How to plan a comfortable day at the beach

Most of what makes a beach day comfortable is settled before anyone reaches the sand. The time you arrive, the spot you choose and the order in which things come out of the bag all shape the afternoon. Get them right and the day follows a gentle path from arrival to departure. Get them wrong and the afternoon is spent moving chairs, searching for sunscreen and sitting in a patch of sun you did not choose.

Choose the timing

Arrive early if the beach is popular, because the best spots near the water and the nearest parking go first in the morning. An early start also gives you the calmest part of the day, with cooler sand and lighter crowds. Look up the high and low tide times before you go. At low tide many beaches offer more sand to spread out on, while at high tide a narrow beach can shrink to a strip at the base of the cliff or the dunes.

Plan the middle of the day around shade. The sun is strongest between late morning and mid-afternoon, and that is when a shaded lunch, a rest or a visit to a nearby town is most comfortable. Plan to leave before the late-afternoon heat, or stay on for the cooler hours once the sun lowers. Check the lifeguard hours as well, since many lifeguarded beaches staff the sand for only part of the day.

Plan shade before you need it

Shade is the most important part of a comfortable beach day, and it is easiest to set up before the sun is high. A large umbrella, a pop-up canopy or a beach tent all work, but each needs anchoring. Push the pole deep into the sand or use a sand anchor, and add weight to canopies so the wind cannot lift them. Angle the shade to block the sun from where you are sitting, and adjust it every hour or so as the sun moves across the sky.

Shade does not block all ultraviolet light, and sand and water reflect sunlight back onto the skin, so keep sunscreen on under an umbrella too. Hats and loose shirts add protection that shade alone does not give. Keep the water bottles in the shade so they stay cooler for longer.

Set up seating and a base

Seating is about comfort and cleanliness. Low chairs are often lighter to carry and steadier in a breeze, but they are harder to get out of. Higher chairs are easier to get in and out of and keep you farther from hot sand. A ground sheet, a folded blanket or a sand mat gives a clean base for bags and a place to lie down. Choose a spot where the sand is firm and set up above the high-tide line, the wrack line of seaweed and debris that marks where the water reached.

Think about the wind as well. A breeze can carry sand onto food and books, so set the closed cooler or bags upwind as a windbreak, and eat on the sheltered side. If you are settling near the back of the beach, check that the spot is not in an area where dune plants or nesting birds need protection. Local signs usually show which areas are off limits.

Pack in the order you will need things

Packing in a sensible order saves more time than any single item. Put the things you will need first at the top of the bag: sunscreen, hats, water, a small first aid kit and a phone with a charger. Keep the phone and keys in a zip bag so they stay dry and out of the sand. Next come towels, a spare layer for the wind and swimwear, which should be easy to reach when you head into the water. Place food in the cooler and pack it with ice packs so it stays cold through the day.

Keep the cooler closed and in the shade, and bring only what the group will eat. Perishable food should not stay out longer than two hours, or one hour above 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Bring a bag for trash and wet items so that sand and leftovers stay under control.

Plan the way out

Leaving the beach is the last part of a comfortable day, and it is easy to rush. Start packing about thirty minutes before you plan to leave, so the bags can be closed without a scramble. Check whether the parking lot or a beach gate closes at a set time, since some do. Shake off towels before rolling them, rinse your feet and put wet swimwear in a separate bag so it does not dampen everything else in the car.

Take all trash with you, including small pieces that blow into the sand, and check the area around your spot for toys, bottles and sunglasses before walking away. Leaving the beach as you found it is part of enjoying it, and it leaves the next visitor with the same easy start. Give yourself a few minutes to look back at the water before you go.