With the days getting longer and spring finally here, our thoughts are naturally beginning to turn to day trips away from the city and one coastal town not too far from Edinburgh will definitely make the grade.
North Berwick, which lies under an hour's drive from the capital, has been ranked the fifth top in a list of Britain’s 20 best and worst seaside towns.
The seaside town is popular with scores of visitors, with its stretches of golden sand beaches, impressive sand dunes, the welcoming town itself and its quaint parks and top restaurants, cafes and pubs.
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The town ranked fifth in the UK and best in Scotland in The Telegraph's rankings, earning a score of 80 out of 100. The publication said: "We chose a score of classic resorts and studied how they have adapted – or not – over the past three decades, looking at factors such as housing and high streets, renovations and conservation, as well as the cultural clout that so often accompanies gentrification."
St Ives, in Cornwall, earns the top spot with a score of 98/100, followed by Southwold, in Suffolk, in second place with 94/100. Third place goes to Whitstable, in Kent, with a rating of 87/100.
Rhyl, in Wales, is at the bottom of the list with just 5/100, and South Shields is one place above it, at number 19.
Speaking about North Berwick, they said: "Many Scottish coastal towns, from Oban to St Andrews, are old-school posh. After all, salmon smokeries, malt distilleries, venerable old buildings and tweed shops don’t need reboots. North Berwick’s two sandy bays drew bathers from nearby Edinburgh in the 19th century, and the town, which has conserved its quaint architecture, has built on this reputation.
"On-trend draws are numerous: independent shops, the Why Not? artisan market, a gin distillery, the cool Steampunk coffee roasters, Bostock bakery, Alandas gelato, and the handsome lodges of Whitekirk Hill, just outside town. North Berwick Golf Club was founded in 1832 – 'only St Andrews hosts a club which has played continuously over the same course for longer' they assert – and there are more than twenty courses in the area.
"There’s a tennis club and a yacht club, too, and the Scottish Seabird Centre, walks up to Tantallon Castle and boat trips to nearby islands will keep unplugged children entertained."
Here's the list of Britain’s 20 best and worst seaside towns, according to the Telegraph.
20. Rhyl 5/100
19. South Shields 11/100
18. Weston-Super-Mare 18/100
17. Blackpool 22/100
16. Morecambe 24/100
15. Cleethorpes 27/100
14. Southport 28/100
13. Torquay 33/100
12. Southend-on-Sea 36/100
11. Scarborough 39/100
10. Worthing 47/100
9. Portstewart 53/100
8. Tenby 57/100
7. Margate 69/100
6. Brighton 76/100
5. North Berwick 80/100
4. Lyme Regis 85/100
3. Whitstable 87/100
2. Southwold 94/100
1. St Ives 98/100
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