The pretty seaside town with the UK's smallest pier

This historic seaside town has an award-winning beach, a Napoleonic fort, an intriguing lighthouse, great food and the shortest pier in Britain. At just 117 feet long, Burnham Pier in , was built between 1911 and 1914, just before World War 1 erupted. Unusually, at low tide the sea can retreat up to 1.5 miles away, leaving the pier stretching out not over water, but across vast sands, a quirky and much-loved local oddity.

The reads: "Although Burnham-On-Sea Pier is Britain's shortest pier and comprises no more than a shoreward end pavilion on concrete piles, it is still a lovely structure that, unlike a lot of its bigger counterparts, still retains its Edwardian features and elegance." However, not everyone seems to appreciate this seaside town, with it ranking as the third in a survey.

In the survey published last month, it received an overall satisfaction score of just 47%, ranking only above Mablethorpe (46%) and Bangor (42%). The town claiming the top spot, Bamburgh, received a destination score of 86%.

The survey, which saw Which? members being asked about their experience of visiting seaside towns in 2023 and was carried out between January and February 2024, saw holidaymakers criticising Burnham-on-Sea for its lack of attractions, poor food and drink options, and limited shopping, all of which were rated only one star.

The town's seafront and pier received slightly better feedback, earning two stars out of five, but overall, the experience was found lacking. Despite this, the average hotel price in the town remains relatively high at £106 per night.

Locals have fought against this ranking, however.

Burnham and Highbridge, Mayor Cllr Lesley Millard, previously told : "Burnham's beach and town centre welcomes thousands of visitors each year, drawn to its variety of attractions and one of the longest sandy beaches in Europe.

"They come to enjoy our wide range of independent shops, food outlets, amusements and water sports, as well as the natural features of sand dunes, important wildlife habitats and coastal walks.

"What really counts is the opinion of those who return year after year to enjoy our seaside town."

Alongside its golden beaches and iconic pier, there's a cinema, theatre, traditional gardens, festivals, markets, and seasonal events all year round, according to the local website.

And some of those who visited the town were left delighted.

One TripAdvisor user wrote about the pier: "Always enjoy coming to the Pier at Burnham. Staff are friendly and helpful. We met the manager as we had an issue with a card machine not distributing money and she was very polite/helpful with the whole situation. Great selection of arcade machines. Nice food served here. Great selection of ice cream!"

Another wrote about the beach: "We often have a walk on the dog friendly part of Burnham beach, which goes out towards the lighthouse.

"It's a wonderful sandy beach, plenty of dog bins on exits. There are also lots of water bowls kindly left out for dogs, near the main beach entrance. You can then walk along the prom to the pier, where they sell doggy ice-cream."