We do like to be beside the (tranquil) seaside...
FORGET those sticks of rock, funfairs and ice creams...the nation’s favourite seaside spot is a haven of space, quiet and pristine beaches.
Holidaymakers have voted Bamburgh, with its castle view, vast sandy beach and a population of just over 400, the country’s top coastal destination for the second year running.
The Northumberland beauty spot topped a survey by consumer magazine Which? with an 87 per cent overall score.
It shows a British summer coastal break will be the choice for millions as the economic crisis hits home.
Which? Travel editor, Rory Boland, said: “The British seaside hasn’t boomed like this since the 1960s.
“Holidaymakers had such a fantastic time in their caravans, tents and beach lodges over the past two years that a coastal break on home shores is on the cards for many.
“Prices for a UK stay have increased, but there’s no need to pay over the odds. For a holiday on a budget, it’s best to aim for an off-season trip.”
Spectacular
More than 4,300 people rated coastal resorts in categories such as beach quality, the seafront, tourist attractions, food and drink, scenery, peace and quiet and value for money.
Bamburgh’s sweeping sandy beach, overlooked by a clifftop castle, was described as spectacular and imposing.
Budget-friendly Welsh resort Llandudno, where hotels cost an average of £95 a night, came second, with particular praise for the “incomparable” views of its Great Orme limestone headland.
Third-placed St Andrews, on the Fife coast, hosts Scotland’s oldest university, a worldfamous golf course and medieval streets to explore.
Dartmouth in Devon, which came joint fourth with Tenby, west Wales, scored five stars in the seafront category.
Folkestone, Kent, was the cheapest seaside destination, at £63 a night.
Fifty-one destinations scored 70 per cent or more overall.
But bigger resorts Skegness, in Lincs, Bognor Regis, West Sussex, Southend-on-Sea, Essex, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, and Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset, made up the bottom five – scoring no better than 51 per cent.