THE sun may have been late arriving, but when it did come out, so did the crowds.

Bank Holiday Monday had visitors flocking to the region to enjoy a traditional day of sun, sea and sand.

Hundreds of families tucked into fish and chips and ice cream and played in the sea at beaches up and down the coast.

Sue McClellan enjoyed a day out with her family, husband Mac, Olivia, eight, and Sam, four, and at Whitburn beach on a picnic rug with windbreaks to keep the sea breeze off them.

She said: "The beach was busy and there were lots of children paddling in the sea and building sandcastles.

"They loved it. It is a nice wide sandy beach with plenty of space to spread out.

"It is quite traditional to have your windbreak up and it is a bit like an old fashioned seaside holiday, but we didn't quite have knotted hankies on heads."

When the tide was out, the beaches at Scarborough proved a big draw and the traffic in the resort was heavy.

At Scarborough Castle, staff were overjoyed by the numbers pouring through the turnstiles.

"This is definitely turning out to be one of the best days of the season for us," said a spokesman.

He added: "It was looking bad in the morning - at one point we thought it was going to pour down - but when the sun came out, so did the people."

The region's museums and attractions also reported a bumper day for visitors.

Beamish Museum, in Stanley, County Durham, had about 10,000 visitors over the Bank Holiday weekend - and 4,000 yesterday.

Darren Jensen, head of commercial operations, said: "The nice weather tends to bring people out and when it is busy there is a magical atmosphere because everyone is smiling."

Lee Stokoe, duty manager of the Baltic arts centre, in Gateshead, said the attraction had about 1,800 visitors a day over the weekend. It usually has from 700 to 1,300 visitors a day.

He said: "People from all backgrounds and ages come in. They may be lovers of fine art or just come for a wander after going to the market."