A new ranking has unveiled the UK's best seaside town for a quintessentially British holiday, and the winner is Bournemouth, not the more famous Brighton, Blackpool, or Weymouth.
Bournemouth Tops the List
Commissioned by insurance provider GJW Direct, the alternative top 10 considered factors such as water sports, fish and chip shops, ice cream stands, Wetherspoon pubs, beach trails, amusement arcades, average rainfall, and temperature. Bournemouth, in Dorset, achieved an impressive Britishness score of 73.8 out of 100, the highest among all destinations analysed.
The South West town scored highly for its access to six crazy golf courses and 14 water sports options, including jet skiing, surfing, and paddleboarding. It also boasts 52 fish and chip shops, 19 arcades, and 16 ice cream stands. Known for its sandy beaches and iconic Boscombe Pier, Bournemouth also ranks well for weather, with an average annual temperature of 11.4°C and 798mm of rainfall, one of the lowest totals among the hotspots.
Brighton and Southend-on-Sea Follow
Brighton, in East Sussex, came second with a Britishness score of 67.5. The seaside city earned top marks for its 84 fish and chip options listed on TripAdvisor, along with 12 arcade locations including Brighton Palace Pier and three Wetherspoons pubs. Southend-on-Sea, in Essex, scored 66.3, edging ahead of Great Yarmouth (63.6) thanks to its 18 ice cream stands and 14 boat rides and day cruises.
Blackpool completed the top five with a score of 61.2 and had the highest number of Wetherspoons pubs within a five-mile radius, totalling five.
Expert Comments
Karen Wallis, Underwriter and Team Leader at GJW Direct, said: "British staycation demand has boomed over the last six months, reaching levels not seen since the post-pandemic travel surge, as more people choose to holiday closer to home. Many are seeking traditional seaside escapes, complete with all the classic attractions we know and love, from ice cream parlours and fish and chip shops to arcades and water sports activities."
She added: "It's perhaps no surprise that Bournemouth claimed the top spot, followed by Brighton and Southend-on-Sea. Beloved coastal destinations such as Blackpool and Scarborough also ranked highly, highlighting why these locations remain favourites during the summer months."
Data for the scoring came from climate data, TripAdvisor, Google Maps, and Use Your Local, with each data point ranked using normalisation scoring to give a total out of 10.
Top 10 Coastal Towns
- Bournemouth - 78.82 / 100
- Brighton - 67.47
- Southend-on-Sea - 66.32
- Great Yarmouth - 63.55
- Blackpool - 61.15
- Newquay - 56.57
- Scarborough - 50.20
- Whitby - 49.42
- Eastbourne - 49.03
- Weymouth - 47.94
To see a full breakdown of the data, visit the GJW Direct website.
