In the latest of a recent flurry of consumer-facing research exercises by Rightmove, a league table of the most popular seaside towns has been drawn up – and entries are not all in the traditional tourist spots of the south west.

Looking at the levels of enquiries for the property stock available for sale in the town, Whitby in North Yorkshire takes the top spot with a relatively affordable average asking price of just over £210,000.

Next up is Whitley Bay in the North East, which has asking prices of just over £260,000 and has had significant regeneration in recent years.

Then, perhaps more predictably, there are three Cornish locations – Padstow, Newquay and Bude – followed by Salcombe and Ilfracombe in Devon. In Scotland, Ayr and Troon, the home to Royal Troon Golf Club, also make the list, along with Caister-on-sea in Norfolk.

“Lockdown has changed what a number of home-hunters are now looking for from their next home, and while some are looking for more space or a bigger garden, others are now contemplating a move to the seaside” according to Rightmove’s commercial director Miles Shipside.

The portal has calculated a so-called ‘demand formula for each area based on the number of enquiries about local properties, taking into account the size of each area and stock available.