Most Brits love to sample beaches abroad, but ever wondered what foreign holidaymakers make of the English seaside?
For one Australian woman it was clearly nothing to write home about as she took to social media to document her trip across the globe. TikTok user Celeste (@chelestee) left her home Down Under for adventures on the coasts of Essex and East Sussex, neither of which proved to be a happy experience.
Celeste began her clip from the sands of Southend – where she found herself disappointed by the North Sea. “I just arrived in Southend and thought I’d check out a new beach, but something crazy has happened,” she exclaimed.
She continued: “People tell me this is a beach, but I’m just wondering who the heck stole all the water. Where are the waves?” To emphasise her point, Celeste turned her camera to face the calm sea. “What in the UK is going on here?” she asked frustratingly.
She then recalled her previous day in Brighton, where she got “super burnt”. Celeste went on: “Well I’m thankful that there is sand,” comparing her surroundings to Brighton’s shingle beach.
“Yesterday was pebbles, so we take a small win” she cursed. Adding further scorn to her Brighton experience, Celeste also moaned about south coast wildlife. “They were so mad that they’ve given me PTSD,” she explained.
“I bought fish and chips and I was so excited, but a seagull just plucked it straight out of my hands and I looked at my bank account and that fish and chips cost me $30 (£22.60 approx.), which to me is just mad.”
Celeste then revealed she’d had to fork out another $60 (£45.20) to travel to Southend after being unable to visit her desired location, Bournemouth, Dorset. “It was $150 (£112.95) just to go to Bournemouth. You might as well go to Ibiza. Jump on a plane, go to Spain.”
Scores of Brits were quick to respond to the video – which has been viewed a staggering 2.3 million times – offering alternative suggestions. “You chose the two worst beaches,” one person sympathised. “Go to Cornwall/Devon or in Essex you can go to Holland-On-Sea.”
“Not sure if your staying put in the south or travelling, but if it’s beaches you’re after then come up north to the Northumberland coastline for best fish/sea/beach/dunes and views,” recommended another. A third wrote: “I feel like tourists need to realise in the UK you have to Google the beaches so you know what you’re going to get and you can pick what you want.”
Whilst a fourth TikTok user declared: “West Wittering is the UK’s best beach, it’s the only beach I want to go to, when you arrive keep going right past the crowds and you’ll feel like you’re abroad, super soft sand.”