This East Devon beach town ranked one of the BEST in the UK

A seaside town in Devon has officially been ranked among the best in the country.

Sidmouth came in at 22nd out of 135 UK coastal destinations in Which? Travel’s annual seaside towns survey for 2026. The rankings are based on the opinions of over 5,000 Which? Connect members, covering almost 12,000 actual visits, so this is a large, real-world sample!

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How Sidmouth scored

Sidmouth earned a 75% overall destination score, with 4 out of 5 stars across several key categories:

Beach
Seafront and pier
Scenery
Shopping

The UK’s overall winner was Bamburgh in Northumberland, followed by Tynemouth and St Andrews.

Sidmouth wasn’t the only Devon town to make the cut either, Woolacombe, Appledore, Salcombe, Brixham and Exmouth all featured in the wider rankings too.

Why Sidmouth deserves the recognition

Visit Devon describes Sidmouth as a “delightfully charming town tucked beneath red-cliffed horizons on the spectacular Jurassic Coast”. The town sits beneath dramatic red sandstone cliffs, with a long Regency-era seafront that feels utterly unspoiled compared to some busier Devon resorts!

Even Poet Laureate John Betjeman was a fan, once describing Sidmouth as “a town caught still in a timeless charm,” and praising its “elegant gardens, long promenade, and Regency-era hotels.”

I’ve written before about the best things to do in Sidmouth, and what I think sets it apart is how little it’s changed in character over the years. There’s no overdevelopment here! You’ll find a quaint pebble beach, pretty gardens, and a town centre that’s full of local shops.

How the rankings were worked out

Which? explained its methodology as follows:

“We gathered the opinions of thousands of Which? Connect panel members about their recent trips to UK seaside towns. To calculate overall customer scores, we asked the members whether they recommend the town and how satisfied they were with their trip. We also asked about specific aspects of the towns, such as the beach or the scenery, to calculate star ratings.”

Rory Boland, editor of Which? Travel, added: “It’s not just one writer’s opinion on where is best, but the opinions of more than 5,000 people. With so many respondents, we get a truly objective view of the best, and worst, seaside towns in the UK.”

What do you think, does Sidmouth deserve its spot in the rankings, and which other Devon seaside town would you have put higher? Let me know in the comments below.