This seaside town in Essex is one of the sunniest beach destinations in the UK – it’s also complete with Victorian-style beach huts and free from noisy arcades
Professional sunbathers should have this UK destination at the top of their travel itinerary. A new survey has revealed this seaside town as the “sunniest” beach destination in the country.
The UK’s consumer champion Which? has named the sunniest beach spots in the UK, and Frinton-on-Sea topped the list. According to the data, the seaside town in Essex had the most hours of sunshine – six hours each day.
Frinton also has average high temperatures of 21C in August and water temperatures of around 18C. It comes after an exciting heatwave forecast with maps revealing the exact date a 39C heat plume will scorch the UK. The seaside town was also one of the UK’s driest towns, with an average rainfall in August of just 45mm. Essex coast as a whole is the driest part of the UK, in fact.
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Unlike many other UK beaches, Frinton-on-Sea has no pier and arcades, though that’s part of its appeal for some travellers. One visitor commented on TripAdvisor: “We’ve been coming here for over five years now. For us, a day at Frinton-On-Sea is a perfect way to spend a British summer’s day at the beach.”
They continued: “No fairground rides, no arcade machines, no loud music, no food or drink kiosks. It’s just an incredible stretch of sea and sand.” That said, Frinton got a one-star on Which?’s survey for tourist attractions in general, so you may want to bring a book or other form of entertainment.
If you get desperate though, there are amusement arcades and more pubs and chip shops in Clacton-on-Sea which is only a 20-minute drive up the coast.
Other beach towns in the Which? annual survey, including Bamburgh in Northumberland, St Andrews in Scotland, and Tynemouth in Tyne and Wear, had higher destination scores than Frinton’s 73%, but are unlikely to be as sunny and warm.
For instance, Bamburgh has average highs of 18°C and a chilly North Sea temperature of 14°C in August. According to Which? Frinton hasn’t changed drastically since Edwardian times. There’s still only one pub, and the town didn’t get a fish and chip shop until the 1990s.
The distinct charm of Frinton comes from “the broad, pristine sands which back on to the grassy Greensward rather than the more typical ice cream vendors or chip shops” says Which? The Victorian-style beach huts add an extra element of nostalgia.
If you’re keen to explore more of the area around Frinton, Colchester is just 15 miles away and a short distance from the town of Harwich, which boasts a beautiful beach and its own coastal town.
Highest rated beach towns by region
- Scotland – St. Andrews
- North East England – Bamburgh
- East England – Frinton-on-Sea
- South East England – Dungeness
- South West England – Sidmouth
- Wales – Tenby
- North West England – Lytham St Annes
- Northern Ireland – Portstewart