Befriendees love having one off trips out of Bristol over the summer.

Use Journey Planner to plan specific public transport journeys.

Here are some ideas for local beaches:

Berrow and Brean, or Burnham-on-Sea (29 miles from Bristol)

get there: via the M5 (j22) or A38 and follow signs, or by train to Highbridge and Burnham (usually every hour or so, but check times and how you get to Brean from Burnham!)

ffi: www.burnham-on-sea.com

Beach: lots to do including boating. It’s great at high tide here, but be careful with the mudflats at low tide. Swimming is best avoided on Burnham’s South Beach because the currents are very strong.

Nearby: lighthouse on wooden stilts, pier with pavillion and amusement arcade, Apex Park Wildlife centre, 19th century shipwreck, Brean Down, Alstone Wildlife Park, Brean Down Tropical Bird Garden, Brean Leisure Park.

Clevedon (14 miles from Bristol)

get there: M4 (j20)

ffi: www.clevedon.gov.uk

Beach: quaint seaside (more retired people than kids with spades). Small and pebbly beaches but with rock pool opportunities. There’s a pier.

Weston-Super-Mare (22 miles from Bristol)

get there: M5 (j21) then A370 westwards and follow signs, or A368. Trains every half hour or so from Temple Meads.

ffi: www.weston-super-mare.com

Beach: mini Blackpool with donkey rides and all. The pier should be reopening this summer (Points West will keep us updated!).

Nearby: SeaQuarium, North Somerset Museum, Helicopter Museum, Weston Wheel (like the London Eye). You can take boat trips to Steep Holm (nature reserve island) from Knightstone Harbour.

Portishead (10 miles from Bristol)

get there: go over the Suspension Bridge and take the A369. Take the 357/358/359 bus from central Bristol (they seem to leave around every half hour and take about 45 minutes).

Beach: It’s a fairly sandy beach and the closest to Bristol. Just by the beach there’s an open air swimming pool and a boating lake.

To find out more about local beaches see: the beach guide website.

Parents should cover volunteer and child costs so consult parents about any big day trip plans (Time2Share has no activity budget this year).

Some of this information came from a recent edition of Venue.