Crispy pints to keep your fridge on a noisy bit for a yard barbecue, picnic, a trip to the beach, and a crisp pint to keep up with a crisp pint – these are just a few of what will inform you that summer has finally arrived in the UK. The UK is not necessarily famous for its warm climates, but in recent years, many of us have ruined us with the steady sunshine of weeks of steady sunlight, where many of us are sprinting outside to make the most of the heat.
It can be argued where the best beaches are in the UK, where there are the most turquoise waters and golden sand ranges, but there are places that many Brits agree that it is a beer garden, especially the best place to suck on the sun. With this in mind, the team at credit card brand Aqua conducted a survey to find out which UK cities are best for beer garden enthusiasts. Looking at many factors, including drink prices, average temperatures, amount of sunlight and rainfall, and the number of beer gardens in cities in the UK, the team has revealed the best beer gardens to soak up the sun.
As you can see in the name, beer gardens aren't just about drinking pints of things. Whether it's a glass of pim in a glass like Aperol Spritz's Summer, or even ice cold soft drinks if you want.
But in one of the many beer gardens in the UK, if you want to make the most of the weather, you need to head to one place in particular.
Aqua's investigation revealed that Southend-on-sea in Essex is the “UK beer garden capital” with 821 beer gardens per 100,000 people.
It is not just an impressive amount of beer garden, but it is home to nine beaches, the longest joy pier in the world, and also boasts “the most sunshine of any city in the UK.”
Comparing UK temperatures, Southend enjoys an average of 241 hours of sunlight in May and gains second-lowest rainfall at just 41.6mm per month, making it an ideal spring destination.
It's not all sunlight and blue skies either. The average price of Southend drinks at Southenend-on-sea will also keep your wallet happy, with pints costing £4, cocktails costing £8 and soft drinks costing £1.12.
Intimately following the Southend-on-sea is Portsmouth, boasting an average temperature of 12.8c in May, boasting one of the warmest places on the list and an impressive 682 pubs per 100,000 people.
Sussex's Crawley came in third. It's the best of every place in the analysis thanks to its impressive 2,312 beer gardens per 100,000 people. However, in May, they averaged just 206 hours of sunlight, not beating the South End Sun score.
