Skegness has one of the broadest beaches on the east coast — at low tide the sand stretches out for several hundred metres and the sea can look a long way away. The sand is firm enough to drive on and is used for the annual beach race, the occasional landing of light aircraft, and the kind of football matches that involve goalposts thirty yards apart and a crowd of seagulls.
It is a Blue Flag beach with lifeguards in summer and donkey rides at the central section behind the pier. The water shelves very gradually, which is good news for paddling toddlers and less good for serious swimmers. The wind, as the famous poster promised, is bracing — bring a windbreak. Park near the Clock Tower and walk south for the quietest stretches.