Days Out: Camber Sands

As we're nearing the time when our little girl will be ready to join us, and with the hubs on Easter holidays, we've been trying to make the most of the time before those sleepless nights start again with a few family days out. I say that, but the sleepless nights have already begun for me with pregnancy insomnia (is that even a thing?) being an unwelcome guest for quite some time now. I'm drafting this post in the middle of the night in the hope that it will tire my eyes out enough to get back to sleep! It's not been particularly successful and I'm digressing.

With a dog and a baby boy who is oh-so-close to walking, we're always looking for pram-friendly outings to keep us all entertained, so a few weeks ago we decided to hit the beach. I know, not particularly pram friendly, but I've been desperate to revisit Camber Sands for some time now and we were keen to put the Bugaboo Cameleon³ through its paces on a sandy beach.

Unfortunately, we didn't choose the warmest day, but the sun was trying to show its face and it was dry so we only had to share the beach with fellow dog walkers.

If you haven't been to Camber beach, you're missing a beautiful sandy stretch of the Sussex coastline and there isn't much sand elsewhere in the county. I haven't been for years, but it was pretty much as I remembered it with grassy dunes rolling down to the beach itself and a vast expanse of light golden sand that, on sunny summer days, could fool you into thinking you were abroad.

Our pup loves two things more than anything else in the world: tennis balls and the sea. So he was in his element, even if he was more excitable than any of the other dogs on the beach; you could spot the regulars who took it all in their stride while ours soon looked like he was in desert camo!

The pram faired considerably better. One of the many reasons why we chose the Bugaboo Cameleon is because of its ability to switch to a two-wheeler in a few swift movements and, with the larger wheels taking the load, it coped well with the thick sand. Our baby boy loved being pulled along chariot-style by his dad giggling at the dog's antics while he was snuggly tucked inside the cosy footmuff, so we got a fair walk along the beach.

With a clean car, we were reluctant to pop the sandy pram and dog back in until we'd made some attempt at cleaning them both off so the poor pup was washed down in the outside showers back at the car park, while we simply popped the wheels off the Bugaboo and gave them a quick rinse. It really is the pram of dreams and there hasn't been a time I've had pram-envy.