"Best for Dublin Beach Culture: Seapoint

Arrive early enough at Seapoint and you may just spot a regular — still in dressing gown and slippers — shuffling down for a morning dip. Or you may witness the amusing but not uncommon scene of dainty ladies in togs and bathing caps chatting about the lovely temperatures while less hearty souls stroll by in wool caps and overcoats.

Ask these hardliners about their strange habit of jumping in the sea and they’ll even describe it as an addiction, a fix they need to get them through the day. Odder yet, they prefer to do it in the colder weather, before the jellyfish arrive.

On sunnier days, the crowd around Seapoint’s Martello Tower swells with other regulars — some remarkably tanned — reading papers, sharing sandwiches, flasks of tea and a bit of gossip. Find your place in the sun and join them.

For one of Dublin’s best seaside walks, follow the DART line from Seapoint to the base of Dun Laoghaire’s West Pier, and then out to the tip and back. After your taste of Dublin beach culture Seapoint style, try the Purty Kitchen in Monkstown for good food and a pint. Seapoint is best reached by DART, either to Seapoint or Monkstown. Limited parking is available at Monkstown station."