Can you imagine it, spending the night on the beach? It has to be one of the most romantic things you could participate in. sleeping below the stars, hearing the waves crashing down with the embers of a fire burning down low. But it can have its negatives too.
If you camp at a beach you must ensure that you have permission to do so. In the UK there are some beaches in Scotland and Wales that will allow you to, and their are private beaches that you can also camp on during the high season.
Camping is all about getting back to nature and what better way to experience this than on a beach in the height of summer. You can only pitch a tent on soft sand though, you are going to really struggle with trying to pitch a tent on a shingle beach. You also have to be very careful where on the beach you pitch. You need to do it at a safe distance from the shoreline; you need to find out where the high tide mark is. You can find this out often from the beach warden.
When you decide that you are going all out to camp on the beach, you need to check the weather forecast. It is really not worth trying to do when raining. You will probably get wet anyway even if it is not raining due to when the dew falls.
A great part of camping on the beach is a campfire. You need to make sure that you have permission as campfires in Britain are generally prohibited. Some beaches may allow it though as long as you exercise proper caution. In North America and Australia it is generally acceptable to get the campfire going. It used to be in Britain but due to health and safety it is viewed as not safe.
One big issue local councils have with people camping on the beach is rubbish. That’s right, one of the reasons that many local authorities do not allow camping on beaches is due to people spreading litter. If you have rubbish you must dispose of it appropriately at the beach or wait until you get home to dispose of it. The same goes for when going to toilet. The general public will not take kindly to you as the happy camper on the beach urinating in the sea. I would suggest that you take a camping toilet with you and then take it home and dispose of any unpleasantness that way.
Although it can be hard in this day and age to camp on the beach it truly is a magical experience and well worth doing.
