Rollercoaster Mum: Oh we do like to be beside the seaside! A Trip to Hayling Island

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Friday 9 May 2014

Oh we do like to be beside the seaside! A Trip to Hayling Island

We aren't that far from the sea where we live but it can be a bit of an effort to get to it and despite having lived here for years none of us had ever been to Hayling Island. We had promised Little Miss a treat whilst Bigger Miss was away on her Brownie Butlins weekend and this was it. I wasn't really too sure what to expect especially as although the day dawned bright and sunny it was a trifle chilly and a bit blowy. It was probably quieter than I thought it would be but to my mind that was a good thing and it did make for a great (and pretty cheap) day out!

Hayling Island is reached by a (very) short bridge from the mainland and it is essentially a promontory of land between Portsmouth and Chichester with a long pebbly beach that faces the Solent at it's southern end. The Island itself was much larger than I had envisaged but once we had found the seafront we parked in the car park for 'Funland' as this was only £3 for the whole day including 4 tokens for the rides. We hadn't intended on doing the ride thing but it was cheaper than the other car park so why not?

The Friendly Little Railway - Beachlands Station, Hayling Island

We resisted the rides to start with however and went for a walk along the beach. Just before you get on to the beach is the station for the Hayling Seaside Railway which did look rather fun.

Braving the wind on a pebbly beach, Hayling Island

Little Miss surveying the sea from the top of the pebbly bank on the beach (above) and searching for pretty shells and pebbles (below). Although the beach was mainly pebbly there were some sandy bits nearer the shoreline but it really wasn't a day for paddling and sandcastles, more of a blow the cobwebs away on a walk by the sea kind of day.

beachcombing for pretty things, Hayling Island


Kitesurfing from Hayling Island

Looking back towards Portsmouth there were dozens of kite surfers enjoying the big breeze and the sunshine (although as you can tell it was already looking a bit hazy!)

colourful beach huts, Hayling Island

There were lots of colourful beach huts along the way and whilst not the fanciest they suited the beach very well.

green Sea Kale, Hayling Island

Hayling Island view

I tried to take a couple of arty shots - althought this was difficult when trying to keep up with Little Miss and Rollercoaster Dad. I liked the contrast of the green sea kale growing on the beach and the shape of this structure on the beach.

curious monolith, Hayling Island

After walking about half a mile on the beach we moved slightly inland on the grassy area just behind the beach to walk the remaining half mile, finding this curious monolithic stone on a hill on the way. It just begged to be ran round.

Sit ups at the outdoor gym,  Hayling Island

After our walk along the beach we were more than ready for some traditional fish and chips. We got two portions from the Coastguard Cafe on the Seafront and just shared it between the three of us. Helpfully they even provided some tables and chairs outside for their take away customers. It was very good and for about £12 between the three of us it wasn't expensive. Feeling the need for some exercise after lunch we crossed the road where Little Miss eschewed the kids playground in favour of this outdoor gym which had been set up with lottery funding. She even enjoyed doing these sit ups. 

St. George's flag, Hayling Seaside train

Black clouds were rolling in from the west however and we decided that taking the friendly little train of the Hayling Seaside Railway back to Funland seemed like a good option. Little Miss was torn reluctantly away from the gym to ride the mile back to Funland for the bargain price of £5.50 for all three of us. I think she actually quite liked it when she was on it. It was quite fun riding on a train so close to the beach.

Hayling Island seaside train


watching the Kite Surfers, Hayling Island

Looking back east the weather looked perfect for those kite surfers but it was just about to hoose it down. 

Balloon ride, Funland, Hayling Island

When it started to rain, boy did it rain! Luckily we were back at Funland which very handily has some rides under cover. I collected the tokens and Little Miss very nearly chose the bumper cars but in the end she plumped for two ride on the Helter Skelter and a ride on these 'hot air balloons'. Not bad considering we had that included in the parking. Once the tokens were spent and the brief but very heavy rain shower had passed Little Miss and I had ice-creams before we waved goodbye to the sea and headed home. Well you can't go to the beach without an ice-cream can you?

I have so many days out and places to go posts that could be written that I am constantly on catch up. This one was from just a couple of weeks ago, when Bigger Miss was away on her Butlins Brownie trip however I may be delving further back into the photo archives in the next few weeks for some days out posts, before the summer holidays arrive, so keep an eye out for those!

Linking up with Country Kids at the lovely Coombe Mill:

Family Farm Holidays Cornwall

I have not been compensated or paid for in any way to publish this blog post. All words and pictures are my own.



13 comments:

  1. Day trips are always a lot of fun and I enjoyed your photos.

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  2. Lovely photos! Looks like the weather is not that cooperative but still looks like fun day =) #countrykids

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  3. I love this part of the UK. I was born in Portsmouth. I've not visited Hayling Island in a long time though! it's looks a great place to visit! x

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  4. What a fab day out for you all, and not one to break the bank too. Hayling Island has a lot to see and do for all the family and the sun was even shining for a while! What a happy photo of Little Miss on the train - lovely. Thanks for linking up and sharing your fun with Country Kids.

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  5. Lovely photos, looks like you had a lovely day :)

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  6. I love the photo of the beach huts. And those outdoor gyms are rather addictive - I know my kids opt for them rather than the playground! xxx

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  7. Love the photos, look like you guys had a blast, and I love the 'artsy' ones you took :)

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  8. I love the beach huts - such sweet little things -I totally want one of my own. We have an outdoor gym in our local park and my eldest loves trying to work out what to do with it :)

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  9. Love your photos, you had a great day out. Nothing better than going down to the beach, as long as it's not raining.

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  10. Haying Island sounds really lovely and your photos are so pretty.

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  11. It looks like you had a really lovely day out! I really need to visit the seaside, it's been too long x

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  12. Wow lots of lovely photos! I am very lucky as I live by the sea :)

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  13. What a wonderful day! We love a trip to the seaside too and my kids would want to ride that train all day! I love the photo of Little Miss on the train. She looks so happy :-)

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