An 'underrated' beachfront town has been named the cheapest seaside location in the UK to buy a home.
Newbiggin-by-the-Sea was named the cheapest seaside location in England to buy a home this week, with an average house price of £117,763.
A house on the seafront is likely to set you back closer to £300,000 or more, with many of the cheaper homes located further inland, however locals say the town is 'underrated' with a number of stunning quirks.
Salcombe in Devon was been named as the country's priciest coastal place - with some hotels charge nearly £500 pound per night - but Newbiggin-by-the-Sea one room is advertised at just £25 per person.
The Devon resort has cafes charging £2.80 for a latte - but up north they cost just £1.90. A fish supper by the sea in Salcombe can cost £13 - compared to around £9.40 in Newbiggin-by-the-Sea.
Punters pay £3.60 for a pint of basic lager in the northern resort - but in Salcombe some listings show £6. In Newbiggin-by-the-Sea a bucket and spade costs £5 - in Devon one place charges £11.
Newbiggin-by-the-Sea Sewing shop owner Hazel Steel, 64, grew up in the town and said it is 'the most underrated place in the UK', Chronicle Live reports
Mum-of-two Hazel has had her shop, Sew Quilted by the Sea, for six-and-a-half years. She said it is inundated with tourists who are attracted by the lower cost of living - and that two people can have a lovely meal and a bottle of wine for between £20 to £25. Hazel said: "It's one of the most underrated places in the UK.
"The bay is south facing so you get sunlight from the crack of dawn until sunset.
"There's lots of lovely places to eat out and we have events on all the time. All the shops are independent except for the Co-op.
"There's a really nice community here and people visit the caravan parks two or three times a year. "House prices have doubled in four or five years.
"It's really down to earth but really creative, house prices are rising because everyone wants to be here.
"People come here because of the fact it's a little bit cheaper here. "We get a lot of tourists from all over the world. In the time I have been here, there's a lot more going on now."
Karen Carr, 58, has owned craft shop Seventy Seven in Newbiggin-by-the-Sea for more than two years and has just opened up a sweet shop next door. She said the town is a staycation heaven and plans on selling handmade sticks of rock for as a little as 40p.
Karen said: "The town has a gently flow of tourist from Easter until October.
"We find that people who come here for a weekend often end up moving because they fall in love with the place.
"It's the land that time forgot really. Everyone here is lovely and charitable and what you see is what you get.
"We want people to be able to afford whatever the offering is. We don't have tourist prices and local prices we like to keep it fair for everyone.
"There is a price parity between here and other seaside towns down south.
"The shop will sell traditional candy like handmade Newbiggin rock which will start at 40p a stick."
Ladhars Fish Bar has been in Jagadip Ladhar's family since 1998. The 35-year-old says that it would be impossible to charge the prices seen in resorts like Salcombe and other parts of Devon and Cornwall.
He said: "We wish we could charge those prices, but we just don’t think it’s fair on customers. People take advantage of the seaside location and know they can charge what they want.
"Once families are there, they are not always looking at the price of stuff, if the kids want something to eat the kids are going to get something to eat. Fish and chips is so expensive now it’s become a luxury, especially in places like Devon and Cornwall when they can charge what they like really."
While Newbiggin-by-the-Sea clearly has a lot going for it, some residents are worried about the increase in house prices and that the town could become a "victim of its own success". Sheila Harrison, a volunteer with the Newbiggin Heritage Partnership who has lived in the village for more than 50 years, told ChronicleLive in 2022 that the increase in property prices coupled with a lack of jobs meant that young families were finding it much harder to get a foothold on the property ladder.
And after seeing town's further north, such as Beadnell and Warkworth, become "saturated" with holiday lets, it is hoped that low property prices will not be to the detriment of the community if they are bought by investors who live outside of the area. Sheila said: "A lot of visitors are keen to see Newbiggin but quite a lot also use them as a base to see other parts of Northumberland.
"And I think because Beadnell is saturated they're coming further south because further north you just can't buy properties to be Airbnbs - and that's what's forcing the prices up, as well as people wanting to live here."
