Great Yarmouth’s Britannia Pier bagged the top prize at the National Piers Society’s annual Pier of the Year competition – and it’s easy to see why. With a rich history dating back to 1858, the pier has recently undergone a serious renovation and now features two on-site pubs, food stalls, various rides and one of the country’s few surviving pier theatres. But there are plenty of other piers for a fun family day out. Here are some of our favourites.
Llandudno Pier, Conwy
Last year’s Pier of the Year winner was this “splendidly Victorian” structure in north Wales, said The Sunday Times. Stretching 2,295ft into the Irish Sea, it “takes a fair bashing” from the elements. There’s a Ferris wheel at the landward end and benches dotted all along it for visitors to contemplate the “beauties of the bay on one side and the massive limestone headland of Great Orme on the other”.
Clevedon Pier, Somerset
If it’s beauty you’re after, head to Clevedon Pier in north Somerset. Opened in 1869 “to receive paddle steamer passengers from Devon and Wales”, it’s England’s only Grade I-listed pier made with “discarded wrought iron railway lines shaped into eight arches” almost 15 metres high, said The Guardian. “Clevedon without its pier would be like a diamond with a flaw,” the then poet laureate John Betjeman said during a campaign to save it from demolition in 1980.
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Southwold Pier, Suffolk
Southwold remains “delightfully unspoilt”, said Cambridgeshire Live. Expect “colourful beach huts”, a working lighthouse and an Edwardian pier stretching into the North Sea that’s “packed with entertainment, shops and eateries”. It’s perhaps one of the UK’s “most eccentric” piers thanks to the arcade of “wacky” slot machines designed by inventor Tim Hunkin that provide “endless seaside fun”.
Blackpool piers, Lancashire
Blackpool is the “proud home” of three piers, said The Guardian. The oldest surviving is the Grade II-listed North Pier, which features an “art-deco theatre, a two-tier carousel, bars and an arcade”. On the Central Pier you’ll find the big wheel and a bar with live shows, while the South Pier promises a “high-octane funfair” with a rollercoaster and reverse bungee ride. Just watch out for seagulls when you stop for fish and chips.
