The pretty little UK seaside town with the cheapest ice cream in Britain

A trip to the seaside is one of Britain's most-loved summer traditions, but new research reveals that the price of its most iconic treat varies far more than most families might expect. New research from credit card expertsZable has analysed the rising cost of seaside ice creams across the UK and where Brits can find the best prices this summer.

The research analysed the cost of a vanilla scoop cone across seaside destinations throughout the UK, and found that where you choose to spend the day can make a significant difference to what you pay at the ice cream counter, with prices ranging from £1.95 to £3.85 for a single scoop. And the winner for the cheapest ice cream in the UK per scoop is not where might expect. In fact the winning resort is in one of the most expensive stretches of coastline in the country.

At this pretty little seaside town in Hampshire, one of the UK's most expensive coastal counties, a single scoop of ice cream averages £1.95 which is almost £2 cheaper than the UK's most expensive.

Barton-on-Sea is the most affordable seaside location for ice cream, averaging just £1.95 for a one scoop cone. The gorgeous little resort, famed for its colourful beach huts along a pretty sandy beach, is situated in the civil parish of New Milton, in the New Forest district, where property prices are as steep as Barton's cliffs.

But if you are just there for the ice cream then this is the place to pick, or lick, a bargain. Porthmadog in Wales tops the table as the UK's most expensive seaside destination for ice cream, with a single scoop costing £3.85.

Brighton, New Brighton and Aberystwyth and Bournemouth are also named among the most expensive locations for a seaside scoop.

Coming in behind Barton though for a cheaper treat is Tynemouth in Tyne and Wear where a single scoop will cost you £2.28, followed by Ilfracombe in Devon and Portree in Scotland, (both charging £2.30). Saltburn in North Yorkshire comes in 4th place at £2.37 while nearby Whitby at £2.37 makes up the top five of the cheapest ice cream resorts.

Folkstone (£2.45) Deal (£2.48) Falmouth (£2.57) Cromer, (£2.73) and Scarborough (£2.75) make up the top ten cheapest.

As Porthmadog tops the table as the UK's most expensive seaside destination for ice cream, with a single scoop costing £3.85, it would cost a family of a family of four, a round of single scoops £15.40. Brighton follows closely at £3.71 per scoop, with New Brighton in the North West coming in third place (£3.70).

Aberystwyth, the second Welsh location to feature in the top five, comes in fourth, where a single scoop will cost beach-goers £3.65 per scoop on average. Rounding out the top five is Bournemouth, where a single scoop will cost £3.57.

Salcombe in Devon (£3.50), Whitstable in kent (£3.38), Tenby in Wales (£3.33), Padstow in Cornwall (£3.33), Margate (£3.25), Hastings (£3.25), Skegness (£3.25) and St Ives (£3.23) complete the top ten most expensive places to buy ice cream/

James Goforth, Product Manager at Zable said: "While an ice cream might feel like one of the smaller costs of a family day out, our research shows that prices can vary dramatically depending on where in the UK you choose to visit.

"At the most expensive destinations, a simple treat for a family of four can cost upwards of £15 for a single scoop each - and that is before you factor in travel, parking, food, and everything else that comes with a day at the beach. Those small purchases add up faster than most people realise.

"What is perhaps most striking is that a higher price tag does not always mean a bigger, busier destination. Some of the smallest seaside villages in the country are charging prices that rival the most visited coastal cities - a reflection of just how much limited competition, rather than tourism demand alone, can shape what we pay, even for something as simple as an ice cream.

"For families looking to make the most of their budget this summer, it is worth doing a little research before heading out. There is still excellent value to be found at the seaside, you just need to know where to look."