Bournemouth in the School Holidays

The long summer break is the height of beach season, made for sandcastles and paddling in a sea that shelves gently. Away from the sand, families can spend a day at the Oceanarium, watch the seafront fireworks and take in the Bournemouth Air Festival, a favourite late-summer fixture along the front.

If the showers arrive, the Oceanarium, indoor climbing, the cinemas and the many cafés in town will keep children busy. There are plenty of all-weather options close at hand in Bournemouth, so a wet forecast need not write off a family day by the sea.

Yes. The beaches here are known for clean sand and shallow water that slopes gently, which makes them a good fit for little ones. Along the roughly seven miles of coast there are several especially family-friendly stretches with calm paddling and room to spare for sandcastles.

The shorter breaks are a good time to look beyond the beach: a coastal walk out to Hengistbury Head, the seafront gardens' aviary and a round of mini golf. Plenty of attractions put on holiday trails and activities, and there are indoor options for the wet days that always seem to come.

The Bournemouth Air Festival normally runs across several days of late summer, usually around the end of August or the start of September, with flying displays and other events on the seafront. The exact dates change each year, so look at the local listings for what's on.

The crowd gathers within a few hundred metres of the pier. Alum Chine, at the western end, has a play park at beach level and a café, and Southbourne at the eastern end is quieter still. A morning start, before about eleven, makes a big difference too.

Yes. The promenade is flat for its whole length, so pushchairs and small bikes cope easily, and the sand shelves gently from the water's edge. A lot of what children enjoy most here costs nothing at all.