Britain’s best and worst seaside towns

[kebabking]

We really like Weymouth - fantastic, huge beach, a proper town, a really gorgeous and working harbour, northe fort, and Portland...

Brilliant countryside in the doorstep, Dorchester is about 5 miles away, and Corfe, Salisbury, and Bridport beyond that.

Anyone who couldn't have a fun, interesting family holiday in/around Weymouth has, to be frank, got something wrong with them.

 

[Roadkill]

Anyone mention Weymouth? I had some nice holidays there as a kid, but can't remember much!

Yup, I like Weymouth. I've family in Dorchester so used to spend days on the beach there, and back in the early 90s my cousins and I did an RYA course in Weymouth Bay. It was a great place to sail, although when the wind was from the west we were warned to watch for the 'King Street blast' - the wind funnelling down King Street which on a blowy day was strong enough to give an inexperienced dinghy sailor a fright. I don't remember so much about the town itself, although that's mainly because my experience of it as an adult was always messy pub crawls...

 

[Saffy]

Weymouth is gorgeous. I've had many happy holidays around there. I used to love seeing what the sandman had made, he was brilliant.

 

[chainsawjob]

I have to say Great Yarmouth doesn't have a lot to recommend it, and I felt bad cos I was being shown around by someone who lives there (this was a few days ago). The pier and the town had the air of somewhere struggling desperately. It was sad and windswept. The beach and seafront are huge, empty and bleak, huge empty vistas. Many buildings have seen better days, and the shops all look like they're about to go under. Bleak times. That was the impression I got anyway. Maybe I missed the nicer bits.

My favourite seaside town in Penzance. It feels like a real place, with real people living and working there, not all tourist stuff. The harbour has fishing boats, and the ferry to Scilly (and is the best place to eat fish and chips). The town is pleasingly hilly, with narrow backstreets full of character, lovely old buildings, and a high street that isn't just chain stores. It has nice botanical gardens. Views of St Michael's Mount across the bay. Pirate-ey pubs. Lovely helpful GP surgery (I got a poorly thumb whilst there). Good sailing (did a week there in a sailing comp many moons ago). Nice houses. There seems to be interesting things going on, arty stuff, gigs, local bands, some political stuff I noticed. It doesn't seem completely second home territory.

2nd favourite, Whitby. Harbour again, a working place. Abbey, hilly too, nice streets, great fish and chips, and local beer. Jet museum. History. Stone. Only spent a day there though, so not as familiar with it as Penzance.

There may be some similarities in my favourite sort of seaside towns

 

[chainsawjob]

I was in W-o-S yesterday! I shall go back for fish and chips.

I did, they were good. Lovely people too.

There may be a fish and chip theme to my favourite seaside places

 

[Roadkill]

I have to say Great Yarmouth doesn't have a lot to recommend it, and I felt bad cos I was being shown around by someone who lives there (this was a few days ago). The pier and the town had the air of somewhere struggling desperately. It was sad and windswept. The beach and seafront are huge, empty and bleak, huge empty vistas. Many buildings have seen better days, and the shops all look like they're about to go under. Bleak times. That was the impression I got anyway. Maybe I missed the nicer bits.

I doubt it. I go to Yarmouth from time to time since my brother doesn't live so far away, and it's a sad place these days. Brilliant fish and chips, though.

 

[chainsawjob]

it's a sad place these days.

I used to go as a kid, we stayed in a holiday camp along the coast at Hopton, I expect it was a bit more lively then, but I can't remember much. I almost took a picture of the bill for the acts playing the pier (if they're going ahead, which I guess they're probably not), it was very faded grandeur.

 

[Steel Icarus]

Scarborough was always magical to me.

 

[brogdale]

Spent a rather perfect day, yesterday, on the beach at Kemptown, a little village on the outskirts of Brighthelmstone. A 3 swim day (the sea tempt was well nice...felt like 19c ish) and then up into the shade of Queens Park. Perfick.

 

[Roadkill]

One that's not been mentioned on the thread: Salcombe.

Happy memories of many a childhood holiday here, and I still go for the odd day out when I'm down in the south-west. It's a beautiful place.

Obviously it's second-home and holiday-let central, and like a lot of such places the locals have been completely priced out of town. I remember my dad asking pointed questions about what it was actually like to live in one time when we were there in the mid-80s, and later he let on that he'd been thinking about applying for the parish, which was vacant at the time. Eventually he decided that a town that was practically dead for several months of the year, had serious problems of poverty and its inevitable consequences in the estates the tourists don't visit, and where he'd be referred to as 'padre' by retired naval types in the yacht club wasn't really his scene. I do sometimes wonder how differently life might have turned out had he decided to go for it...

 

[BoatieBird]

I was just coming here to post about Salcome Roadkill.
I love it down there, but it does get a bit rammed in peak season.
This popped up on my fb memories this morning:
Sunny Cove, on the other (quieter) side of the estuary

 

[brogdale]

One that's not been mentioned on the thread: Salcombe.

Happy memories of many a childhood holiday here, and I still go for the odd day out when I'm down in the south-west. It's a beautiful place.

Obviously it's second-home and holiday-let central, and like a lot of such places the locals have been completely priced out of town. I remember my dad asking pointed questions about what it was actually like to live in one time when we were there in the mid-80s, and later he let on that he'd been thinking about applying for the parish, which was vacant at the time. Eventually he decided that a town that was practically dead for several months of the year, had serious problems of poverty and its inevitable consequences in the estates the tourists don't visit, and where he'd be referred to as 'padre' by retired naval types in the yacht club wasn't really his scene. I do sometimes wonder how differently life might have turned out had he decided to go for it...

Stayed there once; entitled middle-class second homer central.
Awful people.

 

[Roadkill]

Stayed there once; entitled middle-class second homer central.
Awful people.

I think that was probably my dad's main reason for not taking it tbh. We did end up moving to the seaside, but a scruffy town on the Yorkshire coast which had all the same social problems as Salcombe but little of the affluence. That doesn't bother him, whereas the 'upper class twits' (his words) would have tried his patience!

 

[BoatieBird]

Yes, I agree Roadkill and brogdale it's full of posh twats.
We've been a couple of times but always stayed (in our caravan) on the other side of the estuary, I don't think I could stomach staying in Salcombe itself.

I sent that photo to Mr B earlier with a message saying 'I'd love to be in Sunny Cove right now', and he replied with 'only if we can go early before all the toffs get there'

 

[Saffy]

We used to go to Salcombe in the early 80's and I remember it to be beautiful. I loved getting the water taxi and going crabbing.
I tried to recreate the holidays with my own children and it had changed so much and didn't have the same feel to it.

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Yes, I agree Roadkill and brogdale it's full of posh twats.
We've been a couple of times but always stayed (in our caravan) on the other side of the estuary, I don't think I could stomach staying in Salcombe itself.

I sent that photo to Mr B earlier with a message saying 'I'd love to be in Sunny Cove right now', and he replied with 'only if we can go early before all the toffs get there'

There are so many brilliant beaches in that part of Devon that there really is no need for Salcombe.

 

[Roadkill]

Yes, I agree Roadkill and brogdale it's full of posh twats.
We've been a couple of times but always stayed (in our caravan) on the other side of the estuary, I don't think I could stomach staying in Salcombe itself.

Oh we did; often in a flat above a cafe by the quay, right in the middle of town. This was in the 80s, though, and although it was fairly posh then it's become a lot more so since. We went there on holiday because we couldn't afford to go abroad, so it wasn't unaffordable back then.

That said, I do remember sitting on a wall by the little car park watching two hilariously stereotypical posh twats arguing over a parking space. IIRC it ended up with one threatening to run the other over, at which point he just walked into the middle of the space and went 'come on then!'

 

[ska invita]

the beach at Kemptown, a little village on the outskirts of Brighthelmstone.

sounds like a quaint spot...hopefully not too many people will cotton on to it and spoil it

 

[SpookyFrank]

We nearly moved to Teignmouth last week, before realising it would be a horrible commute to my work from there.

 

[chainsawjob]

Fowey and Rock are two places in Cornwall I've stayed near and associate with posh twats. Both times we luckily stayed in other places and only visited (Polruan near Fowey, and in the countryside outside Rock, not in Rock itself). Polruan was very nice.

 

[Sprocket.]

We really liked Crantock in Cornwall, had some lovely camping holidays there.
Although the riptide was bad.

 

[eatmorecheese]

Another vote for Croyde. And Saunton, very pretty round there.

North Norfolk is great too. Borth of Caister (Winterton, Happisburgh), great dog walking, seal and bird spotting...

 

[ska invita]

We really liked Crantock in Cornwall, had some lovely camping holidays there.
Although the riptide was bad.

that looks great! Up the coast Widemouth Beach is quite spectacular, though a bit more obvious

i nearly died in a riptide on Welcombe Mouth Beach (N Devon)...wasn't that far out, everything was going fine and seemed utterly normal, then all of a sudden found myself being dragged out to sea - by swimming really hard I could just about stay in the same spot though not really...5 minutes of panic and then all of a sudden got out of the rip and could swim back to shore. That felt doomed that day - thats a really isolated beach and by the time anyone could raise alarm etc I doubt Id have made it. I was utterly shattered after that brief few minutes. Lesson learned.

 

[SpookyFrank]

Another vote for Croyde. And Saunton, very pretty round there.

North Norfolk is great too. Borth of Caister (Winterton, Happisburgh), great dog walking, seal and bird spotting...

Saunton is good because it's a big beach with a small car park so it never gets overrun.

Fun fact: it's also where they shot the cover photo for Pink Floyd's A Momentary Lapse of Reason.

 

[seeformiles]

Just got back from a few days in Morecambe, with a view to moving there soon. The West End is desperately faded and grim, but for some reason I quite like it. Locals kept telling us that as soon as Eden Project North is built it'll revitalize the whole area, I kind of hope they're right but I doubt it somehow. I think we will move there - relatively cheap housing, proximity to the Lake District, good birdwatching area, good cycling, evening strolls along the promenade, plus Lancaster looks an interesting place!

I’m quite fond of Morecambe but haven’t been in about 10 years. Went there with Mrs SFM to go to a vintage fair near the Midland Hotel. While the sea front is pretty shabby I can see the potential that a bit of investment could realise. There was a fantastic 2nd hand bookshop on the front - everything piled high with categories bleeding into each other at the whim of the chatty (& rather eccentric) owner. I got a great 60s paperback of “Girl on a Motorcycle” there. Hope it’s still trading.

 

[chainsawjob]

i nearly died in a riptide on Welcombe Mouth Beach (N Devon)...wasn't that far out, everything was going fine and seemed utterly normal, then all of a sudden found myself being dragged out to sea - by swimming really hard I could just about stay in the same spot though not really...5 minutes of panic and then all of a sudden got out of the rip and could swim back to shore. That felt doomed that day - thats a really isolated beach and by the time anyone could raise alarm etc I doubt Id have made it. I was utterly shattered after that brief few minutes. Lesson learned.

Yikes.

I've had a few camping holidays in and around Welcombe, lovely area. I didn't know about rip tides then, but have been aware of them in Norfolk. Duck Pool was another beach we liked near Welcombe, rather unforgiving jaggedy rocks on those beaches. Done body boarding there.

 

[ska invita]

I’m quite fond of Morecambe but haven’t been in about 10 years. Went there with Mrs SFM to go to a vintage fair near the Midland Hotel. While the sea front is pretty shabby I can see the potential that a bit of investment could realise. There was a fantastic 2nd hand bookshop on the front - everything piled high with categories bleeding into each other at the whim of the chatty (& rather eccentric) owner. I got a great 60s paperback of “Girl on a Motorcycle” there. Hope it’s still trading.

Stopped at Morecambe for a couple of hours...definitely has its charms, a memorable view! that lump with the lake district up to the north - but it was pretty exposed, windswept and grey on the day I was there, and I expect it would be only a handful of days that you can catch it in full sunny uplands mode

 

[oryx]

Fowey and Rock are two places in Cornwall I've stayed near and associate with posh twats. Both times we luckily stayed in other places and only visited (Polruan near Fowey, and in the countryside outside Rock, not in Rock itself). Polruan was very nice.

Yes, not keen on North Cornwall due to said posh twats. Some friends live near Launceston and we've stayed with them and been to Padstow, Port Isaac etc on day trips.

Nothing like being served overpriced bad food by a dozy posh kid on a gap yah...

Love most of the rest of Cornwall though.

 

[seeformiles]

Stopped at Morecambe for a couple of hours...definitely has its charms, a memorable view! that lump with the lake district up to the north - but it was pretty exposed, windswept and grey on the day I was there, and I expect it would be only a handful of days that you can catch it in full sunny uplands mode

We caught it on a blazing hot day - probably very lucky from what you say. Brilliant view - esp. sat on this little pier getting stoned as the sun went down . Here’s Mrs SFM posing with Eric:

 

[ska invita]

Spent the day in Worthing/Goring. Beach mainly but caught a glimpse of the town. Really impressed tbh