The unassuming Essex town that's among the sunniest in the UK

Mel King
·2-min read

While the country has recently been blasted with chilly and wet weather, one town in Essex is actually among the sunniest in the UK. Many of us love to bask in the glory of the sunshine - but where is best in the county to find that?

New data from Betfair Live Casino has unveiled the sunniest locations in 2023. And as the UK prepares for a long-awaited heatwave in the upcoming weeks, an Essex town has been named among the sunniest.

Gathering data from 33 active weather stations, the city also ranked as the fourth sunniest location over the past ten years, when looking into sun patterns across the UK. Researchers ranked spots within Great Britain by taking into account total rainfall, total sunshine duration, mean daily maximum temperature and mean daily mini temperature data - and found Basildon ecured fourth place for good weather.

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Moving south, Hastings emerged as the third sunniest location in the UK as the East Sussex spot embraced 1632.76 hours of sunshine in twelve months, while Basildon in Essex followed behind.

According to data from Betfair Live Casino, Basildon basked in 1618.54 hours of sunshine overall, as Chelmsford locals enjoyed 1609.25 of glorious heat. Other sunny spots across the UK included Eastbourne (1592.66 hours), Gravesend (1582.23 hours) and Harlow (1566.51 hours).

Meanwhile, popular seaside location Brighton and Hove soaked up an estimated 1565.85 hours of sunshine last year, making it the perfect spot to pitch up for a beach day out.

Top 10 sunniest spots in Great Britain for 2023

Location

Estimated total sunshine duration in hours across 2023

Canterbury, Kent, UK

1675.21

Folkestone, Kent, UK

1666.4

Hastings, East Sussex, UK

1632.76

Basildon, Essex, UK

1618.54

Chelmsford, Essex, UK

1609.25

Eastbourne, East Sussex, UK

1592.66

Gravesend, Kent, UK

1582.23

Harlow, Essex, UK

1566.51

Brighton & Hove, East Sussex, UK

1565.85

Chichester, West Sussex, UK

1560.71

Top 10 sunniest spots in Great Britain over the last 10 years

Location

Estimated total sunshine duration in hours across 10 years

Hastings, East Sussex, UK

18855.03

Eastbourne, East Sussex, UK

18810.15

Folkestone, Kent, UK

18804.38

Canterbury, Kent, the UK

18771.9

Basildon, Essex, UK

18503.88

Chelmsford, Essex, UK

18494.98

Gravesend, Kent, UK

18347.77

Harlow, Essex, UK

18302.66

Brighton & Hove, East Sussex, UK

18097.01

Chichester, West Sussex, UK

18002.38


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