West Wittering Beach

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July heatwave insights: these are the UK’s ‘most Instagrammable’ beaches & coasts!

Thinking of cruising to the coast this summer? We can’t blame you — with a veritable heatwave on the horizon, it’s the place to be!

Now, you’ll probably be after an ice cream, some fish and chips, a nice saunter along the seafront — as well as some stunning sea views, of course.

But where?!

With so many gorgeous, jaw-dropping coastal panoramas to choose from, we truly are spoiled for choice in the UK. From the hustle and bustle of the busy amusements to the serenity of the rural seaside, there’s something for everyone.

Well, to help you with your decision, here are some quick, interesting insights from our social media bods. Behold, the most popular UK coastal destinations for Instagram users!

(Psst, God’s very own country of Yorkshire features plenty of times!).

The UK’s Most Instagrammed Beaches & Coasts

  1. Brighton, Sussex (#BrightonBeach) — 865,000 Instagram hashtag mentions
  2. White Nothe, Dorset (#WhiteNothe) — 740,000
  3. Durdle Door, Dorset (#DurdleDoor) — 245,000
  4. Bournemouth, Dorset (#BournemouthBeach) — 158,000
  5. Scarborough, Yorkshire (#ScarboroughBeach) — 148,000
  6. Botany Bay, Kent (#BotanyBay) — 94,600
  7. Hunstanton, Norfolk (#Hunstanton) — 88,600
  8. Robin Hood’s Bay, Yorkshire (#RobinHoodsBay) — 78,500
  9. Morecambe, Lancashire (#MorecambeBay) — 57,100
  10. Saltburn Beach, Yorkshire (#SaltburnByTheSea) — 46,800
  11. Torquay, Devon (#TorquayBeach) — 37,400
  12. Saunton Sands, Devon (#SauntonSands) — 35,700
  13. Sennen Cove, Cornwall (#SennenCove) — 35,700
  14. Sandbanks, Dorset (#SandbanksBeach) — 31,100
  15. Holkham, Norfolk (#HolkhamBeach) — 26,200
  16. Walsberwick, Suffolk (#Walsberwick) — 25,900
  17. Whitstable, Kent (#WhitstableBeach) — 25,700
  18. West Wittering, Sussex (#WestWitteringBeach) — 22,000
  19. Cuckmere Haven, Sussex (#CuckmereHaven) — 21,100
  20. Woolacombe, Devon (#WoolacombeBeach) — 20,200
  21. Cromer, Norfolk (#CromerBeach) — 17,800
  22. Runswick Bay, Yorkshire (#RunswickBay) — 16,600
  23. Bamburgh, Northumberland (#BamburghBeach) — 16,200
  24. Filey, Yorkshire (#FileyBeach) — 16,200
  25. Cayton Bay, Yorkshire (#CaytonBay) — 16,000

Topping the coastal charts by clocking up an almighty 865,000 Instagram hashtag mentions throughout time is Brighton beach, making it officially the most popular coastal destination in the country for snap-happy social media users.

Proudly sitting in second are the iconic chalk headlands of Dorset’s White Nothe beach, the stunning setting for over 740,000 Instagram photos. Taking the bronze medal amongst beach bronzers on Instagram is another Dorset location, the breathtaking Durdle Door.

This is followed by Bournemouth and then — you guessed it — Yorkshire’s Scarborough beach taking pride of place in fifth!

Propping the rest of the top 10 most Instagram-tagged beaches include another two Yorkshire coastal hotspots — Robin Hood’s Bay and Saltburn — with other in-demand Insta locations including Morecambe, Botany Bay and Hunstanton.

Of course, we wouldn’t be the proud Yorkshire agency that we are without giving a shoutout to all those other quieter (but no less beautiful) beaches throughout the county. After all, it’s not all about just popularity.

Hidden gem-seeking Instagrammers in Yorkshire may want to head to Boggle Hole (only 3,800 mentions) or Sandsend Beach (3,300). Other popular Yorkshire coastal hotspots featuring in the UK’s top 100 included Whitby, Bridlington, Hornsea and Mappleton beach.

So, which one will it be for you this summer? Let us know!

Oh, and if you fancy having our team of digital experts get behind the data for your marketing strategy, drop us a line to discuss your needs.

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Johnny

Content Strategist

Johnny has been working magic with words at Extreme since 2016, with a particular focus on SEO content strategies. Fancy taking your organic search visibility up a notch? He's your guy.

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Bethany

Social Media Strategist

Extreme's resident Instagram queen, Beth lives and breathes all things social media! After graduating with a degree in Advertising, she explored all aspects of the digital world before firmly finding her feet in the land of social. Day to day, you can find her brainstorming for campaigns, drafting up witty content and strategising to help clients soar on social.

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