Warmer and lighter days, with the prospect of a languid long weekend, make the Easter holidays a prime time to gather all the family together to enjoy the delights of the season
Words Jenny Oldaker
The Easter holidays aren’t just about chocolate eggs – they also represent a terrific opportunity to spend time outdoors with family and friends after long months of hibernation. Plus, whether you’ve got the time to fit in a full-on getaway, a weekend break or simply indulge in a day out, it’s hard to imagine a better place to celebrate springtime than by the sea. From egg hunts and trails to theatrical extravaganzas, Easter bunnies, festivals and celebrations of new life on the farm, there’s a multitude of events and activities on offer around our coastline. Read on for our highlights of the season to help you get inspired to plan your perfect Easter by the sea.
Coastal castles
For a combined dose of heritage and fun, there are top-notch offerings at the UK’s castles over the Easter holidays. Cumbria’s Muncaster Castle has Easter activities galore on 28-29 March and 3-6 and 11-12 April(muncaster.co.uk). Alongside its egg hunt and spring trail, look out for Protect the Egg and The Big Egg Drop, where visitors can design and craft a protective egg shield, then see whether or not the egg survives being dropped from the castle roof. Glamp in a bell tent within the Muncaster Estate or stay a couple of miles down the road at the Pennington Hotel in Ravenglass, which has a selection of comfortable family rooms (penningtonhotels.com).
On the Welsh island of Anglesey, Beaumaris Castle hosts a Medieval Eggstravaganza near Easter (dates TBC) with archery demonstrations, spear drills, circus workshops and more (cadw.gov.wales). Book a stay close by and enjoy castle views at self-catering property 1 Tyn Y Gongl Cottage, which sleeps four people (menaiholidays.co.uk).
You’ll also find a whole world of Easter fun at Lulworth Castle in Dorset, from 29 March – 9 April (lulworth.com), with Alice in Wonderland-inspired trails, games, hunts and crafts all included in the usual admission. Stay in the area, just a few miles west of the castle, at The Salt House. It sleeps up to 12, making it ideal for multigenerational get-togethers – and it’s dog-friendly, too (beachideaways.com).
Food and drink
The one thing better than eating chocolate at Easter is making things with chocolate (and then eating them). Chocolate workshops include fun sessions for kids at Coastal Cocoa in Hastings, East Sussex, on 9 April. Participants will get to make chocolate balloon bowls, fleggs (flat eggs) and chocolate lollipops, and they will also enjoy a scrumptious tasting session (coastalcocoa.co.uk).
Stay with the family at 4 West Street, a cottage conveniently nestled in Hastings Old Town that sleeps up to six people (bramleyandteal.co.uk).
In the north of England, The Canny Chocolate Co. in South Shields, Tyne and Wear, runs Easter sessions for the whole family on Saturdays throughout March and early April to make Easter egg chocolate slabs, a set of Easter-themed chocolate lollipops, and a batch of giant chocolate jazzies (thecannychocolatecompany.com).
Check into the stylish Tynemouth Castle Inn (inncollectiongroup.com) just north of the river, where you’ll find plenty more to occupy families of all ages, not least along the tempting expanse of bay at Long Sands Beach.
For a spring food event that covers savoury as well as sweet, head to Broadstairs in Kent from 3-5 April for its annual Food Festival. This free-to-attend, family-friendly gastronomic extravaganza features demos and workshops, markets, tastings, almost 100 stalls of lush produce and lots more (broadstairsfoodfestival.org.uk).
Find accommodation at the spacious Beachcomber House – it sleeps up to 10, so it’s ideal for a multigenerational or extended family gathering, and there’s a games room to help keep everyone entertained (airbnb.co.uk).
Easter family fun
This is a great time of year to take in a family-friendly show, as across the country, theatres are gearing up for Easter performances. For a production with the best views on the coast, the clifftop Minack Theatre in Porthcurno, Cornwall, is presenting Giants – a riotous, song-packed reimagining of the legend of Cormoran, the terrible giant of St Michael’s Mount. See it from 3-16 April (minack.com).
Complete your Cornish Easter experience with a stay at Away Resorts’ St Ives Bay Beach, where activities will include bonnet making, a chocolate factory, Morris dancing, an egg hunt and Easter egg championships (awayresorts.co.uk).
Look to your local pier for lively Easter events galore, too. Mumbles Pier in south Wales is hosting a free Easter egg trail, along with a chance to get a photo with the Easter Bunny in his burrow. Visitors can join in with the Easter egg hunt on the beach, too – find a plastic egg to swap for a chocolate one – dates vary, so check the website first (mumbles-pier.co.uk). Family accommodation is available at the Clyne Farm Centre, which overlooks Mumbles village and offers a collection of self-catering cottages. Most sleep four to six, but some can be linked to sleep up to 14 guests (clynefarm.com).
Between 28 March and 12 April, Clacton Pier in Essex is hosting a daily Golden Egg hunt, plus Bunny encounters at Discovery Bay (clactonpier.co.uk).
Further down the Essex coast, you’ll find the perfect Easter retreat at Osea Leisure Park on the Blackwater Estuary, with a great range of accommodation options. It’s a dreamy place to get away from it all, and guests staying over the Easter weekend can have fun joining in with an egg hunt on 4 April (osealeisure.com).
In Kent, meanwhile, join Folkestone Harbour’s Great Harbour Egg Hunt, from 3-6 April. Find one of the eggs hidden around the site and win a prize donated by a local business (folkestoneharbourarm.co.uk). Stay at The Beach House, a holiday let located at the heart of Folkestone’s action, in the Shoreline development. It sleeps eight and enjoys sweeping sea views (shorelinefolkestone.co.uk).
Finally, enjoy a coastal bunny bonanza with the Swanage Railway Peter Rabbit Easter Experience. This steam train journey through the Isle of Purbeck combines storytelling, adventure and an Easter egg hunt, from 3-6 April (swanagerailway.co.uk).In nearby Weymouth, Feather Down’s East Shilvinghampton Farm makes for an idyllic family getaway, with cosy and comfortable canvas hideaways to stay in and a chance for kids to roam freely (and take the resident alpacas for a walk). The farm is offering a special bundle to Easter guests, including an egg hunt with a delicious chocolate prize, Easter crafting kits for children and also a recipe and ingredients for making a tasty Easter treat (featherdown.co.uk).
