Coast Awards 2009: the winners revealed!

The wait is over

Drum roll, please - the judges have made a decision. It\'s time to discover the places to go and things to see on the British coast right now...

We asked you to tell us about your 2008 seaside favourites and you responded in your hundreds. Votes came in for every part of the UK, from traditional holiday favourites to up-and-coming destinations. We tallied them up to find your top spots for Best British Beach and All-Round Seaside Holiday Destination, and then put your top-scoring nominations for the remaining categories to our judging panel - Coast\'s Clare Gogerty, Jo Fairley, Mark Osterfield, Deborah Lamb, Andy Cummins, Ruth Watson, Alex Wade, Dr Jonathan Foyle and Miranda Krestovnikoff - to deliberate, cogitate and digest. After much heated debate, we can now announce the winners...

Curious about last year\'s awards? Click here to see who won what

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Best British beach: Coast readers\' vote

Winner: Holkham, Norfolk

Runners up: Bamburgh, Northumberland; Brighton, East Sussex

With its miles of dunes, windswept sands and maze of creeks and saltings, it\'s hardly surprising that Holkham secured the number one spot in Coast readers\' pick of British beaches. This Norfolk beach, famous for its colourful beach huts on stilts and seemingly never-ending expanses of sands, is also a national nature reserve.

Find out more about the winners here: www.holkham.co.uk

Take a circular walk around Holkham Bay

Best all-round seaside holiday destination

Winner: Brighton, East Sussex

Runners up: Bournemouth, Dorset; St Ives, Cornwall

Whether you\'re after a funky arts scene, Regency heritage, beachfront cool or good old-fashioned seaside entertainment, Brighton has something for everyone. So, little wonder it stormed ahead of its rivals to be voted the seaside that Coast readers would most like to be beside.

Find out more about the winners here: www.visitbrighton.com

Plan a stay in Brighton with our cool online accommodation finder

Best environmental campaign

Joint winners: Marine Conservation Society - The Campaign for Clean Seas; Greenpeace - Oceans Campaign

Runner up: The National Trust - Neptune Coastline Campaign

The judges couldn\'t decide between these campaigns. ‘The way MCS engages the community in its beach cleans is fantastic,\'said zoologist and TV presenter Miranda Krestovnikoff. Surfers Against Sewage\'s Andy Cummins on Greenpeace: ‘Putting pressure on supermarkets means that endangered species are taken off the shelves before consumers can choose to buy them.\'

Find out more about the winners here: Marine Conservation Society and Greenpeace 

Unsung coastal hero

Winner: Elisabeth Leader - Breaking the Barrier (introducing autistic children to surfing), Totnes, Devon

Runners up: Steven Wood - RNLI fundraiser, Swansea; Mick Mahon - campaigner against fishing discards, Praa Sands, Cornwall

Elisabeth Leader organises Breaking the Barrier, an event that allows special-needs children to enjoy surfing. The judges applauded her enthusiasm and hoped the scheme would be rolled out nationally.

Find out more about the winners here: www.lifeworks-uk.org/comesurfing.html

Fancy trying surfing yourself? Read all about it

Best new business by the sea

Winner: Wittering Surf Shop, East Wittering, West Sussex

Runners up: Coastal Creatives, Bournemouth, Dorset; Bringing The

Outside In, Holkham, Norfolk

Our judging panel admired the way Wittering Surf Shop involved the community, sponsoring local children as ‘team riders\', and went the extra mile to bring surfing to a wider audience with demos and lessons.

Find out more about the winners here: www.witteringsurfshop.com

Best shoreline B&B/hotel

Winner: Primrose Valley Hotel, St Ives, Cornwall

Runners up: The White Horse, Brancaster Staithe, Norfolk; The Vincent Hotel, Southport, Lancashire

Primrose Valley clinched the top spot for the locally sourced menu, fuss-free style and treatment room. ‘Adding £1 to bills in aid of the MSC is a great idea,\' added Jo Fairley.

Find out more about the winners here: www.primroseonline.co.uk

Get the most from a weekend in St Ives

Best seaside landmark building

Winner: De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill on Sea, East Sussex

Runners up: Spinnaker Tower, Portsmouth, Hampshire; The Royal Pavilion, Brighton, East Sussex

The judges were impressed by the striking exterior of this Modernist building and the ‘inclusive nature\' of what was on offer inside.

Find out more about the winners here: www.dlwp.com

Think you know your seaside landmarks? Take our quiz and see how many you get

Best seaside attraction

Winner: Weston donkeys, Weston-Super-Mare, Somerset

Runners up: Newlyn Art Gallery, Newlyn, Cornwall; Southwold Pier, Southwold, Suffolk

The ears have it! Donkeys have been giving children rides along the beach at Weston-Super-Mare for more than 100 years, and are as popular as ever with the younger generation - as well as offering a touch of nostalgia for the parents, too.

Find out more about the winners here: westondonkeys.co.uk

If the sound of hooves on sand appeals, try horse-riding on the beach

Best coastal café, pub or restaurant

Winner: Hive Beach Café, Burton Bradstock, Dorset

Runners up: Porthminster Café, St Ives, Cornwall; Aardvark Tea Room, St Leonards-on-Sea, East Sussex

The judges were particularly impressed by the Hive Beach Café\'s use of locally sourced fish, and thought its friendly, informal style complemented the beachfront setting.

Find out more about the winners here: www.hivebeachcafe.co.uk

Track down more great places to eat out

Best reinvented seaside town

Winner: Morecambe, Lancashire

Runners up: Blackpool, Lancashire; Folkestone, Kent

Morecambe was applauded for attracting a diverse audience with its investment in accommodation, infrastructure and art, and the renovation of the Midland Hotel, benefiting the community and tourists.

Find out more about the winners here: www.citycoastcountryside.co.uk/site/morecambe-and-heysham

Book a guide and take this eight-mile walk around Morecambe Bay