List of 'prettiest' British seaside towns includes North Wales community with Med like waters

North Wales Live

26-04-2025

A list has been drawn up of the prettiest seaside towns in Britain. Time Out created the 21 strong table (full list below) with quite the choice given that Great Britain is a three nation island.
There were two places in Wales on the list with one in Gwynedd and the other in Ceredigion.
Time Out said: "If you're dreaming of finding sand in your shoes after a long day out and queuing too long for ice cream, then you could do a lot worse than venturing out of the city and planning a trip to one of the UK's seemingly endless coastal towns. This is an island nation, after all, which means it's packed with rugged cliffs and windswept headlands as well as quaint fishing villages and shoreline surf spots.
"We might not have the sunkissed weather of our European neighbours, but when it comes to costal charm, the UK ticks a hell of a lot of boxes. Planning a trip to the seaside? Check out our list of the best coastal towns in the country, from Scotland to Cornwall."
The North Wales selection that the cut was Nefyn on the Llyn Peninsula - with judges also including Morfa Nefyn and Porthdinllaen in their considerations. Its standout features were its "extreme isolation" and "surprisingly blue waters" - with this part of the country looking like the Med when the sun shines.
Time Out said: "The Llŷn Peninsula is where you go in Wales if you really want to get away from it all. But if you don't want to do away with human company altogether, we'd suggest staying in Nefyn: a small town and community that stretches out to nearby Edern and Morfa Nefyn.
"The main draw here is the Morfa beach – a sandy stretch complete with pretty pub and whitewashed cottages. The town itself is a brilliant base for hikers with their sights set on nearby Eryri (Snowdonia)."
While the beach is stunning their top tip was a trek up to the Tre'r Ceiri hillfort, on Yr Eifl hills. It's one of the best-preserved Iron Age settlements in the UK.
The other Welsh seaside community among the top 21 was Aberaeron. They called it "foodie central, with a weird thing for honey".
On why to go there, Time Out said: "Three reasons: the buildings, the ice cream and the dolphins. Roughly halfway between Aberystwyth and Cardigan, on Wales's west coast, Aberaeron's harbourside is ringed with beautiful Georgian houses – like especially radiant gems on a fairly everyday necklace.
"The town is perhaps best known for its honey ice cream, the most delicious of which you'll find at restaurant The Hive, but it's also a prime spot for seafood and afternoon tea and cake – making it the ideal pitstop on your way up the Wales Coast Path."
The full list:
Margate (Kent)
Brighton (East Sussex)
Whitby (Yorkshire)
North Berwick (Scotland)
Deal (Kent)
St Ives (Cornwall)
Hunstanton (Norfolk)
Nefyn (Gwynedd)
Dartmouth (Devon)
Lymington (Hampshire)
Dungeness (Kent)
Lyme Regis (Dorset)
Tobermory (Isle of Mull)
Tynemouth (Tyne & Wear)
Crosby (Merseyside)
Falmouth (Cornwall)
Aberaeron (Ceredigion)
Cromarty (Highlands)
Bardsea (Cumbria)
Saltburn-by-the-Sea (Yorkshire)