When I was young, my family used to go and stay in hotels on the south coast in places like Devon. I loved those holidays because they were with my brothers, who were away at school; I really looked forward to them.
I'm in love with the city. You can impress an Australian with a city, but you can't impress them with a beach.
My mum lives near Holkham Bay in Norfolk, and with my dad by the coast in Suffolk, I spend quite a bit of time by the sea.
I grew up in Aberdare and some of the nicest beaches close by were at Tenby and Saundersfoot.
I don't know what the fascination is with 'Jersey Shore,' the show. I grew up going to the Jersey Shore and I think it's an incredible place to vacation. The show, I think people like to see crazy TV, and that's what the fascination is.
I love the sea, but I avoid any sort of seaside resort that has skyscrapers or seaside entertainments.
I pride myself in being an aficionado of the British seaside. Throughout my career, I have visited and worked in many of the famous British resorts, from Great Yarmouth to Largs.
Anyone who's grown up or lived on the Jersey Shore knows the place is unique.
During the first quarter of the last century, seaside resorts became the fashion, even in those countries of Northern Europe within the minds of whose people the sea had hitherto held the role of the devil, the cold and voracious hereditary foe of humanity.
When I was a kid, all our seaside holidays were spent on Canvey Island or in Clacton-on-Sea.
I would suggest one to book a cab or take a bus from Birmingham and visit the coastline in Cornwall. Located in the southern part of the country, Cornwall has a coastline of over 400 miles.
My parents were working class and didn't have much money, so holidays tended to be two weeks in a caravan at St. Andrews or a B&B in Blackpool.
When I was a boy, I used to stay with a school friend in Bexhill, in Sussex, which was then well-known for being the town with more oldies than any other. Aged ten, I felt slightly embarrassed by this, though I'm not sure why.
I especially like the Padstow area and the south coast near Portloe. It's lovely, though I do wish it was a bit closer to London.
