If you’re seeking the ultimate sunny seaside getaway, you’ll want nothing but the best. To determine the absolute ‘best’ among England and Wales’ numerous coastal towns, we’ve delved into the data.
We analysed everything from sunshine and beaches to fish and chips, nightlife and crime rates to pinpoint the top coastal towns for a summer holiday. Our list encompasses seaside towns across the nation – any location boasting a beach that has received either a Blue Flag or Seaside Award this year. Despite the North of England being home to fantastic seaside towns with high-quality beaches (like Tynemouth), excellent fish and chips (Whitby) and vibrant nightlife (Blackpool), they all fall short on one crucial factor – sunshine.
The superior weather in the south means that the top five seaside towns on our list are all located in the southern regions of England and Wales.
Taking the top spot for its splendid weather, ambience, cuisine and overall charm is Southend-on-Sea.
This Essex coastal town boasts three Blue Flag beaches and an average of 28 hot summer days per year.
The Kentish town of Broadstairs ranks second overall, followed by Porthcawl in Wales, then jointly by Margate, Westgate-on-Sea (both in Kent), and Christchurch (Devon) to round off the top five.
To compile the rankings, we considered six key factors that people take into account when planning a seaside trip.
A preliminary list of 114 seaside towns was created based on those that had been awarded either a Blue Flag or a Seaside Award for their beaches this year.
For each town, data was gathered on the number of hot days, summer rainfall, Google Reviews ratings of all seafront fish and chip shops, the number of pubs, and the amount of antisocial behaviour crimes recorded last summer.
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You can see how each seaside town compares by entering a postcode for your area or searching the map below:
Each seaside town was then ranked based on these factors, and then given an overall ranking to reveal the best places to visit.
The best seaside towns
1. Southend-on-Sea
Southend is a paradise for beach lovers, boasting three Blue Flag winners for visitors to enjoy – Shoebury Common, East Beach Shoeburyness, and Three Shells Beach. If that wasn’t enough, there are a further five beaches which have received a Seaside Award – Thorpe Bay Beach, Bell Wharf Beach, Chalkwell Beach, Jubilee Beach, and Westcliff Bay.
The Essex town also boasts some of the best weather in the country.
Southend enjoys an average of 28 ‘Summer days’ a year, defined as those where the maximum daily temperature exceeds 25°C. That’s the joint highest number of any seaside towns in our study.
Southend also receives an average of just 1.4mm of rain per day during the summer months, one of the lowest levels.
However, Southend’s fish and chips quality leaves something to be desired.
The town’s fish and chip establishments achieve a modest average Google Reviews rating of just 4.0.
This places it in 69th position within our rankings.
However, it’s not entirely without quality chippies, with Lena’s Fish and Chips boasting a rating of 4.9, Fish and Wish earning 4.8, whilst The Boat House Fish and Chips and Bella John’s Fish and Chips both achieve 4.6 at the time of writing.
Southend performed well regarding pub availability, featuring 40 establishments within a mile radius of the town centre.
However, it recorded the poorest crime statistics, with 226 anti-social behaviour incidents within a mile of the city centre during June, July and August last year, according to official police data.
2. Broadstairs
The “jewel in Thanet’s crown”, Broadstairs secures the runner-up position in our rankings.
It features two Blue Flag beaches at Joss Bay and Botany Bay alongside three Seaside Award beaches – Louisa Bay, Stone Bay and Viking Bay.
Whilst it experiences marginally fewer hot summer days than Southend on average (21), it enjoys identical low rainfall levels (1.4mm).
Broadstairs performs superior for fish and chips with average ratings of 4.2.
Star of the Sea and The Mermaid emerge as the leading establishments at 4.4 each.
3. Porthcawl
The Welsh coastal resort of Porthcawl features two Blue Flag beaches within its boundaries – Rest Bay, and Trecco Bay – whilst also securing a Blue Flag for its marina.
With an average rating of 4.5, its fish and chip outlets rank amongst the finest of any seaside destination in England and Wales. Families seeking entertainment can head to Coney Beach Park, an amusement park situated directly on the seafront.
4. Christchurch
Not to be confused with its more famous namesake in New Zealand, Christchurch sits on the Dorset coastline adjacent to Bournemouth. Indeed, it’s positioned so close to Bournemouth that both towns share a council alongside neighbouring Poole.
The resort performed strongly for beaches (three Blue Flag winners this year) and climate (19 scorching summer days and merely 1.4mm average summer precipitation). However, it struggled with fish and chips, as local establishments achieved an average rating of only 3.8 on Google.
4. Margate
For countless people nationwide, Margate will be fondly recalled as the setting for “The Jolly Boys’ Outing”, the Only Fools and Horses Christmas special from 1989. A beloved seaside destination for over 250 years, Margate boasts no shortage of attractions for tourists, including the Dreamland Margate theme park which appeared in the Only Fools special.
Margate performed admirably in our data examination for beaches (two Blue Flag, three Seaside Awards), climate (20 sweltering days annually), and evening entertainment (42 pubs within a mile radius of the town centre).
Fish and chips proved average with a rating of 4.1, whilst crime levels were elevated with 305 antisocial behaviour offences within a mile of the town centre.
4. Westgate-on-Sea Westgate-on-Sea
A stone’s throw from Margate, narrowly avoided being grouped together with its neighbour in this study.
With one Blue Flag Beach, favourable weather, low crime rates and fewer pubs, it may appeal to visitors seeking a quieter spot.
Here are the top five in each region:
North East
National rank. Seaside town
25. Tynemouth
36. Sunderland
68. Seaton Carew
79. Redcar
79. South Shields
93. Blyth
102. Whitley Bay
North West
79. Lytham St Annes
93. Blackpool
102. Morecambe
107. Cleveleys
110. Fleetwood
Yorkshire and the Humber
57. Hornsea
57. Whitby
79. Withernsea
79. Bridlington
79. Scarborough
79. Robin Hoods Bay
107. Saltburn
113. Sandsend
113. Runswick Bay
East Midlands
25. Skegness
25. Mablethorpe
36. Sutton on Sea
Wales
49. Penarth
49. Swansea
57. Aberporth
57. New Quay
57. Morfa Borth
68. Newton
68. Port Talbot
68. Broadhaven
79. Barry
79. Port Eynon
79. Aberystwyth
79. Rhyl
93. Llantwit Major
93. Cardigan
93. Tresaith
93. Clarach
110. Llangrannog
South East
2. Broadstairs
4. Margate
4. Westgate-on-Sea
7. Sheerness-on-Sea
10. Birchington-on-Sea
12. Ramsgate
19. Bexhill-on-Sea
19. St Leonards-on-Sea
19. Hastings
25. Hayling Island
25. Whitstable
36. Swanage
36. West Wittering
36. Winchelsea
36. Camber
36. Leysdown-on-Sea
49. Sandown
49. Nettlestone and Seaview
49. Brighton and Hove
57. Minster on Sea
68. Saltdean
68. Rottingdean
68. Herne Bay
93. Normans Bay
South East
4. Christchurch
7. Bournemouth
12. Dawlish
12. Budleigh Salterton
19. Torquay
19. Weymouth
25. Paignton
25. Seaton
25. Bude
36. Brixham
36. Shaldon
36. Westward Ho!
49. Portreath
49. Exmouth
49. Sidmouth
57. Carbis Bay
68. Falmouth
68. Challaborough
68. Beer
79. St Ives
79. Porthtowan
79. Widemouth Bay
93. Trevone
93. Croyde
102. Sennen Cove
102. Blackpool (Devon)
102. Newquay
107. Polzeath
110. Crackington Haven