Britain’s best and worst seaside towns

[Steel Icarus]

I've lived there. It is the last resort. It's a shame because, years ago, it had potential that the council never did anything with it.

Cleethorpes is far nicer now than it was twenty years ago. Loads of nice places to eat as well as the usual chippies, arcades and seaside fayre. In recent years my family and I have often been along the prom, summer or winter, day or night

 

[Orang Utan]

It is... also if it hadn't have been for the fuck up of a year, I was going to see if you fancied a seaside outing! Next year?

Aye would love that!

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

Best beach in the South east imo West Wittering

Big problem with West Wittering is that it is too popular, often a solid queue from the A27 down to the car park in recent years, >2 hours and anyone who lives there is trapped. We went the week after lockdown was eased and you had to pre-book and
pay online before you went, we arrived just before midday and no queue at all, just a steady flow of cars. Dunno if that is virus related or just to make it better for the locals, but if the former they need to keep it in place, two years ago we went there on a really hot Father’s Day and the A27 was blocked, took over an hour from the A3 to the Wittering roundabout, we turned around and went to Hayling Island, park on the beach and no queue, pebbles but I’ll take that.

 

[ska invita]

Big problem with West Wittering is that it is too popular, often a solid queue from the A27 down to the car park in recent years, >2 hours and anyone who lives there is trapped. We went the week after lockdown was eased and you had to pre-book and
pay online before you went, we arrived just before midday and no queue at all, just a steady flow of cars. Dunno if that is virus related or just to make it better for the locals, but if the former they need to keep it in place, two years ago we went there on a really hot Father’s Day and the A27 was blocked, took over an hour from the A3 to the Wittering roundabout, we turned around and went to Hayling Island, park on the beach and no queue, pebbles but I’ll take that.

sounds shit, ive never had that problem but its a few years since ive been down there

 

[Bahnhof Strasse]

sounds shit, ive never had that problem but its a few years since ive been down there

Used to go regularly ‘back in the day’, but the last three or four years has been ridiculous, hopefully they’ll keep the booking system. The beach was still mobbed, especially when the tide came in. They have improved the cafe and bogs there too. We also go in the winter for the whippet walks around East Head....

 

[Streathamite]

Don't go to any Lincolnshire seaside towns. There's so much racism and dickhead attitudes in them it's virtually unbelievable.

Ironically, Jeffrey Archer represented....a Lincolnshire constituency!

 

[ska invita]

Used to go regularly ‘back in the day’, but the last three or four years has been ridiculous, hopefully they’ll keep the booking system. The beach was still mobbed, especially when the tide came in. They have improved the cafe and bogs there too. We also go in the winter for the whippet walks around East Head....

View attachment 224915View attachment 224916View attachment 224917View attachment 224918View attachment 224919View attachment 224920View attachment 224921View attachment 224922View attachment 224923

whippet walk looks the dogs

 

[Steel Icarus]

Quite a lot of good people, too. Almost like...everywhere!

 

[dessiato]

Cleethorpes is far nicer now than it was twenty years ago. Loads of nice places to eat as well as the usual chippies, arcades and seaside fayre. In recent years my family and I have often been along the prom, summer or winter, day or night

Quite a lot of good people, too. Almost like...everywhere!

I've not been since last December. It struck me then as a town grasping at the straws to keep what it might have been.

It's also the only time I've been mugged, once in Humberston, once at Sidney Park, and once in Top Town.

I've also suffered a lot of racist abuse there pretty much all of my life there.

 

[Elpenor]

My favourite is Thorpeness in Suffolk which is between Aldeburgh and Sizewell nuclear power station

A very unique place, spent a weekend there almost every year for about 15 years

 

[Puddy_Tat]

Bridlington?! I mean, it's better than Hornsea or Withernsea, but that's not saying much!

i had a brief flingette with someone who lived in withernsea.

i really can't remember a lot about him or withernsea...

 

[Celyn]

That's just something they're called? Landtrain/roadtrain as opposed to rail?

Well, I suppose there was Freddie Laker and his "Skytrain".

 

[passenger]

Aberystwyth is rather a nice place. middle of nowhere but such a picturesque place with lots of nice pubs

 

[Miss-Shelf]

I have spent weeks in Skegvegas, I worked for a year in Wainfleet.

What were you doing in wainfleet? It's in the middle of nowhere unless you were at the brewery?

 

[Miss-Shelf]

anyone ever been to littlehampton? i was thinking of exploring/walking that stretch between there and bognor

Yeah I've been a few times cos it's easy to get to on the train from london
Nice enough little town with some of the seaside malaise that all seaside have
Dunes or beach walk to climping (good seaside caff) good for swimming and wild camping

 

[AmateurAgitator]

Whatever you do avoid Dover. It has been described as the ulcered sphincter of Britian and deserves the reputation. There is nothing there of any real interest, and the people are truly awful. You have been warned.

 

[Sprocket.]

What were you doing in wainfleet? It's in the middle of nowhere unless you were at the brewery?

Contracting on and off for a year at a furniture manufacturer, now long gone I believe.
I used to lodge at The Cottage in Croft, also closed I heard.
The chip shop in Wainfleet was still coal fired when I last went. They used the chips to cool the pans down.
We used to stand on the factory roof and watch aircraft doing bombing practice near Gibraltar Point at RAF Wainfleet.

 

[cupid_stunt]

Big problem with West Wittering is that it is too popular, often a solid queue from the A27 down to the car park in recent years, >2 hours and anyone who lives there is trapped. We went the week after lockdown was eased and you had to pre-book and pay online before you went, we arrived just before midday and no queue at all, just a steady flow of cars. Dunno if that is virus related or just to make it better for the locals, but if the former they need to keep it in place, two years ago we went there on a really hot Father’s Day and the A27 was blocked, took over an hour from the A3 to the Wittering roundabout, we turned around and went to Hayling Island, park on the beach and no queue, pebbles but I’ll take that.

Yep, it was done due to Covid, it was in the news down here.

Normally on a 'peak day' they would see 5000 cars, that's limited to 2.500 now.

 

[Roadkill]

i had a brief flingette with someone who lived in withernsea.

i really can't remember a lot about him or withernsea...

I've heard it said that every town on the Yorkshire coast looks down on the one to the south. Whitby looks down on Scarborough, Scarborough looks down on Bridlington, Bridlington looks down on Hornsea, and they all look down on Withernsea! I can't say I'm very fond of the place, which has always looked to me like Hornsea without the good bits!

My favourite is Thorpeness in Suffolk which is between Aldeburgh and Sizewell nuclear power station

A very unique place, spent a weekend there almost every year for about 15 years

Now there's a poster who hasn't been seen for a long time. Welcome back!

 

[Sprocket.]

i had a brief flingette with someone who lived in withernsea.

i really can't remember a lot about him or withernsea...

I worked with a lad from Withernsea, he said the most exciting thing that happened in Withernsea was one winter when his dad retrieved a 45 gallon drum of creosote that had been washed up onto the beach.
Him and his dad spent several weekends creosoting all their neighbours and friends fencing and sheds for £30 a time. He said it was the best Christmas ever! The excitement is unimaginable.

 

[Sprocket.]

I've heard it said that every town on the Yorkshire coast looks down on the one to the south. Whitby looks down on Scarborough, Scarborough looks down on Bridlington, Bridlington looks down on Hornsea, and they all look down on Withernsea! I can't say I'm very fond of the place, which has always looked to me like Hornsea without the good bits!

I think the people in Filey look down on everyone, not just the Yorkshire Coast but everyone in the UK. Maybe Harrogate is exceptional to them.

 

[Chairman Meow]

I used to have a little stall selling seaside rock here when I was a teenager. The beaches are glorious, but the water was always bloody freezing. And Barry's amusements is closed, possibly forever, so that sucks. I'd pay a lot of money for a meal in the Ramore followed by a sesh in the Harbour Bar now though!

 

[seeformiles]

Bridlington rocks! Brid and Brighton are my two fave 'resorts' (as opposed to coastal places I like too - Whitby, Souhwold, etc)

And you can take the landtrain upto Sewerby Hall.

It's even got a fairground ride with Carl Cox on the artwork!

One of the highlights of any trip to the seaside for me is spotting the strange combinations of “celebs” painted on fairground rides. I once rode on a Waltzer with Mel B and Patrick Stewart (as Picard) on the side - both portraits nearly recognisable but just a wee bit off

 

[seeformiles]

I used to have a little stall selling seaside rock here when I was a teenager. The beaches are glorious, but the water was always bloody freezing. And Barry's amusements is closed, possibly forever, so that sucks. I'd pay a lot of money for a meal in the Ramore followed by a sesh in the Harbour Bar now though!View attachment 224942

Portrush! My fave as a kid and where my granny grew up. Harbour Bar (& Paul’s Bar) were frequent haunts in the 80s - plus the dubious delights of “Tracks Niteclub” by the station. Also gigged in the Northern Counties a few times before it burned down - happy days!

 

[brogdale]

Whatever you do avoid Dover. It has been described as the ulcered sphincter of Britian and deserves the reputation. There is nothing there of any real interest, and the people are truly awful. You have been warned.

Stonking castle.

 

[Chairman Meow]

Portrush! My fave as a kid and where my granny grew up. Harbour Bar (& Paul’s Bar) were frequent haunts in the 80s - plus the dubious delights of “Tracks Niteclub” by the station. Also gigged in the Northern Counties a few times before it burned down - happy days!

God Tracks was grim I was dragged to it a few times, most memorably when The Hit man and her' was being recorded. I was always more of a Kelly's girl though, especially the downstairs bit, although obviously once I was old enough to get in legally I was far too old for it! And don't you mean, when the Northern Counties was burned down in an insurance job?

 

[SpookyFrank]

Whatever you do avoid Dover. It has been described as the ulcered sphincter of Britian and deserves the reputation. There is nothing there of any real interest, and the people are truly awful. You have been warned.

You think Dover is the worst place in the world, but then you get to Calais. Small wonder we ended up letting the French keep the fucking place.

 

[brogdale]

Dover has never really established any cross-channel day-trip destination status like Calais, with Canterbury being just 15 mins up the A2.

 

[cyberfairy]

My parents live in Weston and I live near Morecambe- love a good shit seaside town. Morecambe has lovely views, an ace little market and is a pleasant place for a stroll along the prom. Weston is a strange place, lots of weird little shops and some 'interesting' people, near some lovely beaches and countryside, more great views and I miss it when I don't go there for a while. Went to Silloth the other day, that was a strange seaside town. I liked it but was one of those places where you can't use your card if spending under a fiver and the poshest place to eat was showing The Antiques Roadshow on a big screen and some old women ( the only people in there) were cross because the people on it weren't socially distancing. The episode was about five years old. There was also on of those great shops you get in ungentrified seaside towns which sell toilet seats, a strange brand of bargain make-up, cheap crisps in unpopular flavours and penny sweets.

 

[SpookyFrank]

Dover has never really established any cross-channel day-trip destination status like Calais, with Canterbury being just 15 mins up the A2.

A day trip to Calais is traditionally for booze and fags, not for sightseeing. Maybe if you're a big fan of nazi bunkers you could have a fun day out but other than that.