Are you a beach person? I truly believe that I always have been. To me there is just something so magical about the coast. I absolutely love it. I also love all things coastal, I can’t really explain it but it’s just a thing for me.

As a child I loved to swim in the sea, make sandcastles, collect shells, all the usual beach activities, as a teen it was again swimming in the sea, sunbathing, more collecting shells! Then in my early twenties I was lucky enough to go to Barbados and ride a horse along the beach and have a go on a jet-ski. I think it’s just my happy place, which is why I have a few coastal themed treasures in my home. I have tried to give my living room and spare room a ‘coastal edge’ with shells, beach pictures, a model yacht and colours that have a traditional coastal feel.

We enjoy taking the dogs to the beach and they absolutely love it too! We discovered this last year and particularly when we went on our wonderful holiday to Devon and spent time exploring different beaches.

We missed out on our holiday this year, as I’m sure so many other people have too, due to the coronavirus that’s affecting everyone globally. However I have been determined to make at least one trip to the beach this summer.

Thankfully my other half and I actually got a mutual day off today (we seem to have been working complete opposite days for so long) the weather forecast was looking fab and the time for low tide was lunchtime. It is really important to me to arrange a trip in accordance with the tide times as if you visit the beach at high tide, there really won’t be much beach to play on and the water will be really deep. If you visit when the tide is on it’s way out, it can be dangerous with the under currents and strength of the tide. So for me the perfect time to visit is when it’s low tide and then the tide will be coming in so there is no risk of my precious dogs being swept out to sea. (Sorry a hint of anxiety here.)

We usually tend to go to Worthing as it is a reasonable drive and somewhere that I am familiar with. When I was younger my grandparents and great grandparents lived in Goring, which is a little bit further West from Worthing. I have such fond memories of visiting them so it is really lovely to go back. The beach is quite sandy when the tide is out, although very pebbly when the tide is in. I’m not really sure of any beaches on the south coast that are completely sandy, if you know of one, please can you let me know.

While we were there and wandering along the promenade it really made me imagine what it would have been like a hundred years ago. In my mind I pictured Victorian families sat on the beach enjoying the same sand, the same sea and the same beautiful blue sky. I wonder what sort of conversations they would have been having.

Today was such a wonderful day, we took a ball and spent hours on the beach with the dogs chasing and retrieving the ball from the sand and the sea. They play really well together and seem to absolutely love going in the water. Usually when we play in the fields or the park with a ball, Ellie is like a little rocket and whizzes after the ball leaving Duke standing at the starting blocks. It’s funny because something amazing seems to happen when it comes to running in the water – he is so much faster than her so think it did his confidence a lot of good today. We played for a couple of hours then walked down to the Sea Lane Cafe for a massively filling burger. We were lucky enough to be able to grab a seat in the shade. They had a big marquee outside and additional seating on the beach because the inside was closed. People seemed to be respecting social distancing and some were wearing masks.

After lunch we took another wander along the prom and then back to the beach for more playing. The sea had come in a little further inland but there was still the opportunity for some spaniel fun. The sea looked so inviting and part of me wished I had a swimsuit on so I could run in and take a swim with the dogs.

What a perfectly beautiful day we spent, I would absolutely love to find more beaches where dogs are allowed and if possible with lots of sand. Is there anywhere you would recommend?

What you need to know:

• Check the tide times before you visit.
• Observe the signage, there are some parts of the beach that dogs are not allowed on at all, some parts are dog-friendly, some places they need leads on and other sections they are allowed to run free.
• There are a few cafes around, we generally pop to the Sea Lane cafe but it can get quite busy.
• Worthing is in West Sussex, located between Littlehampton (West) and Brighton (East.)
• The beach is mainly shingle, although if you visit at low tide, there is quite an expanse of sand.
• There is a public toilet along the promenade between Worthing and Goring.
• There is a pier, built in 1861, with amusements, benches upon which to enjoy the view and free fishing.