Tiny coastal town dubbed ‘hottest place in the UK’ has own micro climate and beautiful beach with mountain views

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A SEASIDE town in North Wales is famed for having some of the best weather in the UK.

Alongside beautiful scenery, rich maritime history and lots of family-friendly attractions, Porthmadog has become known for its good weather.

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Porthmadog is considered to have some of the best weather in the UK because it has its own micro climateCredit: Alamy
There are plenty of things to do in the town, including taking a ride on the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways

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There are plenty of things to do in the town, including taking a ride on the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland RailwaysCredit: Alamy

The coastal town, which has a population around 4,200, regularly tops the UK weather charts.

Its hottest temperature in 2023 was a scorching 31°C, which was recorded on Tuesday 14th June.

The Met Office considers Porthmadog to be one of the warmest places in the UK, and there are a number of reasons why.

Its unique location on the Glaslyn Estuary protects it from harsh winds by the Eryri (Snowdonia) mountains. 

Read more on seaside towns

It has its own microclimate that helps keep it warm – air funneling over the mountains sinks and warms.

And its located in the west of Wales, where higher temperatures last longer.

While British holidaymakers looking to chase the sun may want to head to Portmadog for this reason alone, there are many other things the town has going for it.

It has a lively attractive harbour to explore

Porthmadog Harbour is a popular mooring area for yachtsmen and pleasure boaters from all over Europe, and many visitors enjoy spending the afternoon watching the different boats roll in.

It’s also a great place to enjoy local cuisine with lots of restaurants to choose from.

You can take a ride on a steam train through the Welsh countryside

Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways is a group of heritage railways in Wales that offer scenic journeys through Snowdonia National Park.

All Aboard the Scenic Express: Discovering UK’s Most Picturesque Train Routes

There’s a 13.5-mile journey that runs from the harbour in Porthmadog to the slate-quarrying town of Blaenau Ffestiniog offering incredible views of mountains, forests, lakes and waterfalls.

You can learn about the town’s rich maritime history

Porthmadog’s Maritime Museum is situated in the last remaining slate shed on the harbour.

It has a large collection of artefacts depicting the seafaring activities of the area – the development of the port, the shipbuilding, the ships, and the lives of the seafarers. There’s also a special area with activities for children.

It has a beautiful beach with lots of activities and mountain views

Black Rock Sands is a beach with some unique features – you can drive straight on to the beach and there are stunning views of the nearby mountains and Harlech and Criccieth castles.

There’s also lots of activities available including water sports, cave exploring and rock pooling.

You can pick up some vinyl from a famous record shop

Cob Records, close of Porthmadog Harbour Station, is a well-known vinyl store because of its large selection of both old and modern music.

UK’s best seaside towns

Bamburgh in Northumberland is the best seaside town in the UK for a fourth year in a row

The north east town was crowned winner in an annual ranking by Which? Its top 10 seaside towns are below:

  1. Bamburgh, Northumberland
  2. Portmeirion, Gwynedd, Wales
  3. St Andrews, Fife, Scotland
  4. Tynemouth, Tyne and Wear
  5. St Davids, Pembrokeshire
  6. Dartmouth, Devon
  7. Rye, East Sussex
  8. Southwold, Suffolk
  9. Llandudno, Conwy, Wales 
  10. Swanage, Dorset
Black Rock Sands has some unique features - you can drive straight onto the beach and there are stunning views of the mountains in the background

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Black Rock Sands has some unique features – you can drive straight onto the beach and there are stunning views of the mountains in the backgroundCredit: Alamy
Cob Records is a famous establishment in the town because of its huge collection and international interest

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Cob Records is a famous establishment in the town because of its huge collection and international interestCredit: Alamy

The shop’s been open almost 50 years and used to mail out 7,500 LPs to customers around the world.

The fact that such a relatively small record shop in a small
town like Porthmadog was exporting in such volume worldwide attracted a lot of media attention, and lots of documentaries featuring the business were made for local and national TV and radio.

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