There are many surveys initiated these days, and it seems on every subject imaginable, so we are often stopped in the street to give our views “and a few minutes of our time” on a variety of topics, or on whatever is the flavour of the month.
Some are very useful, many are a front for something else, but one organisation which I think most people trust and recognise as being bona fide is the Which? reporting service.
So it appears that nearly 4,000 people were asked to rate their favourite seaside towns in terms of beaches, attractions, scenery and value for money, and visitors told Which? about their recent UK trips to seaside towns, villages and resorts.
Of the 100 seaside destinations considered, Which? said 30 were awarded four or five stars for peace and quiet and Rye appeared 7th in the national “pop chart” and was awarded five stars for attractions and four stars for scenery, peace and quiet and value for money and – with an overall customer score of 81% – not bad eh?
By comparison, Hastings came in at 76th on the list and in number one position was Bamburgh in Northumberland, voted the UK’s best loved coastal destination. Interestingly, Rye was one of the only entries which doesn’t have a seafront.
No doubt the visitors interviewed were seduced by Rye’s unique charm, stunning architecture, diverse range of interesting shops, cultural heritage and general ambience. But I assume those interviewed who made reference to the peace and quiet were not interviewed on a Sunday morning when their replies could have been drowned out by the sound of “boy racers” and motorbikes – still you cant have everything.
Image Credits: Nick Forman .
Great to be at or near the top, but this spurious, unscientific survey really is dreary drivel. Because while we bask in glory at the top of this fanciful poll and cod mathematical formula in a limited set categories including beach (we of course dont have one) others getting the fewest votes, and therefore an absurd customer satisfaction score, languish at the bottom. So in the bottom 10 in the UK in this risible contest and last in Sussex comes Worthing. A town with a glorious pier, beach, seasports and amazing sunsets! Not everyone’s cuppa tea, but neither is Rye! Still, better to be top than last! My thoughts lie with Worthing though.
The beach at Pett Level was voted 7th most popular too.