The Great British Coastal Resort Index

There’s something uniquely comforting about a British seaside holiday: the sound of slot machines along the promenade, paper-wrapped fish and chips in hand, a pint in a nearby pub or beer garden, and rain clouds never too far away.

As more Brits opt for staycations over trips abroad this year, those nostalgic coastal escapes are firmly back on the agenda. But while plenty of seaside towns promise the familiar charm Brits know and love, only a select few truly deliver the quintessential British holiday experience.

With this in mind, we analysed 50 of the UK’s most popular seaside towns and coastal resorts, ranking them across 10 factors, including access to fish and chip shops, arcades, Wetherspoons pubs, boat trips, average weather conditions and more, to uncover which destinations offer the ultimate British staycation experience.

Top 10 UK Coastal Destinations for a Classic British Holiday

Bournemouth ranked top of the list in our research, with an impressive Britishness score of 73.8 out of 100, higher than any other destination analysed.

The South West town scored highly for its access to 6 crazy golf courses nearby, along with 14 nearby watersports options, including jet skiing, surfing and paddleboarding, because what would a British holiday be without venturing into the cold UK Channel?

The town, known for its stretch of sandy beaches and iconic Boscombe Pier, also ranked highly for its weather, with an average annual temperature of 11.4°C and around 798mm of rainfall per year, one of the lowest totals among all the towns analysed. This makes it a great option for those looking to soak up the sun while staying closer to home this year.

Somewhat unsurprisingly, Brighton came second on our list with a Britishness score of 67.5 out of 100.

The seaside city earned top marks for its 84 fish and chip options across takeaways and restaurants listed on TripAdvisor, a factor that no trip to the British seaside is complete without.

A worthy mention is its 12 locations to enjoy arcade games and amusements, including the famous Brighton Palace Pier amusement arcade.

Completing the top five were Southend-on-Sea, Great Yarmouth and Blackpool, which scored 66.3, 63.6 and 61.2, respectively. Interestingly, Blackpool had the highest number of Wetherspoons pubs within a five-mile radius.

The UK’s Ultimate Coastal Boating Hotspots

What could be more British than spending time in the sea, splashing around or taking a boat trip along the coast to take in the scenery?

That’s why, as part of our study, we looked into which destinations offer the ultimate day on the water by analysing the number of boat trips, watersports options and average weather conditions in each location.

Coming top of the list was Newquay, with a score of 33.2 out of a possible 40. The Cornish town scored highly for its 54 boat ride and day cruise options listed on TripAdvisor, along with its average temperature of around 11.3°C, making it an ideal spot to enjoy the water and outdoors this summer.

Falmouth, also in Cornwall, came in second place with a score of 31.3 out of 40. With the region known for its sweeping sandy beaches and status as one of the UK’s most popular holiday destinations, it is unsurprising to see it rank highly.

Searches for “Cornwall holidays” on Google have also risen by 244% since March 2026, highlighting the growing demand for coastal staycations.

Falmouth also scored highly for its 47-day cruise and boating options, alongside 8 watersports activities, including canoeing and yacht sailing.

Completing the top 3 was Bournemouth, with a score of 30.1.

Britain's Best Beach Towns for a Night Out

We also wanted to find out which UK seaside destinations have the best options for a night out, because what British holiday is complete without a pint with the locals after a day out by the sea?

Topping the list was Brighton with a near-perfect score of 29.3 out of a possible 30.

The city, known as one of the quintessential British seaside destinations, had access to an impressive 227 pubs within a 5-mile radius, alongside 966 restaurants for those looking to end the day with a hearty meal, and 122 bars and clubs. All of this contributed to its impressive score in the rankings.

Blackpool took second place with a score of 19.8 out of a possible 30. Known for its vibrant nightlife, including the famous Funny Girls venue, the resort had an impressive 98 bars and clubs listed on TripAdvisor, along with 563 restaurants and 146 pubs within a 5-mile radius.

Completing the top 3 was Bournemouth with a score of 16.5. The location actually had more restaurants (616) and pubs (156) than Blackpool, but lost marks for having just 44 bar and club options.

Methodology:

Taking a seed list of the most popular seaside towns across the UK, we revealed which coastal resorts offer the best quintessentially British holiday by ranking the number of Wetherspoons (5-mile radius), average temperature, rainfall, beach trails, fish and chip shops, amusement arcades, crazy golf courses, ice cream stands, and water sports to give a final score out of 100.

We also found which areas offer the best nightlife during the summer, ranking each location across the number of pubs (within a 5-mile radius), bars, clubs and restaurants to give a score out of 30.

Each data point was ranked using normalisation scoring to give a total out of 10.

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