Seaside town with 241 hours of sun in May crowned 'beer garden capital' of UK
When summer approaches and the sun pokes its head out from behind the clouds, British people love to flock to their nearest pub — but where is the best place in the UK for beer gardens?
If there's one thing us Brits love in the summertime, it's a pint or cocktail in the sun. Beer gardens are a firm favourite when it comes to where to enjoy the warmer weather — and as we enter May and the sun comes out more regularly, many of us will find ourselves on the hunt for a pub with the perfect outside space to gather with friends and family.
But where in the UK has the best beer gardens? Looking at a range of factors like drink prices, average temperatures, amount of sunshine compared to the amount of rainfall, and the number of beer gardens, credit card brand Aqua dubbed Southend-on-Sea in Essex the winner.
Crowned the 'beer garden capital in the UK' as a result of the research, Southend-on-Sea has a whopping 281 beer gardens per 100,000 people.
The resort town, which is home to nine beaches and the longest pleasure pier in the world, also boasts the 'most sunshine of any city in the UK'.
In fact, Southend residents soak up an average of 241 hours of sunshine in May, and the second-least amount of rainfall with 41.6mm measured in the month.
Those hoping to head to a beer garden in Southend are in luck because the price of drinks is also something the area can boast about. Pints are priced on average at £4, cocktails at £8 and soft drinks at just £1.12.
Southend is known for its award-winning Blue Flag beaches where you can paddle in the sea, enjoy fish and chips on the shore, and take in the scenery.
On the Southend-on-Sea pier, which stretches for 1.33 miles, you can enjoy fishing, explore the museum, or take a trip on the pier railway.
Other activities in the resort town include days out at Sealife Adventure, watching a show at the Cliffs Pavilion or Palace Theatre, and mooching around the art galleries.
For adrenaline junkies there is Adventure Island, a free-admission theme park for the whole family.
If you fancy a stroll after soaking up the sun in a beer garden, you can head to one of Southend's many parks, which offer space to play tennis, basketball, or football.
Meanwhile, its nature reserves, such as Two Tree Island Nature Reserve, Barling Magna Wildlife Reserve, and Belton Hills Nature Reserve, present the chance to explore the local wildlife and scenery.
Next on the list was Portsmouth, which came in second place when it comes to beer gardens. It has an average temperature of 12.8C in May and 682 pubs per 100,000 people.
In third place was Crawley in Sussex, which has an incredible 2,312 beer gardens per 100,000 — the highest of any location in Aqua's analysis. However, it had 206 hours of sunshine in May on average, so couldn't quite beat Southend-on-Sea for first place.
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