More upmarket English/Welsh seaside resorts?

[nappyaddict]

Me and DP want a weekend away at the seaside. I like Southport, Brighton and Bournemouth and would like ideas for places with a similar feel.

I like Robin Hood's Bay for grown up weekends, and Whitby (if you can cope with goth teenagers).

or bamburgh/cranage/crastor - northumberland beaches are generally very lovely and have small fishing villages.

Barmouth is not very up market, but it is a great beach and there is tonnes to do with children - a boat across the estuary, trains, donkeys, fair, lots of shells (so not good for OP but for person going there this weekend).

Harlech is quite upmarket, as is anywhere on anglesey as far as i can see. Abersoch is 'cheshire-on-sea' so is posh but surrounded by acres of caravan parks.

isn't there an art deco hotel at morcambe that has been done up at great expense?

I always though Barmouth was a bit common in the nicest possible way, as I love it but not upmarket. Criccieth was always a bit posher and Harlech, like you say greygirl (or portmerion anyone)

I went to Llandudno with DS and I liked it a lot, but not much for me and DP to do. We wanted to go somewhere a bit bigger and slightly "cosmopolitan"

I suppose I want to mooch around some nice shops, go to some nice restaurants, coffee shops and bars, perhaps go on a boat trip or something?

I love Padstow as well but it's a bit far as we will be travelling by train and are in the West Midlands.

on the train you could go to berwick or northumberland, not many shops or cosmopolitan restaurants though, unless you stay in newcastle-upon-tyne and get the metro out to tynemouth to look st the sea in the day - that would be fab actually.

i agree Broderie, Barmouth is not posh, but the kids adore it.

i am not sure of trains to wales, but criccieth is also posh - castle and dolphins! but very small. Portmeirion has a geat spa in the hotel (also good for scifi mad DHs).

I like the look of this place.

gagamama Did you mean Southwold in Bicester or Suffolk?

Ignore me .... Bicester isn't by the sea

We just went to Southwold. It was beautiful, relaxing and, to be honest, upmarket. Good if you are 'foody' (I am). We had lovely picnics on the beach with food we bought from the very nice delis. We stayed in a smartly decorated flat that we found very stylish. For us it was a dream holiday (although we were very lucky with the weather).

Southwold in Suffolk! I used to go camping there every year as a child, really loved it, it's got beach huts, model boating lakes (LOVED this as a child, you can buy little yachts in the local shops and used to pass hours sailing them to and fro), a lighthouse, a pier, some lovely pubs and is close to great places like Walberswick for crabbing or Adleburgh for amazing fish and chips. It's gone all upmarket now and has lost a little of the magic, but it's still charming.

I like Brixham, Rye and Camber as well. I think around 4 hours is the most we want to travel so have narrowed it down so far to:

Southport 3 hours
Bournemouth 4 hours
Poole 4.25 hours
Sidmouth 4.5 hours
Whitstable 4.5 hours
Broadstairs 4.25 hours
Harlech 4.5 hours
Aberdovey 3 hours 20 minutes
Aberaeron 4.5 hours
Ynyslas 3.75 hours

Is Nefyn the Gwynedd one?

I couldnt't find a post code for that Ty Coch place to work out how long it would take to get there.

Newcastle takes 4.25 hours. Are there any beaches near there?

Whitley Bay is near Newcastle.

Great Yarmouth - should really have the Great removed.

Anyone been to Boscombe in Bournemouth?

Hunstanton is fairly up market.....well it is compared to Skegness and Mablethorpe.

You don't want up market seaside anyway. That's all part of the fun.

I live in Norfolk and went to Hunstanton for the day the other week for the first time, I thought it was horrible, so goodness knows what I would make of Skeggie or Mablethorpe

Aberdovey is lovely.
Barmouth is best viewed from the railway bridge- just don't go there unless you like obese Brummies muttering "there's nothing to do" as they eat their chips.

nappy have you been to Weymouth? If you like Bournemouth it has a similar feel but the seafront is a bit prettier. I wouldn't say it's upmarket/posh, but it's world away from the likes of Blackpool and Brighton.

If you haven't experienced England's east coast resorts you haven't lived Fimbo!

I camped at Barmouth years ago. Never been back.

Avoid Harlech if you're after restaurants and shops. Beautiful beach and castle though ...

Nappy - DON'T go to Boscombe.

It's 'orrible. A real dive.

there's loads near newcastle!
tynemouth and whitley bay and cullercoats, and south shield(although tynemouth is probably what you want) and berwick-upon-tweed (an hour up the coast i grant you) has great fish restaurants, elizabethan city walls...it's fab.

Is it still GetOrf? Shame, I saw a lovely house on rightmove in Boscombe .

Was Phil Spencer talking out of his arse when he said it's the best example of regeneration he's ever seen?

The beachfront has had millions invested in it in recent years.

I went there (admittedly 3 years ago) and it was a dive.

May have changed in that time though.

Boscombe is indeed a dive and houses B'mouths red light district

I'm going to Croyde/Woolacombe/Ilfracombe next month. Please someone say they're vaguely nice.

croyde...wonderful

woolacome....fine

ilfracombe....not so good