Clacton on Sea, Lowestoft, Great Yarmouth and Blackpool all did poorly in this year’s Which? ranking of the best and worst seaside towns and villages in the country, but they were beaten to the bottom spot
The West Sussex town has once again come in for a kicking(Image: Adam Gerrard / Daily Mirror)
“It’s a dead town.”
That’s how one former resident of Bognor Regis described the much-maligned West Sussex town, which has just been named the UK’s worst for a second year in a row.
Thousands of Which? readers decided that Bognor is the bottom of the bottom, calling it expensive and noisy, while arguing it’s got a rubbish beach and terrible attractions.
“Lacking investment, slow to supply tourists what they need,” one recent visitor commented. “The place is run down and feels neglected,” another said.
If things couldn’t get any worse, the town was recently plagued by a pervasive mystery pong drifting across the channel from France.
Do you agree with Bognor’s place on the list? Let us know in the comments below or email webtravel@reachplc.com
Levi Winchester, the Mirror’s money editor, grew up in Bognor. While Levi has now moved on to sunnier pastures, she holds an enduring love for a seaside town etched into Britain’s coastal consciousness, yet one that has fallen on hard times.
“I remember many happy summers playing down the beach in Bognor Regis. At low tide, you could see sand for miles, as the smell of fish and chips wafted through the air,” Levi recalled when asked for her thoughts on a town that once served as a home to George V for three months.
“The town was always buzzing with families enjoying their trip to Butlin’s—and while the seaside resort still attracts large crowds every year, the town itself has lost its heart. The promenade lacks love and is in need of a serious revamp.
“Even under the lights of the pier, it still just feels grey and miserable. Like many other UK high streets, the main town centre is empty now with hardly any shops left.”
One unhappy local wrote on Reddit: “Yes, it’s a dead town. Pretty much just pound shops, charity shops, Polish shops, banks, and chain coffee places. I think Macari’s is still there, but there’s nothing I would call charming about the town, nor has there been for quite a while.”
Another chimed in: “Bognor’s pretty much a depressing hole. I didn’t live here when it was nice, but it was destroyed by cheap holidays in Spain. It’s pretty sad, actually–you can tell the town is in the process of a slow death.”
Not everyone is quite so down on Bognor, however.
Freya and Matthew Reynolds run the independent furniture store on the high street that shares their family name. When Bognor came last in 2025’s survey, they told The Argus how much they loved the town.
Matthew, who moved to London and then returned, said it is a “lovely place to raise a family by the seaside.”
“I think Bognor has done quite well. There are not that many boarded-up shops. In other places, half the town centre seems to be boarded up,” he said.
Julia Smith, a 59-year-old carer, reacted strongly to the news of Bognor’s lowly ranking. “I think it’s a bit of snobbery. You need to come down and see it for yourself—don’t rely on so-called reports,” she told The Guardian. “There’s so much here. The sea is amazing. There are loads of places to eat as well, whether you’ve got a tenner or 100 quid to spend.”
She added: “We live here, and we never get sick of it. I’m going on 60, but I love it.”
Despite grappling with its reputation, there’s no denying Bognor Regis’ unwavering popularity. Each year, it attracts a whopping four million tourists – a number likely to keep growing thanks to the likes of Butlin’s.
Boasting a Victorian pier originally built in 1865, a slew of golden sandy beaches, rows of arcades, and plenty of fish and chip shops – Bognor Regis still possesses all of the quintessential coastal must-haves. One recent visitor argued they loved the ‘lights along the pier at night’, while other respondents suggested that Bognor Regis could recover its glory days with the right investment.
TOP 30 SEASIDE TOWNS & VILLAGES
- Bamburgh — 84%
- Tynemouth — 82%
- St Andrews — 81%
- Aldeburgh — 80%
- Crail — 80%
- Frinton-on-Sea — 80%
- Portmeirion — 80%
- St Davids — 79%
- Bude — 78%
- Southwold — 78%
- North Berwick — 77%
- Plockton — 77%
- St Ives — 77%
- Swanage — 77%
- Lyme Regis — 76%
- Lytham St Annes — 76%
- Portstewart — 76%
- Conwy — 75%
- Dornoch — 75%
- Filey — 75%
- Lynmouth — 75%
- Sidmouth — 75%
- St Mawes — 75%
- Tenby — 75%
- Tobermory — 75%
- Wells-next-the-Sea — 75%
- Whitley Bay — 75%
- Broadstairs — 74%
- Falmouth — 74%
- Llandudno — 74%
BOTTOM 30 SEASIDE TOWNS & VILLAGES
- Ilfracombe — 57%
- Minehead — 57%
- Bridlington — 56%
- Cleethorpes — 56%
- Fishguard — 56%
- Seaton — 56%
- Torquay — 56%
- Abersoch — 55%
- Colwyn Bay — 55%
- Morecambe — 55%
- Newquay — 55%
- Barry Island — 54%
- Skegness — 54%
- Mablethorpe — 53%
- Margate — 53%
- Paignton — 53%
- Southport — 53%
- Herne Bay — 52%
- Littlehampton — 51%
- New Brighton — 51%
- Weston-super-Mare — 50%
- Burnham-on-Sea — 48%
- Clacton-on-Sea — 48%
- Southend-on-Sea — 47%
- Bangor — 46%
- Blackpool — 46%
- Fleetwood — 46%
- Great Yarmouth — 46%
- Lowestoft — 46%
- Bognor Regis — 41%
Results are based on an online survey conducted in January-February 2026 of 5,320 Which? Connect panel members who spoke about 11,999 experiences of visiting a UK seaside town for leisure purposes in the previous 12 months.