It’s home to a thriving high street (Image: Getty)
With tourism taking over many seaside towns this summer, it’s important to know exactly where your money is going, and if you’re heading to this town, just know it’s going straight back into the local community.
For some, supporting local businesses is a big plus when it comes to their travel itinerary, whether that be through taking part in local tours or buying from independent shops and eating out at family-run restaurants. If that’s important to you, then it seems this Cornish town is the place to be.
New research from Simply Sea Views has revealed Britain’s most independent seaside towns, ranking them based on how much their high streets are made up of locally owned businesses. Falmouth in Cornwall took the top spot, with a score of 88.5 out of 100.
For those living in, or who frequent, Falmouth, it comes as no surprise, as it is a picturesque town thriving on local produce, creativity, ideas and entrepreneurship. Most specifically, what shines through is the town’s shops, dominating its high street, of which a whopping 76.9% are independently owned.
On the south coast of Cornwall, the town has gained a reputation amongst tourists who travel there to experience its serene natural harbour and calm beaches and, in turn, spend locally.
76.9% of its shops are independently owned (Image: Getty)
In the heart of the town, the Old High Street is celebrated for its bohemian feel, packed with century-old buildings and hidden paths that offer short views out to the sea. All along there are thriving businesses, as well as a few big-branded high street staples.
From the Falmouth Bookseller to women’s clothing at Parade Store, Ludgate House Antiques, Beacon Coffee Shop and Starglazers Pottery Painting Cafe, Falmouth’s local creative minds have a place where it all truly comes together.
Of course, café culture is huge in the seaside town, and as coffee-lovers make their way to the Cornish coast, it has plenty to offer. According to online reviews, Beacon Coffee is certainly one of the go-to’s, having been listed amongst some of the best coffee shops in the entire UK, let alone just Falmouth.
A recent Google review claims: “It’s a lovely gem with lovely, welcoming, personable owners. For the quality of coffee this place serves, it comes with heart and soul, which I sometimes find is lacking with other ‘hipster/modern/new wave’ coffee shops.”
Another standout spot is Forty Five Falmouth, which hasa five-star rating on Google. In Joining it is Dark Pony Coffee, which one customer and self-acclaimed ‘coffee connoisseur’ called “a genuine and pleasant surprise”.
The town is also home to beautiful beaches (Image: Getty)
Impressively, according to the data, Falmouth’s customer ratings across every category sit between 4.53 and 4.75 out of five, showing how satisfied visitors are with their experiences in the town. And it’s the cafes that help to hold a huge weight of that, as 95.1% of them are independently owned – great odds for such a big town.
Their restaurants make up a big portion of that too, as 93.2% of them are independent of restaurants and 94.7% of pubs. Although, it continues to be cafes that act as the backbone of the British seaside towns.
St Ives takes the second place nationally as Cornwall comes out on top, and yet, in a huge contradiction, it’s the same area that is home to the lowest contender in the study. Newquay, which sits less than 30 miles down the coast, has the lowest proportion of independent shops of any town in the whole study at 34%.
Interestingly, in another contradiction from the county, Padstow, which is known and loved for its vibrant food scene, is in fact the lowest destination for its independent restaurants out of all the Cornwall towns at 70%.
Meaning, the best overall destination for a bit of everything to fill up your visiting time that is locally made, crafted and sourced is Falmouth.
This story originally appeared on Express.co.uk
