Beach Hut Crazy, Beach Hut Mad on the coast line of England

The whimsical beach huts of Britain

You’ve seen the families enjoying the comfort of a cuppa brewed in their beach hut as you sit there in the rain on the beach telling yourself that it’s all part of the great British holiday and wishing you were dry and warm inside as well.

Beach huts are a popular must-have for most British beach holidays and can be found on almost every beach.

Beach huts can be colourful and often whimsical wooden huts arranged in stiff ranks along the top of many UK beaches.  Some are privately owned and others are rented out to holidaymakers by the local council.

Popular among the beachgoers of England to change or to shelter from passing squawls or to store bags and other beach paraphernalia such as deck chairs and umbrellas, beach huts have been passing hands for small fortunes.

One of the most expensive areas to buy a beach hut is the picturesque Mudeford sandbank in Christchurch Harbour, Dorset where you can expect to pay upwards of £300,000 and these prices keep on increasing year on year. These immaculately-decorated huts boast stunning dual views of the harbour on one side and The Solent on the other although cars are not allowed at Mudeford and the only way of getting there is via a 20-minute walk, a ride on a land train or a short ferry trip across the harbour.

Beach huts are synonymous with the quintessential British beach break giving us respite from the unreliable weather and feeding our spirit of nostalgia. They became more popular in the early years of the twentieth century as a way to ease the burden of a visit to the seaside.

In those days men and women swam on separate beaches changing in ‘bathing machines’ which were subsequently abandoned on the beaches as times changed. The local councils were called upon to provide a suitable arrangement for changing on the beach and so beach huts were created from many of the abandoned bathing machines.

Now it seems the beach hut is back with a vengeance as families realise the beauty of staycations.

Interactive UK Beach Hut Map

Check out the interactive UK Beach Hut map below to track down some great beach huts to hire for the day or even some that act as self-catering accommodation.

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