Most of the fun we associate with a day out at the beach dates back to the Victorian era: donkeys, carousels, Punch and Judy, boat trips, fortune tellers, piers and amusement arcades. Brighton and Blackpool remain two of the most popular resorts – Blackpool Pleasure Beach is Britain’s top tourist attraction, pulling in seven million visitors a year.

Like any seaside town, much of what goes on in Blackpool happens on the seafront. Donkey rides have been offered on beaches since the early 19th century, and this tradition is still going strong in Blackpool with about 200 donkeys working the sands, even during winter, though by law they have Fridays off.

There is still a place for traditional entertainment at the seaside. In 2005, Martin Scott Price returned to Blackpool beach with his Punch and Judy show for the first time in 25 years.

In Brighton, old-fashioned English seaside treats like fortune-tellers, carousels and funfairs have managed to survive in the face of stiff competition from multiplex cinemas and shopping malls.

But Paul Hughes-Barlow (known as Punditt Maharaj), who has been a palmist and tarot card reader on Brighton beach for more than 20 years (www.supertarot.co.uk), has noticed some new beachside amusements springing up that reflect changing tastes.

“Now it is not unusual to see hen parties descending on clairvoyants for last-minute advice, and bungee trampolining on the seafront,” he told ICONS.