Our look at seaside resorts in Great Britain continues with eight more interesting towns. What started with mainstays Blackpool and Brighton, the twin poster children of British seaside resorts, rolls on with some recognizable gems and others that may be new to readers. They all of course, have one thing in common: enduring coastal appeal to day-tripping and weekend-vacationing Britons in search of a much-needed break from the daily grind.
The small fishing port of Newquay sits in one of the most intriguing parts of England: namely, the Cornwall Atlantic coast. The seaside destinations story is no different from the others on our list, in that the development of the railway enabled it to attract visitors and flourish. Still, with only 20,000 permanent residents, Newquay has remained positively quaint. The summer population does soar to more than five times that number however. Fistral Beach is a magnet for surfers and Newquay’s nightlife is popular with nearby city-dwellers.
Check out great hotel rates for Newquay.
The North Yorkshire town of Scarborough, home to some 50,000 people, has a rich history, in addition to a beautiful hillside location on the North Sea. Far more than just a seaside resort town, Scarborough certainly fills the description well enough, what with the plethora of arcades, shops, theatres and old-school attractions scattered about the waterfront. The Scarborough Spa Complex was once the ultra-trendy destination of the affluent, who came for the curative powers of the area’s natural spring waters. The 12th century ruins of Scarborough Castle sit on a dramatic promontory, near the quaint Old Town district.
The tiny hamlet of Southwold is home to under 2,000 people but has grown in popularity over the years as a trendy spot in which to purchase a second home, either for retirement or as a weekend beach house. The town has the good fortune of being part of the Suffolk Coast and Heaths, one of many “Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty” in the United Kingdom. The Southwold Pier, Church of St. Edmund and family home of George Orwell are the most notable attractions.
Torbay is splendidly located in a little nook in southwest England between Exeter and Plymouth. Well-protected geographically from the worst types of weather, clement conditions and fine beaches make it a popular spot. Agatha Christie and Rudyard Kipling are two famous former literary residents in this town of 134,000. The brilliant English Riviera Geopark is the premier attraction in Torbay.
With over 70,000 inhabitants, Weston-super-Mare is a sizable resort town on the attractive Bristol Channel coast in North Somerset. A product of Victorian England’s obsession with seaside retreats, Weston has a wide, expansive beach and a wonderful natural attraction in Ellenborough Park. Writer Roald Dahl is a famous former resident and allusions to Weston can be found in his books.
On the Lincolnshire coast of the North Sea, Skegness has been a seaside resort since the late 19th century, thanks to the efforts of none other than Thomas Cook. Though not nearly as popular with the industrial class from the English Midlands as in Cook’s time, “Skeggy” still draws a fair share of summer visitors to a slew of seaside arcades, fish-and-chip shops and pubs.
The Isle of Thanet has a veritable gem in Broadstairs. The East Kent resort town, a mere 76 mile trip from London, features beautiful Viking Bay, frequent source of inspiration for everyone from Charles Dickens to the BBC. Dickens wrote David Copperfield from an idyllic perch in Bleak House, in plain sight of what is now a Blue Flag-designated beach.
Where the River Mey meets the English Channel, you will find the pretty seaside resort of Weymouth. With a long history that dates back to the 12th century, the town in Dorset has over 50,000 inhabitants. The UNESCO World Heritage Jurassic Coast is a short hop away from Weymouth’s gorgeous beachfront esplanade, with many notable architectural highlights in and around town. Come at the height of summer however and everyone’s on the beach.
Photo credits: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8
Responses to this Article
Leave a Reply