The Great British Holiday: Rainy Day Report

At the opposite end of the Jurassic Coast, Weymouth Beach ranks third, with a rain-proof score of 93. Located within a shallow curved bay, with the Isle of Portland to the south acting as a natural breakwater, it is well protected against prevailing winds. The beach also boasts a grand Georgian seafront, easy access to the town centre, and plenty of beachside facilities for shelter when the rain arrives.

If you’re hoping to enjoy a quiet stroll and fall asleep to the sound of rainfall, the Isle of Mull in the Inner Hebrides is the holiday destination most prone to showers. The Isle of Mull has a 66% daily chance of rain and an average of 6.6mm of rainfall per day.

Also in the Inner Hebrides, and its largest island, the Isle of Skye is the second rainiest destination for a British holiday. Here, the daily chance of rainfall is 64%, with 6.2mm falling each day on average.

In the heart of the Lake District, Grasmere takes the third rainiest spot for a holiday. The Lakes’ beautiful scenery wouldn’t be the same without a spot of rain. Here, there’s a 57% chance of rain each day, with 6.2mm of rainfall on average.

If you’re a self-proclaimed rain dodger, we’ve done the research and found Britain's least rainy holiday destinations.

The Essex Coast takes the top spot as the driest holiday hotspot, with a 36% daily chance of rain and only 1.8mm of rainfall on average each day.

Known for its long sandy beach and many museums, Great Yarmouth takes second place, with an average daily rainfall of 2mm and a 38% chance of rain.

In joint second place is Whitstable, on the north coast of Kent, which also sees around 2mm of rainfall per day and has a 38% daily chance of rain.

The good news is, the South East coast isn’t the only British rainbow hotspot, as Llandudno North and Rhyl Beach in Wales take seventh and ninth place, but fear not Northerners, Bridlington comes in at eighth place.

“For this to happen, the brain needs to feel that the environment we are about to fall asleep in is both safe and predictable. The steady, predictable, and rhythmic drumming of rain on a caravan roof creates a kind of ‘sound cocoon’, very similar to pink noise, which helps us relax.

“From a psychological perspective, being warm and dry in bed while it's raining outside can give us a sense that we have shelter and safety, which further supports sleep.”

Dr Ravi Gill, Practitioner Psychologist, has shared the three main health benefits of spending time outdoors, no matter the weather:

1. Improved mental health and stress reduction: “Spending time outdoors is strongly associated with lower stress levels.”

2. Stronger physical health: “Outdoor time typically increases movement, which supports cardiovascular health, muscle strength and metabolic regulation, and sunlight exposure supports vitamin D production, which plays a role in immune function, bone health and mood regulation.”

3. Improved immune function and resilience: “Exposure to diverse natural environments introduces the body to a broader range of microbes, which can support immune diversity.”

How to make the most of a rainy family staycation

Holiday criteria: Family staycation, quality time, creating memories

The UK has lots to offer when it comes to family holidays, although inevitably, guaranteed sunshine isn’t one of them. However, this shouldn’t stop you from making amazing memories with your family. After all, dogs and children alike love the rain, so why don’t adults?

Ravi explains: ”It’s worth being mindful of how we talk about rain in front of children. Young children don’t automatically see rain as bad, they learn that meaning from adult reactions. If parents repeatedly describe rainy weather as disappointing, ruined or unlucky, children may begin to associate it with frustration rather than curiosity.”

Ravi shares five ways to embrace wet weather and not let it spoil any upcoming UK family holidays.

1. Let go of perfection, shift from ‘perfect weather’ to ‘flexible fun’: “If we mentally attach the holiday to blue skies, anything else feels like a loss. Instead, frame the trip around experiences rather than weather. Children, particularly under eight, respond more to adult emotional cues than to the weather itself.”

2. Build a ‘both/ and’ plan: “Rather than hoping for sunshine, plan for both possibilities.”

3. Reframe rain as a sensory experience: “For children, puddles, mud and wind are not inconveniences; they’re sensory play opportunities. Rainy beach walks, storm watching from a window, or hot chocolate after a wet walk can become the most memorable moments.”

4. Lower the performance pressure: “UK holidays can carry an unspoken pressure to justify the cost with constant activity. Rain can feel like it’s wasting the trip, but we forget rest doesn’t need sunshine.”

5. Model emotional flexibility: “For families, the biggest protective factor is adult regulation. If parents say, ‘This isn’t what we planned, but we’ll adapt’, children internalise flexibility rather than frustration. That’s a life skill far more valuable than a sunny day.”

Come rain or shine, holidays with loved ones should be about creating memories and spending quality time together. Book now to secure your next coastal getaway or overdue family get-together.

Methodology

¹Beach rankings were calculated using a weighted scoring model designed to identify UK beaches that remain enjoyable during rainy weather. Physical coastal shelter was measured using headland enclosure (%), fetch distance (km) and the number of indoor amenities within 500 metres to reflect nearby rain-proof activities. These variables were normalised and combined into a Rainproof Score, with shelter and exposure weighted most heavily and indoor amenities providing an additional accessibility factor. The final scores were scaled and ranked to highlight beaches that are both physically sheltered and well supported by nearby indoor attractions during wet conditions.

Weather data was sourced from the Open-Meteo API, analysing hourly conditions for each location over a 12-month period (8,784 hours). Locations were scored based on the frequency of rain-to-sun transitions, the key meteorological condition required for rainbows to form when sunlight appears after rainfall. This metric was weighted most heavily and supported by additional indicators including overall weather transitions (flips per day) and the percentage of rainy and sunny hours. Locations were then ranked using a combined weighted score to identify places where rain and sunlight most frequently occur in quick succession.

A seed list of 100 popular UK holiday destinations was compiled to analyse rainfall patterns across the country. Historical weather data for each location was sourced from the Open-Meteo API. Five years of daily rainfall data were analysed for every destination to establish typical weather conditions. From this dataset, the following metrics were calculated for each location: Average daily rainfall (mm), number of rainy days, number of dry days, and percentage of rainy days. Destinations were then ranked by average daily rainfall to identify the wettest and driest holiday locations in the UK based on long-term weather patterns.

To ensure clarity in visualisations and mapping, some coastal destinations located within approximately 10 miles of each other were grouped into regional clusters.

²500 UK men and 500 women were surveyed using the platform Onepulse on their thoughts about British holidays and their sleeping habits, as well as whether they have a staycation planned for this year.

³https://www.statista.com/statistics/1000106/annual-average-rainfall-in-spain/?srsltid=AfmBOoq-K-JhNjq7tHiXkGMHpdkMTUvzm31pWvgiFJEmq09A2Qi1KdR7 / https://www.statista.com/statistics/322810/average-rainfall-in-the-united-kingdom-uk/?srsltid=AfmBOor55MJt5kp5xKDbIB5BVSxOUC8V4Pl6uDsJaMpHnIBOpyLLcEPg