For Mother’s Day on Sunday we went on a short family trip to Weston-super-Mare. Weston is the closest beach to our home in Gloucestershire, around a one hour drive.

Weston-super-Mud!

As a child we used to always call it Weston-super-Mud!  It’s not the prettiest of beaches and the tide always seems to be out for miles resulting in sludgy sand and the water colour when it is in is very murky brown – hence jokingly calling it mud!

If you love the typical British tourist beach, however, then Weston beach has everything you need.  We spent just a few short hours there on Sunday and managed to squeeze in a few standard touristy things even though we were freezing.

It was typical.  After a week of sunshine almost hot enough to bathe in, Sunday’s weather turned for the worst.  It was so cold we were wrapped up in boots, winter hats, scarves and thick coats.  Even with all these layers on we were so cold we only lasted a few hours instead of the full day we had originally envisioned at the beach.  It was too cold to stop and sit on the sand so a short brisk stroll on the beach was all we managed!

Weston-super-Mare is a kid’s dream

Although Weston beach isn’t the idyllic beach I prefer, I still have fond memories.  Being a one hour drive from my hometown we regularly visited when I was a child.  I’ve since been able to make these memories with my own children and I will always remember the first time I took Bella to Weston once she was a toddler and could speak.

Bella was absolutely amazed at everything in Weston!

For a child it is quite a magical place.  There are donkeys and horses on the beach pulling a Thomas the Tank Engine themed cart, a huge big white wheel to see the views, a giant pier with a train to ride and an arcade at the end of the pier filled with 2p arcade games and small fairground rides.  There’s also a cheap train that goes up and down the path next to the beach.

When Bella first saw all this she was exclaiming ‘WOW!’ constantly.  She must have been two or three and she couldn’t take it all in!  She was amazed by the beach, the sea, the train, the donkeys, the flashing lights.  There were so many colours and lights and sounds and views and she loved it!

For children it is a lot of fun and we have already taken our kids there a few times.  We’ll definitely return a couple of times a year as they grow up as it’s a great day out for the kids with plenty to see and do.

How we spent four hours in Weston-super-Mare

My mum and sister were already in Weston on the Sunday as they’d gone on Saturday for a weekend away.  They’d stayed in the very reasonably priced Premier Inn and we met them there on the Sunday before their checkout.  They didn’t have to checkout until 12pm which is a great time, so I’ll definitely check out Premier Inn next time we stay away. The building looked very modern and I popped up to their room which was modern, clean and had a great view.  I actually said to my mum it was a nicer room than Ben and I once had in a 5 star hotel in Bath which we were unimpressed with and had cost us £300 for a night.  I’d rather have paid £75 for the Premier Inn room they had!

My mum had suggested we meet them in Weston for the day on Mother’s Day as they were there anyway, so we agreed.

Bouncy castle on the beach

We got there around 10.30am/11am and met them at their hotel.  We then took a stroll down the beach where there was a huge bouncy castle that the kids had to go on!  We were pretty freezing so I figured it would warm them up!  We should have got on too as we were so cold waiting!

It was £2.50 for ten minutes, but it was so quiet the kids were on there longer.  I bet they must make a killing on the bouncy castle in the summer holidays at that price!

Luckily it was easy to get the kids off as I said we were going to get chips on the pier!

Chips on the pier

It’s £1 each to go on the pier through a turnstile and there’s a change machine if you need coins.

Every time we go to Weston we have chips on the pier.  It’s become a tradition.  Usually we will sit outside and have chips, but we sat indoors as it was super cold.

It’s definitely much better in the warmer months when you can sit outdoors and enjoy the chips looking out to sea and trying to stop the seagulls from scavenging your food!

2p arcade games

Another Weston tradition for us had to be the arcade games.  The building at the end of the pier is a huge arcade with loads of 2p arcade games which the kids love to play and even us adults!  There’s also some small fairground rides, go-karts, a fun house and even a pub if you need a drink!

Some people I know even have jars at home to collect 2ps which they save just for Weston!

The big wheel

The last two or three times we’ve been to Weston over the past couple of years there has been a huge big wheel.  I’ve wanted to go on it, but Bella has always been too nervous.  As soon as I knew we were going for Mother’s Day I said I am going on it!  With Nana and Aunty Jess there to offer moral support to Bella, we managed to convince her to go on it with all of us.

Yay!  Finally!  I think it’s the first big wheel I’ve been on and the kids loved it, even Bella!  She had a big smile on her face for facing her fear and realised she even enjoyed it.  My mum and Ben however are not good with heights and didn’t enjoy it so much which was quite amusing!

A short stroll along the beach

The kids, at first, loved running along the beach.  It was really cold on the beach though so it was a brisk walk!  Reuben tripped over and really didn’t like the sand all over his clothes and got quite distressed!  We went up on to the pavement instead where it was still cold, but a lot warmer than the beach.  It’s weird what a difference a few metres can make at the beach with temperature!

So it really was a very short stroll along the beach and there was no chance we were going to use the picnic rugs I had packed as it really was too icey in the air.

We decided to call it a day and headed home after only a few short hours, but still a few memorable hours including our first big wheel ride!

Our next family trip will be to Snowdonia in Wales in the Easter holidays so do follow my blog to see what we get up to!

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