Close on the waves of last Tuesday’s “Top 10 Piers” in the USA we have the “Top 10 Piers” in Britain.

In both England and Wales coastal piers are a true celebration of Great Britain’s rich seaside heritage.  According to VisitBritain.com: “Piers are true icons of the British seaside, unique feats of Victorian engineering and as British as black cabs and bacon and eggs.”

Southend Pier in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England is the world’s longest pleasure pier. At 1.33 miles, you can walk the length or take the pier railway service to the pier head.  There you’ll find a gift shop and a sun deck where you can enjoy the sea breezes and stunning views. While in Southend, you might want to enjoy windsurfing, kite surfing, sailing or kayaking. Or, if you’d like, you can simply be entertained by building sandcastles on their seven miles of award-winning beachfront.  The area is known for having some of the cleanest shoreline in the UK.

Southend from Southend Pier, England (Photo by Velela, from Wikimedia Commons)

Brighton Palace Pier in the City of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England is packed with amusements!  You’ll find a carousel, thrill rides, arcade games, entertainment events, and food choices galore on  the 1,772 foot long pleasure pier. Brighton Pier has a rich history dating back to 1823.  It’s no wonder this pier made the “Top 10 Piers” in Britain!  While in Brighton, you can enjoy beachcombing on the award-winning pebble beaches. You might also want to take a leisurely stroll along the Brighton and Hove promenade.

Brighton Pier, England (Attribution: http://www.CGPGrey.com, from Wikimedia Commons)

Bangor Pier in Bangor, Gwynedd, North Wales has been fully restored to its earlier Victorian splendor.  The 1,550 foot pier originally opened to the public on May 14th, 1896. With ornamental lamps and handrails, the Bangor Pier takes visitors back to the heyday of traditional promenade piers. This popular pier reopened in May of 1988.

Boscombe Pier east of Bournemouth in Dorset, England is a very modern looking, cleanly designed structure. The restored pier reopened in May of 2008, and was voted “Pier of the Year” by the National Piers Society (United Kingdom) in 2010.  That’s quite an accomplishment!

Rounding out the “Top 10 Piers” in Britain are Southwold Pier (Suffolk, England), Clevedon Pier (Somerset, England), Blackpool Piers (Lancashire, England), Ryde Pier (Isle of Wight, England), Bognor Regis Pier (England), and Penarth Pier (Wales).  Check out all of these British piers in the article from Visit Britain.com.  Cheers! -J-

Would you like to read more on the Beaches of Great Britain? Here are a few posts from our collection:

“Britain’s Top 10 Beaches”, “Beach Hut: Home Away From Home”, “Brighton, A Top 10 British Memory”

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