Su Carroll rounds up the very best things to do on the UK coast and what to see close to the coastline this month…
1. MERMAIDS AND MARINE LIFE
Fascinating mysteries, myths and marine life that lurk under the waves are explored in Undersea at Hastings Contemporary which brings together paintings, prints, drawings and sculpture from across different cultures and artistic movements.
Undersea follows Seaside Modern in 2020 and Seafaring (2021) – a trilogy of exhibitions curated by art historian James Russell. One group of works is based on artists’ study of the marine environment and the creatures that inhabit it.
Another explores the mythological and the imaginary, with an international group of works depicting mermaids. This includes the celebrated surrealist painting A Siren in Full Moonlight by Paul Delvaux and the startlingly inventive Mermaids series by contemporary Swiss painter Klodin Erb.
Alongside historical works by artists such as Edwardian illustrator Arthur Rackham, 19th century Japanese printmaker Tsukioka Yoshitoshi and German Expressionist master Oskar Kokoschka, visitors will find a rich variety of contemporary work. Standout paintings include the mysterious Deep Dive by Tom Anholt (pictured) and Octopus Veil by Michael Armitage. Hastings Contemporary is situated on the dramatic seafront in Hastings Old Town, alongside one of Britain’s oldest and largest beach-launched fishing fleets. Accompanying the exhibition is a full programme of talks and events about the fishing heritage of Hastings and the dangers that the fishing fleet now face.
March 29-September 14, hastingscontemporary.org
Locals love
If you want to learn more about the fishing industry in Hastings, visit the small, independent Hastings Fishermen’s Museum. It was opened in 1956 in the former Fishermen’s Church of St Nicholas – a mission chapel which served the fishing community from 1854 until the building was requisitioned by the military authorities to become a wartime store. The building is listed Grade II for its architectural and historical importance. Visit the deck of the last Hastings sailing lugger Enterprise built in 1912, explore the boats and Net Shops and discover how Hastings folk used boats cut in half when they had been caught engaged in smuggling.
Entrance free but donations welcome, ohps.org.uk
2. SEA STORIES
At The Box in Plymouth the Planet Ocean exhibition has proved so popular that it has been extended until April 27. With specimens, objects and artworks drawn from the natural history, social history and art collections, this show uses the overarching themes of plankton, pollution, people and planet to share objects and stories; inspiring hope in the face of the climate crisis and empowering everyone who visits to become ocean advocates.
A large-scale installation by Tania Kovats – All the Seas – has been added to the exhibition. The work is formed from a large four-tiered shelving unit stacked with more than 360 glass bottles each containing water from a different stretch of ocean. The water was collected by Kovats and a global network of sea water collectors and explores the idea of us all being part of one connected ocean.
This exhibition is supported by the Marine Biological Association, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, University of Plymouth and South West-based ocean conservation organisations. You can see exhibits such as the long-finned squid of a barnacle-encrusted crab (pictured).
Plymouth Sound is one of the most studied and significant stretches of water in the world and Planet Ocean looks at how we can study, use and take inspiration from familiar waters to play a part in a global movement to safeguard the sea.
Ends April 27, theboxplymouth.com
Locals love
The National Marine Aquarium on the waterfront is the largest one in the country and is home to the Ocean Conservation Trust, a charity dedicated to connecting people with the Ocean. The four zones start close to home with an exploration of the local waters of Plymouth Sound. The further you journey around the aquarium, the further you journey around the world’s cceans – British Coasts, Atlantic Ocean (the UK’s largest tank with turtles, rays and sharks) and finishing up in Blue Planet with the Biozone and the stunning Great Barrier Reef packed with exotic specimens.
3. WORLD CLASS
Recognition for the beauty of the Outer Hebrides comes from National Geographic which has included the islands on its Best of The World list for 2025. The annual list celebrates unforgettable travel experiences around the world and the Outer Hebrides made the grade for its pristine beaches, machair grassland and dramatic geology. The Outer Hebrides represents one of Europe’s last untouched natural habitats. These islands are also defined by their variety – each has its own heritage, identity and culture – which is why island-hopping trips are so popular.
There are more than 70 islands, but only 15 are inhabited. South Uist (pictured) is a haven for wildlife, Berneray boasts some of the most picturesque white sandy beaches, some fantastic wildlife and a fascinating history. Barra, the most southerly of the inhabited islands, has beaches, hills, machair and moor and an airport which is one of the most unusual in the world, with flights landing on the beach at Cockle Strand in between tides. At high tide the runway disappears beneath the waves. Barra is also accessible by ferry from Oban.
Try an active holiday along the Hebridean Way, which allows you to traverse ten islands. visitouterhebrides.co.uk
Locals love
The medieval Kisimul Castle on the Isle of Barra has been the stronghold of the Clan MacNeil since the 11th century and it’s thought that the castle was built in the 15th century. It gets its name from the Norse word ciosamul, meaning castle island. With its square keep, the castle is built on a rocky islet in the bay and can only be reached by boat. It was abandoned in 1838 and taken over by Historic Scotland in 2000 on a 1,000 year lease with an annual token rent of £1 and a bottle of whisky.
4. EXTRAORDINARY WOMEN
Events to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the birth of Jane Austen continue apace with a new exhibition opening at SeaCity Museum in Southampton, where she moved at the age of 21 after the death of her father.
The specially commissioned exhibition, A Very Respectable Company – Jane Austen and her Southampton Circle, focuses on the author’s Southampton circle of friends and neighbours. These included Ann Newell her next door neighbour (an absentee landowner with plantations in Jamaica); Charlotte Fitzhugh (who married into a wealthy East India Company family and was a superfan of Austen’s favourite actress Sarah Siddons); and Anne Middleton (a mixed-race plantation heiress born in Jamaica, married in India, who had her private life splashed across national newspapers).
These remarkable women could have easily found themselves portrayed among the characters found within the pages of Mansfield Park, Emma and Sanditon. The exhibition features items loaned from the family archives of the women’s descendants, providing new and largely unseen material linked to Jane Austen and her networks, including the Austen Family Household Book (pictured).
Locals love
Southampton’s bustling Guildhall Square is known as the Cultural Quarter of the city. You won’t be short of things to see and do here with live music venues, museums, galleries and plenty of places to eat and drink. The Cultural Quarter is home to the O2 Guildhall, the Stage Door, Southampton City Art Gallery, SeaCity Museum, John Hansard Gallery and MAST Mayflower Studios. The outdoor space plays host to many events such as Southampton’s annual Chinese New Year celebrations.
5. LIGHT FANTASTIC
With a focus on science, creativity and innovation, Hull hosts a new festival featuring a city centre light spectacle. Colliderfest, a four-day science and arts extravaganza, is a weekend of activities and shows– including a large-scale spectacular evening light trail across the city centre.
Evolving from the annual Humber Science Festival, it aims to celebrate science and art, as well as inspire future generations with two days of educational events for schools to showcase careers in science, green energy and innovation to children and young people. The family-friendly weekend programme will feature discovery zones scattered across Hull’s Museums Quarter as well as a host of other venues including Ferens Art Gallery and Hull Truck Theatre.
There will be shows, interactive exhibits and hands-on engineering challenges with an outdoor theatre performance featuring a 13ft sea puppet telling a moving tale about the Earth’s climate emergency.
On the Friday, an evening of light, art, and movement aims to celebrate Hull’s continuing journey as a city brimming with culture and creativity.
Organised by Hull City Council, the Hull Maritime project, Hull Museums and Gallery, and the University of Hull, it is hoped Colliderfest will become an annual event.
March 13-16, colliderfest.co.uk
Locals love
The Ferens Art Gallery, which is taking part in Colliderfest, underwent a multi-million pound refit in 2016 and hosted the Turner Prize the following year. There are 12 galleries plus the Centre Court, with a diverse range of art on display. You can see artists from the Renaissance and Baroque – beautiful pieces by masters such as Lorenzetti – or 18th century painters such as Guardi and Canaletto and modern and contemporary artists including Bridget Riley, Gillian Wearing and David Hockney.
Children will love the Explore Art gallery with hands-on activities to help young children investigate works of art, exploring line, shape, texture and colour.
6. IN A GALAXY FAR, FAR AWAY…
Explore glittering stars, shimmering galaxies, fiery suns and silver moons at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich in the Astronomy Photographer of the Year exhibition. This is a prestigious annual competition featuring the world’s greatest space photography and attracts entries from across the globe. Over 100 photographs are on show at the museum, displayed at their best on brilliant lightbox screens.
The competition, run by the Royal Observatory Greenwich, supported by Liberty Specialty Markets and in association with BBC Sky at Night magazine, is now in its 16th year. The winner this year is photographer Ryan Imperio from the United States. His work, Distorted Shadows of the Moon’s Surface Created by an Annular Eclipse (pictured), was captured in Texas during the annular solar eclipse.
The image is a composite of more than 30 separate photographs of the Sun. The sequence captures the fleeting optical illusion known as Baily’s beads, which occurs when sunlight shines through the valleys and craters of the Moon.
The exhibition is free for all visitors with their entry tickets.
Ends in July, rmg.co.uk
Locals love
Beautiful Greenwich with lots of historic buildings is the point where hemispheres meet and a visit to the Royal Observatory gives you a chance to stand on the Meridian Line. You can also go on board the Cutty Sark, the world’s last remaining tea clipper, explore Britain’s naval history and enjoy the Art Deco vibe of Eltham Palace. But it’s not all architecture and history. There’s the thriving arts community at Greenwich Market, or you can climb the roof of the O2 or take a flight over the river Thames on the London Cable Car. visitgreenwich.org.uk
7. TO BEGIN AT THE BEGINNING
Laugharne in west Wales provided inspiration for Dylan Thomas who escaped the chaos of family life in The Boathouse overlooking the water to a shed perched higher up on the road above the house where he would write. He described Laugharne as a “timeless, mild, beguiling island of a town”. Every March it becomes home to The Laugharne Weekend – an annual literary and arts festival.
It may be small scale but it punches above its weight with a fascinating line-up which this year incudes comedians Stewart Lee, Arthur Smith, Mark Thomas, Jo Caulfield and John Shuttleworth, musicians Martin and Eliza Carthy, Amy Rigby, writers Lucia Osborne Crowley, Richard King and Brian Bilston and artists Jeremy Deller and Clare Ferguson-Walker. All events take place in Laugharne’s clubs, churches and halls, tiny and intimate venues which entail the close proximity of audience and performers.
March 28-30, thelaugharneweekend.com
Locals love
In 1944, Dylan wrote Poem in October about his birthday walk from his home to the shoulder of Sir John’s Hill. The poem celebrates his love of Laugharne and getting older. He was 30 when he wrote it and would die less than ten years later. You can follow the route Dylan would have taken, along what is now the Wales Coastal Path which runs through the town. Part of the three-mile walk takes you through woodland, thought to have inspired Under Milk Wood. visitwales.com
8. WORK IN PROGRESS
Learn about artistic endeavour with an unusual new exhibition at Aberdeen Art Gallery which is full of unfinished work by members of Aberdeen Artists Society. Process, Process, Process turns the traditional format of an exhibition on its head. Instead of finished works being centre stage, the exhibition shines a light on the creative process through inspirational objects, preparatory sketches, cherished tools and work surfaces, as well as the by-products and leftover materials from an artist’s activities (pictured).
By sharing their creative processes, the 18 artists seek to answer some of the questions they are often asked such as: How did you make that? Where do you get your ideas from? What kind of tools do you use? They work across a range of media including drawing, painting, textiles, jewellery, printmaking and sculpture, and have selected a range of objects to illustrate their processes, including sketches, tools and materials. Although there are no finished works on display at the Gallery, visitors are invited to scan QR codes to learn more about the artists and to see their artworks.
Artists Bruce Swanson and Gerard Stott will be giving a Lunchtime Talk at the Art Gallery on March 5.
Until May 25, aagm.co.uk
Locals love
Aberdonians are justifiably proud of the city’s history and beautiful architecture, particularly in the Old Quarter with its cobble roads. It’s here that you will find the 14th century St Machar’s Cathedral, Kings College – the forerunner to Aberdeen University – the Zoology Museum, the Cruickshank Botanic Garden, Seaton Park and the Brig o’ Balgownie bridge, believed to date back to the late 13th or early 14th century. visitabdn.com
9. UPSTAIRS DOWNSTAIRS
A beautiful merchant’s home, Elizabethan House, was built on the quayside in Great Yarmouth around 1596 by Benjamin Cowper. The National Trust property, now managed by the Norfolk Museums Service, reopens on March 31 after winter closure.
Home to merchants and prominent locals, there are well-preserved wood panelled rooms, richly decorated ceilings and an imposing stairway. The house is famous for its connections with Oliver Cromwell who is said to have frequently visited his friend, John Carter, a prominent Yarmouth merchant who purchased the house from Benjamin Cowper in 1635. The premises became a regular meeting place for Parliamentarians during the Civil War and it is believed that it was here, in November 1648, that the fate of Charles I was decided.
The house contains fascinating collections from Norfolk Museums and Archaeology Service. You can get hands on with the Elizabethan past in the bedroom (complete with replica costumes for you to try on) and find out about life ‘upstairs and downstairs’ for its Victorian inhabitants. elizabethanhouse.norfolk.gov.uk
Locals love
At the other end of the cultural spectrum is one of Great Yarmouth’s best-loved attractions – Merrivale Model Village which opened in 1961 and has delighted families ever since. There’s everything on a small scale from a busy town centre, farm, zoo, holiday park, castle, stadium and countryside with a village pub and cottages. The acre of landscaped gardens has streams, waterfalls and a lake with koi carp. The mini Merrivale Railway runs on time and there’s nostalgic fun to be had in the popular Penny Arcade. merrivalemodelvillage.co.uk
10. CHOCS AWAY!
Chantal Coady has spent more than 40 years working with chocolate, founding the luxury brand Rococco Chocolates in 1983 – a pioneer in quality chocolate products. Chantal will share her story of a life in confectionery, talk about her work, her books and being awarded an OBE for her services to chocolate making at an event on the Isle of Wight.
Her latest project is The Chocolate Detective with three Cs at the heart of the business. Connect: Working with cocoa farmers in Grenada and highlighting sustainable chocolate made at grass roots level from Tree to Bar and keeping value in local economies. Create: Chantal talks about the inspiration for her recipes like the Golden Sea Salt chocolate invented while running after her toddler on the beach. And Curate – working with other reputable makers producing classics too good not to share.
The event is in partnership with island based lifestyle store Jack Thompson and will be held at Foresters Hall in Cowes. Enjoy a glass of wine and a tasting of ethical chocolates from Chantal’s last collection
March 27, contact [email protected] for more details.
Locals love
They know a thing or two about flavour on the Isle of Wight, as a visit to the Garlic Farm will attest. Three generations of the Boswell family have been growing garlic for over 60 years. It has blossomed from a few cloves of garlic in the garden to a wide range of garlic products including pickles, chutneys and even beer and ice cream. You can visit the organic farm at Newchurch and see the garlic grow or visit the shop and restaurant. thegarlicfarm.co.uk
Coming soon…
EARLY BLOOMERS
Thanks to its temperate climate, the Cornwall Garden Society’s Spring Flower Show is one of the first in the country’s show calendar. Described by The Telegraph as the “Chelsea of the West” and by Gardens Illustrated as “one of the best flower and garden shows,” the Society’s annual festival of flowers champions Cornwall’s rich horticultural heritage and early spring on an unprecedented scale.
Some of the vibrant new features at this year’s event at the Royal Cornwall Showground, Wadebridge, include spectacular show gardens with the theme of A Space to Heal, a Grow Your Own allotment with incredible edibles, a Sustainability Hub and more Tipi Talks by local luminaries and national names, All the favourites remain – dazzling displays of stunning shrubs and fabulous flora, specialist nurseries and garden traders, Cornish crafts and family fun, elegant eats and top tipples. You can even buy a festival-style weekend pass so that you don’t miss out on anything.
April 5,6, cornwallgardensociety.org.uk
