Ilfracombe named one of the most beautiful towns in the UK

Ilfracombe has been named one of the most beautiful coastal towns in the UK, according to a new study. The town ranked fifth in Great Britain out of a total of 169 coastal towns. The only other Devon location to feature in the top 10 was Salcombe in South Devon.

Bournemouth in Dorset took the top spot, with St Ives in Cornwall, Hastings in East Sussex and Padstow, also in Cornwall, all sitting above the Devon towns. The study was carried out by betting company SlotsUp, who used scores from six different factors to rank the winners. Locations were give points based on number of Instagram hashtags, walking trails, beaches, museums and galleries and whether the town is in a National Park of Area of Outstanding National Beauty (AONB).

Although higher in ranking, Ilfracombe has significantly less Instagram hashtags than Salcombe, with 147,691 compared to 215,875. However, Ilfracombe’s museum and art gallery offerings gave it the final edge over Salcombe.

Of all the top 10 towns on the list, only Ilfracombe, Salcombe and Padstow are set near both a National Park and an AONB and all three are tourist hotspots during the summer months.