Best and Worst UK Seaside Towns for 2026

People like going to the seaside. Many seaside towns will be busy because of hot weather and school holidays.
A magazine asked over 5,300 people about their seaside experiences. They asked about beaches, scenery, food, and more.
The results had some surprises, but the top town stayed the same.
Tynemouth in the North East did well.
Bamburgh in Northumberland is the best seaside town with 84%. It has a big coastline and a castle. One visitor said it's still very nice.
The North East did well in the rankings. Tynemouth came second with 82%. It has a great seafront and good food.
St Andrews in Scotland came third with 81%. Crail in Fife also did well.
Some classic seaside towns did not do well. Margate and Newquay had low scores.
Newquay has nice beaches but not much else for tourists. It's a bit run down.
Newquay's beaches are nice but the town is not.
Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft did not do well. Bognor Regis was the worst seaside town.
Bognor Regis scored very low. Visitors said it needs investment and feels neglected.
The editor of Which? Travel said the North East has great beaches and is good value for money.
There are nice seaside towns all over the UK. You can have a great time and save money in lesser-known places.
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