I think I am the opposite of ELVIS68,I love the sea,but not the seaside.
To me the sea can be calming,some smells and the sounds anyway.Somewhere where I like to think.
The seaside however,hot, sweaty days full of noise and bad body smell.Butties and bodies full of sand that should not be there(you all know what I mean!)Painful shingle and crying kids.
But thats just me,and I dont expect others to agree,but I do live on a peninsula,so I have had plenty of time to think about this.Feel sad though when I think some people in this country have never smelt the sea with fish an' chips.