Filey in Top Ten British Seaside Resorts

Filey is Britain's 8th best seaside town in a new poll from the consumer group Which.

The resort gets an 80% customer satisfaction score in the survey.

Saltburn is 19th, Whitby 22nd and Robin Hoods Bay 29th, Scarborough is 64th.

Visitors ranked almost 100 areas, on things like seafronts and piers, food and drink, and accommodation.

Bamburgh in Northumberland topped the poll. It slipped from its first place ranking last year, but reclaimed the top spot after receiving a customer score of 85 per cent, and five stars for its beaches, tourist attractions and scenery. It received an additional five stars for value for money, with prices for accommodation being half those of some popular spots in Cornwall.

Visitors were particularly fond of the castle, and despite the small size of Bamburgh village, the vastness of its beach meant it received four stars for peace and quiet, allowing visitors to easily distance themselves and avoid busy crowds.

Tynemouth, in Tyne & Wear, took joint second place alongside Dartmouth in Devon. Both received a visitor score of 84 per cent, and five stars for their seafronts, while Tynemouth was given five stars for its beach and seafront, and four stars for scenery.

Visitors to Tynemouth praised the selection and quality of restaurants and food options on offer, as well as the market at the Metro station at weekends, while those who had been to Dartmouth recommended taking a boat trip along the River Dart or the steam train from Paignton to get there.

In third place – and taking the title of Scotland’s best beach town – was St Andrews. Busier than some of the other destinations at the top of the table, the “home of golf” earned its high ranking perhaps thanks to its five-star rated tourist attractions as well as its shopping options, which received four stars. It also received four stars for beaches and value for money. Those looking to beat the crowds were advised by respondents to visit outside of term time, when fewer students of its famous university are around.

Aberaeron was ranked fourth and named the best seaside town in Wales, with a customer score of 82 per cent. The quiet harbour town was given five stars for its scenery, with visitors commenting fondly on the painted houses in pastel colours. It also received four stars for peace and quiet – likely due to it being a little harder to reach than more popular tourist locations further down the coast in Pembrokeshire.

At the other end of the table, with a customer score of 48 per cent, was Skegness. The seaside town was also rated bottom by visitors last year, but its score has improved slightly as a result of investment and refurbishment in the town centre and higher footfall, with more people holidaying in Great Britain than abroad last summer. And while it only received one star for its tourist attractions and scenery, its beach was still given three stars.

Respondents recognised the family-friendly appeal of Skegness and its amusements, while one commenter described it as “unpretentious and a very pleasant place to visit”, and encouraged visitors to “enjoy the old fashioned 1950s atmosphere of a traditional English seaside town”.

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.

“Given the crowds and prices at some of Britain’s most popular seaside destinations, the best news from the survey is just how many highly-rated destinations we have to choose from. Whether you want a village with a beach or a big town with all the fish and chips you can eat, there is a fantastic spot by the sea for you.

“Do your research and look beyond the big name destinations – and most importantly, book with a reputable provider with a generous flexible booking policy.”

View the full results: http://which.co.uk/bestseaside