The surprising seaside town you need to visit this summer

Photo credit: daverhead

As Brits, one of the things we love doing most, is packing up the car and heading to the seaside. Come rain or shine, we can't be deterred from sitting (or huddling, as the case may be) on the sands, tucking into a picnic and dipping our toes in the, often freezing, waters.

And luckily, since foreign travel still seems to have a question mark hanging over it, the UK has some of the most brilliant and beautiful seaside spots to offer, with many boasting picturesque coastal walks and traditional seafood delights.

The problem is, deciding which one to go to?

Ahead of the summer holiday season, Which? has asked readers to rate the beach, attractions, scenery and value for money for nearly 100 seaside towns and villages across the UK to help you decipher where to go. And the town that came out on top wasn't one of the usual suspects.

It was actually Bamburgh in Northumberland that topped the list. It's famous castle, walking trails and prize-winning sandy beach (which is often uncrowded) helping it secure first place.

In fact, Which? refer to it as 'the British seaside at its low-key best': '[There's] nothing to do here except walk, run, let the dog off the lead, or sit behind a windbreak with a Thermos and watch the waves roll in.'

Photo credit: P A Thompson

Several spots on the Welsh coast and Scottish Highlands also made it into the top 10.

Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, said: 'Many of us discovered the joy of a British summer holiday last year and the trend looks set to continue well into this summer. ‘The results of our survey show that bigger is rarely better, with smaller and less crowded resorts taking the top spots over better-known destinations.'

You can see the full top 10 below:

1. Bamburgh, Northumberland

2. Dartmouth, Devon

3. Tynemouth, Tyne and Wear

4. St Andrews, Fife

5. Aberaeon, Ceredigon

6. North Berwick, East Lothian

7. Rye, East Sussex

8. Filey, North Yorkshire

9. Southwold, Suffolk

10. St Davids, Pembrokeshire

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