Ryde has been revealed as one of the best UK towns to visit by car, thanks in part to its easy-to-navigate town centre and low-cost hourly parking.
Auto-retailer Robins and Day, who compiled the study, used a combination of desk research and national survey data in order to rank the UK’s top towns and cities for drivers to visit in the coming months. With a reported £46.8 billion being spent on domestic tourism in 2020 and restrictions on the domestic hospitality industry relaxed in many parts of the UK since July 2020, staycations and day trips are once again on the up.
Robins & Day created a points system that took into consideration population size, the number of UK motorists who planned to visit in the next 6-months, the number of UK motorists who said it was hard to navigate around/through by car, the number of council-run, central car parks and their average cost per hour, the number of public electric charging points and devices, the number of petrol stations and the number of speed cameras.
This list of criteria was based on research by the auto-retailer on the things that are most likely to put Brits off visiting somewhere in a car.
Skegness topped the table, closely followed by Southampton and then Ryde here on the Isle of Wight.
| Rank | Town/City |
| 1 | Skegness |
| 2 | Southampton |
| 3 | Ryde (Isle of Wight) |
| 4 | Sheffield |
| 5 | Lancaster |
| 6 | Stratford upon Avon |
| 7 | Weymouth |
| 8 | Truro |
| 9 | Belfast |
| 10 | Portree (Isle of Skye) |
Ciaran Taylor, Digital Marketing Manager at Robins and Day, commented on the findings:
“Whether it’s for a day trip or a longer getaway, it’s great to see so many of us investing in the UK tourism and hospitality industry, especially following a tough start to the year. Whilst it’s great that we help to support these industries, it’s also important that we do so safely and responsibly, and so prior planning is essential.
“This was one of the key reasons behind creating our list of top UK towns and cities; to ensure that as drivers, we are considering all the options available to us and also thinking about busyness, ease-to-navigate, parking, petrol and electric charging points so it’s a stress-free a day out for everyone.
“Everyone loves a day at the beach, so it’s great to see Skegness topping the list, but whether you prefer a weekend city break or would rather get out walking for the day in the countryside, our list highlights some of the great places up and down the UK to visit by car in 2020 and beyond.”
Article credit Island Echo – islandecho.co.uk/ryde-named-a-top-uk-town-to-visit-by-car