The UK's 'best' beach that's one of the most popular - but some say is 'overrated'

The UK's "best" beach is located in an iconic spot that attracts huge numbers of visitors every summer. However, not everyone is a fan and some people call it "overrated", offering other nearby alternatives that people might want to visit instead. The beach comes out on top as the UK's best based on thousands upon thousands of TripAdvisor reviews. While a huge number of people adore this iconic place, others see it as rather overhyped.

The beach in question is Brighton beach, located on England's south coast. This won't come as a surprise to many, as the iconic beach, with its busy pier and many seaside attractions, is a go-to sunny day destination for many Brits, particularly those in the south of the country. Brighton takes TripAdvisor's top spot on the list of the best beaches in the UK based on more than 4,000 reviews.

There is an impressive four miles of seafront in Brighton and Hove but all of the main fun is centred around Brighton pier, with its array of bars and restaurants and of course, the many amusements.

The beach, meanwhile, is a pebble beach where you will find huge crowds of people on a hot summer's day. Brighton has received excellent reviews from visitors, both from the UK and abroad. However, the crowds and prices aren't for everyone's liking, and some people go as far as to call Brighton "overrated".

One Tripadvisor reviewer wrote: "Pretty overrated and disappointing. The pier, you have to pay to go on then the arcades are pretty crap with the kids loving the teddy bear machines which is 50p a pop where every other beach town is 20p." They added: "Go to Hastings, a lot better."

Another person, who called it "overrated and run down", said: "Scarborough, Blackpool and Weston-super-mare all similar but are cleaner, cheaper and better places to visit. Even Blackpool has a decent pier for the kids. Brighton pier is run down and a mega rip off."

On Reddit, people had similar sentiments. One person wrote: "Southsea is far, far better than Brighton imo [in my opinion]. [I] lived in Brighton for 3 years, and there are aspects of Brighton beach that are great (the bars and places in the arches that go directly onto the beach are awesome) but overall I always thought Brighton beach itself was a bit boring, and having a main road running alongside it doesn't help."

Another agreed and said: "Brighton is overly busy and congested, hilly as f**k which isn’t great if you’re asthmatic."

However, others adore Brighton beach and had overwhelmingly positive things to say about it. One TripAdvisor reviewer wrote: "We've visited many times over the years. Brighton beach is always a family favourite: it's relaxing, peaceful and full of entertainment in all the right places."

A second wrote: "The beach is stony but it’s still gorgeous. Nice for a walk and stopping at one of the beachfront bars. Always lively and plenty going on."

A third said: "There is so much to do and see and eat on this beach! It’s great for all sorts of activities, shopping, meandering, drinking."

While Brighton beach takes the top spot in TripAdvisor's list of the best beaches in the UK, Bournemouth Beach comes in second place. Third place goes to Camber Sands, also located on the south coast of the country.

The rest of the top ten is made up of Weymouth Beach, Gorleston-on-Sea Beach, Filey Beach, Fistral Beach, Rhossili Beach, Woolacombe Beach and Scarborough Beach.