Great Britain or the UK has always had some great seaside resorts and despite the unpredictable weather you can have some really enjoyable breaks along the British coast. Recently the Which holiday magazine conducted a poll amongst it’s readers who voted for their top seaside town. Here are the top 5 results in reverse order what do you think?
5. Scarborough
On the North Yorkshire coast Scarborough came fifth but is still my favourite resort. The average summer temperature is 19°C so quite warm. I’ve been really lucky and whenever I’ve gone there it’s been blazing hot during the day and lively at night! I’ve sunbathed there, shopped, been fishing, camped at the motorbike road races, stayed in a top hotel, holiday cottage, caravan and boarding house and loved every minute of every visit. Founded by a viking raider, Scarborough has it’s own ruined castle, retains some of it’s fishing industry and even has it’s own annual beach rock and pop festival, a great place to visit.
4. Bournemouth
It’s quite a long time since I’ve been to Bournemouth which is in Dorset on the South Coast of England. My memories are of lots of sand and riding donkeys, but I was a child then. Apart from the normal seaside entertainment Bournemouth now hosts a 4 day flying festival in the summer. There you might see wing walkers, displays from such as the red devils and memorial flights from Lancasters, Hurricanes and Spitfires, plus flights from modern day aircraft.
3. Whitby
Another resort from the North Yorkshire coast, we in Yorkshire are doing well to have 2 of the most popular seaside towns nearby. The fishing port of Whitby is famous for featuring in Bram Stoker’s novel Dracula and even has a Dracula museum for tourists to visit. Every year in August for 3 days is the Whitby Regatta which started out as a rowing competition and has now grown to in clude a fair on the pier, military displays, police demonstration and fireworks. Bi-annually Whitby hosts a gothic weekend especially for goths.
2. Brighton
On the South Coast Brighton attracts 80 million tourists every year and is a great favourite of Londoners in need of a short break or day out. The resort became popular in the late 18th century when the Prince Regent to a liking to the place and built the Royal Pavillion. Considered to be one of the UK’s top places for nightlife Brighton also hosts the second largest arts festival in the UK every May and the Brighton Festival Fringe.
1. Blackpool
On the North West coast the Lancashire town Blackpool is the winner of the most popular seaside resort in Britain. Bold and brash Blackpool became popular as a tourist resort during the 19th century for northern mill and factory workers and is still popular for residents of the north and Scotland. Walk along the golden mile with or without your kiss me quick hat on, see the shows on the piers, go ballroom dancing in the Tower Lounge, have fun at the Pleasure Beach, check out the illuminations. There is something for everybody at Blackpool and for me it’s always been an enjoyable time. Whether it’s been for a week or a day, when I’m on my way there and see the tower in the skyline I get a feeling of anticipation knowing that I’m going to have some fun.
There we have it, the top 5 seaside resorts here in the UK. Although numbers declined with the onset of cheap foreign travel these places still get busy in the summer. They aren’t the only resorts in this country, there are many others all with a different personality and all waiting to welcome you on a visit.
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