Where is the closest place from London (in terms of travel time, assuming flight and public transport further on) that has beach huts like these?
I am after cheap and simple huts, rather than an exclusive resort that looks like beach huts.
EDIT: I was a bit unclear: I am looking for huts that you can live in, which provide some basic facilities and are located almost on the beach. I have seen this type only in warm climates so far (because of the practical reasons probably)
Bournemouth is under 2 hours by train from London. In the summer, you can get cheap day return tickets from the local train company, or they do group tickets, network railcard discounts etc, so it isn't too expensive to head down outside of peak times. See this answer for more on getting there.
The local council rents out beach huts by the day or by the week. If you go for the East Cliff ones, it's a 10 minute walk from the station. Otherwise, plenty of buses. You have about 10 miles of lovely sandy beach to choose from!
Poole council also rent their beach huts, and are on the same bay. However, Poole station is further from the beach, so you would need to get a bus. However, there are normally open top buses on that route, which give you great views of the harbour and Brownsea Island on the way to the beach, so it's not the end of the world to go there!
There are places nearer to London than Bournemouth with beach huts, but generally those have pebble or stone beaches. If you want a Beach Hut and Sand closest to London, the Bournemouth/Poole/Studland bay is your best bet!
Southend-On-Sea located in the county of Essex, 40 miles east of London is regarded as London's most popular seaside resort. It also has the world's longest pleasure pier at 1.3 miles. London Liverpool Street to Southend Central takes a little over an hour by train.
However you cannot rent Beach Huts in Southend, the Beach Huts are all privately owned. The Council owns the beach and leases the plots for tenants to build a hut upon. It is therefore not possible to rent a beach hut although they can be purchased when owners chose to sell.
For more info visit:
Southend Beach Hut Owners Association
1 Dorset Mudeford is famous for its row of colourful huts - and for the prices some of them have fetched, upwards of £100,000 - it also has some of the few beach huts you can actually sleep in, including Needleview, which sleeps four in two singles and a bunk. There's a kitchen with gas burner, grill and fridge, and the use of nearby loos and showers.
