Best end-of-pier attractions

For the weird and wonderful

Southwold\'s coast award-winning pier re-opened in 2001 after major restoration. Today, it has all the usual gift shops and cafés, but, instead of modern-day amusements, Tim Hunkin\'s Under the Pier Show offers visitors ‘A Mad Arcade of Home-Made Slot Machines & Simulator Rides\'. Experience being frisked by a machine, taking a mechanical dog for a walk or diving to the bottom of the ocean. An automated doctor can diagnose your illness, a chiropodist tends to your feet and you can even get brainwashed! Off-the-wall fun.

Admission free (01502 722105, www.southwoldpier.co.uk, www.underthepier.com).

For thrills and spills

Tired of sitting in a deckchair? Then why not leave your stomach on the floor at Blackpool\'s South Pier while the rest of your body heads into the sky at 100mph. The Skyscreamer, a reverse bungee-jump, fires up to three people into the air, while in the Skycoaster, the thrill-seeker is hoisted 100 feet above the pier then dropped and swung out over the beach. For the less adventurous, there is the Storm Chaser (like a waltzer). Or the dodgems.

Admission free, charges for rides vary (01253 292029, www.visitblackpool.com).

For catching fish

The pier at Deal is a must for all fishermen. Anglers are welcomed by a huge statue of a man landing a fish the size of a shark, before strolling along this stylish 1950s construction in search of smaller fry. But  enthusiasts who don\'t get a bite won\'t go hungry. Deal Pier (Pier of the Year in 2008) has a great new café designed by Niall McLaughlin.

Admission free; see website for fishing prices (01304 872448, 01304 363815 for fishing enquiries, www.dealpier.com).

For architecture buffs

Walking out onto the Y-shaped pier at Llandudno is like walking into an oriental fantasy, with its elaborate ironwork and curving roofs. But it\'s not a homage to the Far East, just the further east, because it is the influence of the Prince Regent\'s Brighton Pavilion that\'s visible here. Its striking looks have earned it a place in TV period dramas, such as The Forsyte Saga.

Admission free (01492 876258, the-pier.co.uk/llandudno-pier).

For strolls and sunsets

For a saunter and a sensational sunset, head to the end of Britain\'s most elegant pier at Clevedon. Built in 1869 on iron arches, it seems to float above the sea. An exotic-looking pavilion provides views of the Severn Estuary, its two bridges and Flat Holm and Steep Holm islands. Time your visit right and you can enjoy the steamer service provided by the Balmoral and the Waverley, the last sea-going paddle steamer in the world.

Adults, £1.50; children, 75p (01275 878846, www.clevedonpier.com).

For traditional fairground fun

The end of Brighton Pier holds a collection of fairground rides, including a ghost train, a surviving helter-skelter, dodgems and the Wild River log flume. At the heart of this is the Palace of Fun, a modern, domed structure on the site of the old theatre, with slot machines and arcade games, whose tunes provide a blast of nostalgia for holidays past.

For year-round ice-skating

The original Victorian Mumbles Pier, on the Gower Peninsula, opened as the terminus of the Swansea and Mumbles railway, and still stretches more than 61 metres into the bay. Its attractions include an artificial indoor skating rink, made from polyethylene, which provides a year-round slippery surface and eliminates the chill factor.

Admission for a 25-minute skating session: £3.50 for children, £4.50 for adults (01792 365230, www.mumbles-pier.co.uk).

For classic theatre

Traditional theatrical fun survives on the North Pier at Blackpool at a venue built in 1939 with the capacity to hold 1,500 people. Its programme includes Freddie Starr, tribute performances to Queen and the hits of soul and Motown. And if that\'s not enough, there is also evening cabaret at the Merrie England Bar.

Admission: 50p, theatre prices vary (01253 621452, www.blackpoolnorthpier.co.uk).

For a ride out to sea

Southend needed Britain\'s longest pier to be able to land passengers from steamers at low tide, and a century ago the pier reached 2,157 metres out to sea. For the keen walker, the almost three-mile round trip to the end may seem fun, but, for the rest of us, it might be more pleasurable to ‘let the train take the strain\'. In 1888 work began on an electric railway, and today the pier is served by two diesel trains.

Single journey: adults, £3, concessions, £2; £3.50/£3 return (01702 215620, www.southend.gov.uk).

For panoramic views

Every pier has great views of the seafront, but at Eastbourne try a visit to its Camera Obscura for a different experience altogether. The pier opened in 1870 and a camera obscura, offering a 360-degree projection of the world outside, was incorporated into its second theatre, built in 1899. Inside the onion-domed roof, there is a large, dish-shaped screen onto which the optics project a view of the sea, the oriental roofs of the pier and Eastbourne\'s elegant seafront terraces.

Admission free (01323 410466, www.eastbourne.org/outdoor_attractions).

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