea,days out,outdoor pursuits,Southeast,Coast
cyclist silhouette on beach at sunset
Bike ride, Brighton Marina, East Sussex Wednesday, 11 February 2009, 6.45pm, is the date and time decreed for one of the lowest tides of the year: cue a cycle dash over the sand flats between Brighton Marina and the King Alfred Centre in Hove. Time and tide wait for no man: the event aims to catch not only the lowest tide but also the sunset. So meet at Brighton Marina at 5.45pm with ‘bikes, waterproofs, warm clothes, towels and lights\'. The event is ‘clothing optional\' - as is the skinny dip in the sea at the end (
www.flickr.com/groups/lowtidebikeride).
For post-storm beachcombing
by the sea,days out,Northeast,Coast
sunset on Whitby beach, N Yorks
Whitby Museum, Pannett Park, Whitby, North Yorkshire In 1758, the skeleton of a marine crocodile was found near Whitby, the first of many geological finds exposed by alum quarrying, some of which are now housed in the museum. Track down its burgeoning dinosaur footprint collection before heading to Whitby Beach to hunt for your own fossils. Open Tues-Sun (01947 602908,
www.whitbymuseum.org.uk).
For watery winter sunsets
by the sea,days out,Northwest,Coast,eating out
Sound Cafe, Cregneash, Isle of Man
The Sound Café, Cregneash, Isle of Man Huge tinted windows in this modern, slate-clad and turf-roofed visitor centre and café, perched on a hill on the southwestern tip of the Isle of Man, offer a panorama of the Sound that separates the Isle from the islet of Kitterland and the craggy Calf of Man beyond. Sip your tea and watch the sun sink into the Irish Sea. Open daily, 11am-5pm (01624 838123,
www.iomguide.com/soundvisitorcentre.php).
For end-of-pier entertainment
cheer me up,by the sea,days out,East Anglia,Coast
Cromer pier, Norfolk
Pavilion Theatre, Cromer, Norfolk Reports of the death of the seaside variety show may be exaggerated. On Cromer Pier, the Pavilion Theatre is turning on the lights for its 2009 season, beginning in February. Best known for hosting the famous end-of-the-pier summer and Christmas Seaside Special shows, the 510-seater venue is in fact dark for just a few weeks a year (01263 512495,
www.cromer-pier.com).
For holing up with a good book
books to read,by the sea,days out,East Anglia,Coast
Aldeburgh shore, Suffolk. Photo: Britain on View
The Aldeburgh Bookshop, 42 High Street, Aldeburgh, Suffolk Entertainment - in the shape of a good book - runs year-round in Aldeburgh. As well as maps and guides, this much-lauded bookshop stocks (and sells online) literature by local luminaries, such as Ronald Blythe, and publishes its own titles. Its annual Aldeburgh Literary Festival has drawn writers as diverse as Doris Lessing and Will Self, and, according to one festivalgoer, offers ‘bracing sea air, intimacy and intellectual sharpness\' (01728 452389,
www.aldeburghbookshop.co.uk).
For storm watching
by the sea,days out,outdoor pursuits,Southwest,Coast
stormy sea, Tresco, Scilly Isles
Flying Boat Club, Tresco, Isles of Scilly Winter breaks in Tresco\'s newest accommodation won\'t guarantee you a tan, but you could get the full drama of an Atlantic storm crashing in on the cliffs around Piper\'s Hole, a smugglers\' cave in the north of the island. The waterfront club, formerly the air station for the UK flying boats that flew against German submarines in WWI, features 12 self-catering cottages sleeping up to six people with a leisure spa. Travel-inclusive packages from Exeter, Newquay and Penzance start at £275 per person for two people for three nights (01720 422849,
www.tresco.co.uk).
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