A few months ago, we found out which 72 areas of the UK the Sunday Times thinks are the country’s best places to live. Now, for anyone who has a hankering to relocate somewhere along the British coast but is yet to decide exactly where, the paper has unveiled its roundup of the 20 best seaside towns to move to in 2025.
The ranking features a fair few usual suspects – spots like Deal in Kent, Portobello in Edinburgh and the Gower Peninsula in Wales are all pretty unsurprising picks. But there are a few places on the list that are a little more unexpected.
After being listed among the UK’s 20 worst seaside towns by Which? – awarded just two out of five stars for its beach, seafront and scenery and one star for its accommodation – New Brighton in Merseyside was one the less predictable places named among the best coastal towns to move to.
Contrary to Which?’s report, the Times called the northern town ‘the opposite of a fading resort’. It said that ‘a refreshed streetscape, community clean-ups and lots of cool new independent businesses are the most visible signs of the long-term planning and investment that are turning New Brighton into a lively rival to fancier Wirral neighbours such as Heswall, Hoylake and West Kirby’. Sounds like now would be the perfect time to make the move.
The average house price in New Brighton right now (according to Land Registry data) is £183,869. For a four-bed Victorian semi, you’re looking at around £250,000. Its got decent links to the city, with Merseyrail trains running to and from Liverpool Central in 25 minutes, a golden beach looking across the river to Liverpool docks, and a lineup of cool vintage and vinyl shops, bars and restaurants in the Victoria Quarter, like Rockpoint Records and the CAMRA-approved James Atherton pub.
In a Wirral Globe article reacting to New Brighton’s unflattering Which? ranking, one local business owner said: ‘New Brighton is a beautiful place to be throughout the year, full of vibrant life, natural beauty, and a remarkable sense of community.
‘Groups like the New Brightoners and the Friends of the Marine Lake work tirelessly to keep our town beautifully clean and tidy. They take huge pride in the area—and rightly so. Their efforts ensure New Brighton remains a welcoming, vibrant place for both residents and visitors.’
See below for the Times’ full list of the best seaside towns to move to.
The 20 best UK seaside places to live in 2025, according to the Sunday Times
England
- Falmouth
- Tynemouth
- Beer
- New Brighton
- Deal
- Southsea
- Hunstanton
- Clevedon
- The Witterings
- Saltburn-by-the-Sea
- Hove
- Isle of Wight
Scotland
- Portobello
- Cullen
- The East Neuk
Wales
- Gower Peninsula
- Aberdovery
- Penarth
- Solva
Northern Ireland
- Dundrum
You can find the Times’ full feature here.
ICYMI: See the remote beach that was just named best in the UK for 2025.
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