Despite the disappointing weather so far this summer, there is a glimmer of hope for sun in the second half of July and a mini heatwave due soon.
With sunny days on the horizon, many Brits will be gearing up for a seaside day out, complete with fish and chips. But which seaside locations in the UK offer the best value?
To find out, Compare the Market has ranked popular UK seaside destinations based on a variety of important factors, including the cost of a meal out and drinks, the price of parking, and how much sunshine they get.
The study also analysed Google search data to reveal which beaches are the most popular in the UK.
So, how did the UK seaside spots fair overall?
Lowestoft is the cheapest seaside location for a day out, with a meal out costing just £5.50 on average. Lowestoft in East Suffolk offers the cheapest day out at the seaside, with relatively low costs across the board.
A meal out costs an average of just £5.50, which is cheaper than any other seaside town on the list, and six hours of parking adds up to only £3.15 on average.
Plus, the town is renowned for being the most easterly town in the UK, making it the first place to see the sunrise. So, you’re in for a treat if you’re lucky enough to get there bright and early.
The second-most affordable seaside spot for a day out is Margate in Kent, with a pint of beer costing just £3.18 on average – 61 percent cheaper than the national average.
On top of that, Margate gets more sun than most other seaside locations in the UK, averaging 10.1 hours in the summer.
Bexhill in East Sussex rounds out the top three, offering cheap coffee coming in at £3, beer costing £4.54 and parking setting you back £3.43.
However, Barry in Wales offers the most affordable parking out of all seaside locations in the UK, with six hours of parking in the summer costing just £2.50 on average.
Lowestoft comes in second with parking costs of £3.15 for six hours, followed by Bexhill (£3.43) and Wallasey (£4.27).
Bournemouth is home to the most popular beach in the UK, with an average of 74,000 Google searches per month.
This is followed by Brighton, earning on average 49,500 searches each month, Margate with 27,100, and Weymouth with 22,200.