Skegness Pier

The pier juts out into the North Sea like a proper Victorian throwback, and frankly, that's most of its charm. You get the full seaside experience here - amusement arcades, a few rides, fish and chips stands, and the kind of salt-worn railings that tell you this place has been doing the same job since 1881. The views back across Skegness beach are decent enough, especially if you time it right and catch the light at a low angle.

It's the sort of place where families with young kids spend a couple of hours feeding the arcades and riding the dodgems. Teenagers will lose interest fairly quickly. If you're after a proper walk with a view, you can stroll the length of the pier itself - maybe 30 minutes return - but it's not going to set your world alight. The end section does give you that satisfying sense of being properly out at sea, which counts for something.

Skegness Pier is free to walk on, though the rides and arcades will cost you. Summer weekends get rammed with day-trippers, so go midweek if you can stomach the weather. It slots well into a caravan park holiday - Butlins and Skegness Seaview are literally next door - giving you something to do when the weather turns middling. Not worth a special journey on its own, but if you're already staying in the area, a morning here beats another lap round the dodgems at your park.