Inside my Beach Bag ft. Guinevere Glasfurd, Elin Hilderbrand, Kathryn Flett and Daniela Sacerdoti

Whether you need some tips on what to pop in that beach bag of yours or you just want a sneak peek into what some of your favourite authors take on holiday – we have just the thing!

Guinevere Glasfurd, author of The Words in my Hand – download for your holiday for just £1.99 here! 

I love Norfolk’s shingle beaches, but have never lived further from the sea than I do now. Given the prospect of a bright, blustery day, it’s been a family thing to do, to head out to Aldeburgh, lured by the thought of scalding hot fish and chips out of the paper on the sea wall, followed by an afternoon sifting shingle for hag stones and a lazy hour or two flying a kite from the beach. For years, we made do with a small pocket kite, (a freebie from a children’s mag), but have since invested in a glorious kite that spins as it takes the wind. My beach bag is more a shabby rucksack but in it you’ll find fish & chip money, our kite, and sunglasses for squinting at it with.

Elin Hilderbrand, author of The Identicals 

My ray-ban aviators, sunscreen, chapstick and lots of hotel pens.

Kathryn Flett, author of Outstanding

Sunscreen, sunglasses, towel, a wide-brimmed  hat, one of those two books, a big bottle of water, credit card … And that’s very boring and sensible, isn’t it?!

Daniela Sacerdoti, author of Keep Me Safe – download for your holiday for just 99p here!

At the moment, I’ve been cruelly deprived of a beach bag. My family and I are finally moving to the home we’ve been doing up for over a year – if I say that it’s an XVIII century converted farm with a mini-vineyard in the garden it will sound grand, but the truth is that traditional houses here in my village and the surrounding area, are the inheritance of a poor rural world and have nothing grand about them. But to me, this kind of architecture, with low ceilings, huge stone walls and brick vaults, is home. And so, no beach bag for me this year! However, we’ll go and bake ourselves, swim and generally chill at our nearest lake, Lake Viverone.

In my lake bag you’ll find suncream factor 50, which I’ll liberally apply on my half-Scottish boys and Scottish husband so they don’t turn into lobsters! And of course, a book or three. I have a huge TBR of books I keep for the summer – the highlight of the TBR this year are some real corkers from Headline Eternal, full of adventure and romance. I go through reading phases, and I’m certainly on a romantic phase now! My bag would be empty without a notebook and pen, of course, for flying thoughts – I have a gorgeous hardcover notebook with “Do what you love” written in gold on it – I may be taking notes for my next book in it, but I can’t tell yet! I’ll spare you all the practicalities of my lake bag, the boys’ survival kit with your typical mum’s paraphernalia, juice, antiseptic cream, mosquito spray, hats (“Keep that hat on, I told you like 50 times!” Etc.). You won’t find any beauty accessory in it; no make-up, no hair brush, nothing that can interfere with the perfect simplicity of our day, where I can just be myself and be beautiful for what I am, a 43-year-old mother of two without bells and ribbons, who has decided not to be afraid of changing looks and blossoming wrinkles.

Check out more of our #BookendsBeachParty – find out Chrissie Manby’s desert island books