The UK’s best and worst seaside towns

A tiny village with a population of around 400 people is, once again, the best seaside destination in the UK - beating more than 100 UK towns and villages in our biggest ever survey. 

Bamburgh in Northumberland was higher rated than well-known favourites such as Brighton and Blackpool - as well as popular resorts in Devon and Cornwall. It's the third year in a row that it's come out top.

Bamburgh received full five-star ratings for its beach, seafront, scenery, accommodation, value for money and peace and quiet. It also clinched an outstanding 88% overall destination score.

Visitors loved the spectacular views of Bamburgh Castle, standing guard on a rocky outcrop above miles of sand and windswept dunes.

One person told us: ‘It has super-soft sand that stretches as far as the eye can see, and there is plenty of space, so the beach never feels crowded.’

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The UK’s worst seaside towns

At the opposite end of the table, two traditional bucket-and-spade resorts - Clacton-on-Sea and Skegness - were rated bottom. They both got just 48%.

They were rated an average three out of five stars for their beaches, but visitors were less impressed with their run-down seafronts - with Skegness mustering just one star in this category. Both were also rated just one star for peace and quiet. 

However, some respondents did comment on Clacton’s ‘lovely’ seafront gardens and its ‘fantastic’ annual airshow. Skegness also drew praise for its ‘old-fashioned’ charm, with plenty of entertainment for children, from donkey rides on the beach to an aquarium and arcades.

Wales’ best seaside town

The best seaside destination in Wales, Portmeirion in Gwynedd, is also one of the UK’s most unusual holiday villages. It was dreamed up in the 1920s by Welsh architect Sir Clough Williams-Ellis, who described it as a ‘home for fallen buildings’.

Inspired by Italian towns such as Portofino on the Mediterranean, Williams-Ellis designed extravagant, Italianate buildings complete with brightly coloured domes, colonnades and towers.   

Visitors loved the architecture and its setting above a wide, sandy estuary - giving it five out of five stars for tourist attractions and for its seafront. It got a customer score of 83%.

Scotland’s best seaside town

St Andrews in Fife also got an excellent customer score of 83%. The beach - a two-mile stretch of sand 15-minutes from the centre - got five out of five stars, as did tourist attractions and food and drink.

Visitors loved wandering town's cobbled streets and alleyways to discover ice-cream parlours, bistros and artisanal food - as well as specialist knitwear and second-hand bookshops. It got a full five stars for shopping.

Northern Ireland’s best seaside town

Portstewart in Londonderry/Derry was the third highest rated seaside town in the UK (84%). Its two miles of beach, Portsteward Strand, starred in Game of Thrones when it was used as a stand-in for the Dornish coastline.

It’s equally popular with families and surfers. Cars can park directly on the beach, allowing easy lugging of windbreakers and picnic hampers. The town itself was also popular - with half-timbered, pedestrianised streets lined with small shops. It ‘has a lovely feel to it’ one visitor told us.

The UK’s best and worst seaside towns: the full list

Find out how your favourite coastal town fared in our table below.