Gifts for Beach Lovers and Sea Swimmers: Our Picks from the Shop
Everyone knows one. The friend who swims all year round and sends you photos of the sea at 7am in January. Or the one who doesn't go in, but can't walk past a beach without stopping, and comes home with pockets full of shells.
They're quite easy to buy for, as it turns out. They want things they'll use down at the water, and things that remind them of it when they can't get there. This is our pick from the shop, for swimmers and walkers alike.
The short version
- For a big present: a Sittingsuit or a Toastie changing robe.
- For something they'll wear every day: the Resting Beach Face sweatshirt or a piece of waterproof And Danu jewellery.
- For under £35: an Arctic Fox & Co. bonnet, a SHO bottle, or the Ultimate Beach Tote.
- For stockings: a slogan pencil, a notebook and a tea towel.
For the one who's in the sea all year
Jewellery that can stay on for a swim is a lovely thing to give someone who swims a lot, because they never have to remember to take it off. And Danu is a woman-founded brand from the Kent coast, and all of Isobel's jewellery is waterproof and tarnish resistant, so sea water and suncream don't dull it. The Tidal Pool necklace is inspired by Walpole Bay, which makes it a very good present for a Margate swimmer.
For the practical side, a Toastie changes everything about getting changed on a cold beach. It's waterproof, and a lot of people end up wearing it as their everyday winter coat too. A dry bag is the smaller version of the same thought: phone and keys stay dry on the way down, wet kit goes in on the way home.
For the beach walker
Not everyone wants to get in, and that's fine. For the friend who walks the beach whatever the weather, it's all about keeping the wind out.
A Sittingsuit is the big one. It's a wearable blanket, windproof and water repellent, and once you're zipped in you could happily sit on the beach with a flask until the sun goes down. The designs change every season too, so they won't be wearing the same one as everyone else on the seafront.
Smaller and just as well used: the Arctic Fox & Co. bonnet, made for exactly the kind of wind we get in Margate, and their Reykjavik scarf, which is 100% recycled.
For the one who never goes anywhere without a flask
There's always one. Hot coffee on the sand, a cold drink on a summer swim. A good bottle or travel mug is a present that gets used every day, not just at the beach.
Something from our own range
Our own designs are all made for people who love the coast. Resting Beach Face started as one tee in 2023 and the sweatshirt is now our best seller. It's the layer people reach for after a swim or on an evening walk along the front.
The Ultimate Beach Tote is our own design, in thick organic cotton canvas with four deep pockets for all the bits. And the See You In The Sea tea towel, with sea swimming ladies drawn by a Margate illustrator, is a nice way to send a bit of the seaside to someone who lives a long way from it.
Books for after the beach
For the sofa afterwards, with wet hair and a cup of tea. Why We Swim is a lovely read for anyone who swims, and the little Beachcombing guide fits in a coat pocket for the next walk.
Stocking fillers
When I was little, a pencil was the only thing I was ever allowed to buy in a gift shop. So there will always be pencils at Harbour & Tide. They come with all our slogans and make a very good stocking filler, alongside one of our notebooks.
See the whole collection
There's plenty more in our Gifts for Beach Lovers and Sea Swimmers collection online. Or come and have a browse in the shop in Margate, and we'll happily help you choose.
Shop the collection
