Little seaside town named best in the UK beating Cornwall, Dorset and Devon

A charming seaside village has been crowned the best in the UK, surprisingly surpassing areas in the South of England that are commonly known as popular coastal tourist destinations. Consumer champion Which? surveyed almost 5,000 of its members and found that "holidaymakers prefer the unspoilt beaches, gorgeous scenery and peace and quiet of North East England, Wales and Scotland.

Renowned for its scenic beauty, peace and quiet, and timeless appeal, this small coastal gem takes the title for the fourth year in a row, beating more than 120 other UK towns and villages in the ranking. The winner: Bamburgh, a little Northumberland village with a population of around 400 people.

Each coastal town and village was ranked on hotel prices, seafront, beaches, tourist attractions, scenery, peace and quiet, shopping, parking, accommodation, value for money and then received an overall destination score.

According to the watchdog, "Bamburgh received the full five-star ratings for its beach, seafront, scenery, tourist attractions, and peace and quiet.

"It also clinched an outstanding 86% overall destination score. Visitors loved the spectacular views of Bamburgh Castle, standing guard on a rocky outcrop above miles of sand and windswept dunes."

Bamburgh is famous for its history, with the Bamburgh Castle sitting 150 feet above the stunning coastline. The castle is dubbed "England's finest coastal fortress" and was built in the 11th century.

According to Visit Bamburgh, the castle was bought by the First Lord Armstrong in 1894 and is still owned by the Armstrong family. The castle also serves as a backdrop in the Netflix series The Last Kingdom.

The little village boasts a stunning, pristine beach with golden sands. "The water temperatures don’t really get particularly warm, even in the height of summer.

"But in the milder months of the year, children enjoy playing in the waves, and the sand is good for building sandcastles and playing beach games," shared holiday experts at the Beach Guide.

The beach has received an impressive 4.3 bubbles on TripAdvisor with one happy visitor stating: "We visited Bamburgh beach on our way back south to Whitby. Lovely little town with a nice walks along the coastline and beach. Good views of the outside of the castle can be had from all around. Parking at the castle is expensive so park in the local streets and walk."

Another person commented: "Just wow. Parked down Wynding Road and walked straight out on this incredible beach. It stretches for miles with virtually no one on the beach. The sand and dunes are stunning and so lovely to walk on. No real facilities but that perhaps keeps a few away. So great."

The five highest-rated seaside towns are spread across the North East of England, Wales, and Scotland. Wales made a strong showing overall, with three towns, Portmeirion, St Davids, and Llandudno, securing spots in the top 10.

Notably, several of the UK’s more traditional seaside resorts fared poorly. There were no Cornish towns featured in the top 15, whilst other popular destinations such as Blackpool, Clacton, Bognor Regis, and Southend all ranked near the bottom of the list.

Even well-known destinations like Bournemouth and Brighton ranked in the middle. However, the worst-ranked coastal town is Bangor in Wales, with an overall destination score of 42%.