Sandcastle Competition

10 July 2008

That's the question many are asking as millions of families flock back to Britain's beaches for traditional bucket and spade holidays.

Britons do like to be beside the seaside and many of our favourite coastal spots are enjoying a revival as cash-strapped families recognise the great value of holidays in the UK.

And, with so many destinations just a short drive from home, the resorts really have got the lot -- including being eco-friendly.

From Cornwall to Kent, or Norfolk to Northumberland, there's nothing like a great British seaside holiday. One of the leading providers of family holidays in the UK, Haven Holidays, says business is booming as Britain's love affair with the seaside is no longer on the rocks.

Of course a great thing to do on the beach is build a sandcastle and now the challenge is being thrown down at Great Yarmouth to see who can build the best.

The contest, in its second year, is on Sunday July 13th by the Britannia pier on the seafront when all are welcome to put their creative and construction skills to the test. Entries are in teams of four with different categories for children and adults. 

Last year's winner was a large foot ensconced in a sandal but designs do not have to be so elaborate. A straightforward castle decorated with shells and ice lolly sticks will do just as well.

The day promises to be full of fun and is being hosted by the Entertainments Team from Haven's nearby Seashore Holiday Park including children's characters Rory the Tiger and Bradley Bear plus all sorts of other attractions, side shows and stalls and live entertainment.

So what are the tips for building a sand-sational sandcastle?

1) All you need are two ingredients - sand and water. But the experts say don't add the water to the sand. Instead add sand to a bucket of water to get the perfect consistency.

2) A pastry knife is always a handy tool for carving windows and marking out bricks and doors. Failing that, an ice-lolly stick will do. And a paintbrush is useful to erase knife marks or wipe away loose sand.

3) An interesting effect is to drip wet sand over your castle to give the impression of snow -- bound to cause a stir especially on a scorching day! You could even build a snowman.

4) Have a spray bottle to hand to stop your work of art drying out.

For some, making sandcastles has become a matter of academic study with experts concluding that the best consistency is by mixing one part of water to eight parts of sand.

Geologist Professor Matthew Bennett of Bournemouth University has even declared that Torquay has the best sand in Britain for making sandcastles, followed closely by Bridlington in East Yorkshire, and Great Yarmouth, Bournemouth and Tenby.

He and colleagues from his department analysed sand taken from a number of beaches according to grain-size, distribution and the load-bearing capacity.

"Britain has a wealth of beaches that are extremely well suited to sandcastle building, so if people get the water-sand combination right they will have hours of fun," said Professor Bennett.

"The strength of a sandcastle depends on how the grains interact, so the correct mix of sediment and water is crucial to any castle that is being built.

"Too much water and the sand will liquefy. Too little water and the sand won't bind."