Picturesque village retains title as UK's best seaside resort for third year running

Towns and villages were judged on the quality of the beaches, food and drinks offerings, seafront, accommodation, tourist attractions, peace and quiet, shopping, scenery and value for money.

Bamburgh, renowned for its splendid castle set against a backdrop of stunning sandy shoreline, secured an impressive total score of 88 per cent.

Set atop a rocky outcrop of volcanic dolerite looking out over the North Sea, Bamburgh Castle remains the much-loved residence of the Armstrong family.

Bamburgh Castle plays host to weddings, events and self-catering holiday accommodation, as well as being used as a filming location for Stephen Spielberg’s Transformers: The Last Knight (2017), Elizabeth (1998) starring Cate Blanchett, and Michael Fassbender’s Macbeth (2015).

Second place went to Dartmouth in Devon, receiving a very respectable 85 per cent, thanks to its picture perfect town set on the banks of the River Dart.

With numerous festivals, events and rich maritime heritage, holidaymakers agreed that there is so much to see and do in Dartmouth.

Securing a score of 84 per cent in an impressive debut, Portstewart in Derry/Londonderry came third.

Skegness in Lincolnshire and Clacton-on-Sea shared the wooden spoon at 48 percent, pipped by Burnham-on-Sea in Somerset and Bangor in County Down which both scored 49 percent.

Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel, said: “Few countries can be home to such a diversity of brilliant seaside breaks as Britain.

"Whether you want world class beaches and utter wilderness or the bright lights and bucket and spade atmosphere of a resort, the UK has a seaside break made for you.

“What our survey shows is that it’s rarely the most famous destinations that visitors enjoy most.

“Try somewhere new this year and our survey shows you should find fewer crowds and better value."

Bolan defended some of the low-ranking resorts: “Clacton, Skegness and Southend all scored one star for the lack of peace and quiet, and some visitors complain that the boisterous atmosphere can tip into feeling unsafe.

“That’s a shame, because what [all three] offer is exactly the sort of seaside break many of us want. Big beaches, big entertainment and small prices.

“More should be done to help them level up and become first-class holiday resorts.”

Encapsulating the allure of Bamburgh, one visitor recounted the "super soft sand that stretches as far as the eye can see, and there is plenty of space, so the beach never feels crowded.”

Once the site of a Celtic fort, then an Anglo-Saxon stronghold, the Normans built the now Grade I listed Bamburgh Castle on the site before it fell into the hands of the English in 1095.

Bamburgh is one of the UK’s 46 areas of outstanding natural beauty.