Salcombe priciest for seaside homes
Salcombe in Devon has been named as Britain's most expensive seaside town to buy a home.
A survey of house prices in 196 seaside towns across the country by Halifax found that with a typical value of £672,874, homes in Salcombe are the most costly.
Residents and visitors to the area can enjoy sailing in the estuary as well as walks along the coastal footpath to take in the stunning scenery.
Glitzy Sandbanks in Dorset, a haven for celebrities, was named as the country's second most expensive seaside town, with the average property there costing £614,726.
House hunters looking for value might want to consider looking towards Scotland, as eight of the 10 least expensive towns were found by Halifax to be north of the English border.
Port Bannatyne on the Isle of Bute was named as the least expensive seaside town in the survey, with the average home there costing £73,539.
The other Scottish seaside retreats on the "least expensive" list are Campbeltown, Thurso, Girvan, Wick, Saltcoats, Stranraer and Irvine.
Within England, Newbiggin by the Sea in Northumberland was found to be the least expensive seaside town, with the average property price there standing at £81,339.
The findings suggest that someone could snap up around eight typically priced homes in Newbiggin - or nine in Port Bannatyne - for the price of one averagely priced home in Salcombe.
Over the last 10 years, the average house price in a seaside town has increased by almost one third (31%), to £208,729.
The increase means seaside homes have added around £410 a month to their value over the last decade.
The biggest increases in the average price of homes in seaside towns over the past decade were all recorded in Scotland.
Fraserburgh in Aberdeenshire recorded the largest rise, with a 109% increase in property values to £132,920 in 2015. Lerwick in the Shetlands and Peterhead in Aberdeenshire saw the next largest rises, both recording a 102% upswing.
Outside Scotland, the biggest increase in average prices during the last 10 years was recorded in Salcombe, which has seen a 69% increase, followed by Workington in Cumbria with a 60% upswing, and Brighton, with a 58% uplift.
Halifax said that outside southern England, the most expensive seaside towns are in Scotland. The average house price in St Andrews is £294,586, while the typical home in North Berwick costs £294,076 and the average property value in Stonehaven is £243,741. Mumbles in South Wales is also among the most expensive seaside towns outside southern England, with an average property there having a value of £271,349.
Craig McKinlay, mortgages director at Halifax, said: "Seaside towns have a distinct attraction, offering that all important sea view with a typically high quality of life in a healthy environment. There is a romance associated with living by the sea and this is evident in the high house prices seen in many of these areas.
"Some of the most expensive seaside towns in Britain are dotted along the southern England coastline while many of the least expensive are in the north, particularly in Scotland.
"Despite a clear north-south divide in property prices among seaside towns, the rapid price growth in many Scottish seaside towns over the last 10 years suggests the popularity of coastal living has spread out across the whole country. Of course, the boom in the Scottish oil sector during the period also provided a boost to house prices, particularly in several towns along the Aberdeenshire coastline."
The research used house price figures from the Land Registry and the Registers of Scotland.
Here are the 10 most expensive seaside towns in Britain according to Halifax, followed by the average house price:
1. Salcombe, South West, £672,874
2. Sandbanks, South West, £614,726
3. Aldeburgh, East Anglia, £413,393
4. Lymington, South East, £404,781
5. Dartmouth, South West, £403,767
6. Padstow, South West, £387,109
7. Lyme Regis, South West, £343,604
8. Budleigh Salterton, South West, £342,442
9. Bigbury on Sea, South West, £333,626
10. East Wittering, South East, £330,146
And here are the 10 least expensive seaside towns in Britain according to Halifax, followed by the average house price:
1. Port Bannatyne, Scotland, £73,539
2. Newbiggin by the Sea, North, £81,339
3. Campbeltown, Scotland, £85,659
4. Thurso, Scotland, £88,500
5. Girvan, Scotland, £89,064
6. Wick, Scotland, £90,124
7. Saltcoats, Scotland, £90,583
8. Stranraer, Scotland, £90,590
9. Withernsea, Yorkshire and the Humber, £92,868
10. Irvine, Scotland, £93,736
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