Barbecues in the garden, stocking the fridge up on picky bits for picnics, trips to the beach and a crisp pint to follow – these are just a few of the things that let you know summer has finally arrived in Britain. The UK isn’t necessarily famed for its warm weather, but recent years have seen us spoiled with a few weeks of steady sunshine, with many of us sprinting outside to make the most of the heat.

While it can be debated where the best beaches are in Britain, which ones have the most turquoise waters or stretches of golden sands, there's a place in particular that many Brits will agree is the best place to soak up the sun, and that’s a beer garden. With this in mind, the team at credit card brand Aqua has conducted research to find out which UK city is the best for beer garden lovers. Looking at a number of factors including the price of drinks, average temperatures, amount of sunshine versus the amount of rainfall, and the number of beer gardens in UK cities, the team revealed the best beer garden for soaking up the sun.

Although it’s in the name, beer gardens aren’t just for drinking pints of the stuff either. Whether it’s a summery glass of Pimms on an Aperol Spritz, or even an ice-cold soft drink if you prefer, there’s plenty on offer. 

But if you are looking to make the most of the good weather in one of the UK’s many beer gardens, there’s one place in particular you should head to.

The research from Aqua revealed that Southend-on-Sea in Essex is the “beer garden capital of the UK” with a staggering 821 beer gardens per 100,000 people. 

It’s not just an impressive amount of beer gardens, the resort town that’s home to 9 beaches and the longest pleasure pier in the world, also boasts “the most sunshine of any city in the UK.” 

Comparing temperatures across the UK, Southend enjoys an average of 241 hours of sunshine in May, and the second-least amount of rainfall with just 41.6mm measured in the month, making it an ideal spring destination. 

It’s not all sunshine and blue skies either, the average price of drinks in Southend-on-Sea will also keep your wallet happy, with pints priced at £4, cocktails costing £8 and soft drinks just £1.12, making it an affordable option for soaking up the sun. 

Following closely behind Southend-on-Sea was Portsmouth which boasts an average temperature of 12.8C in May, making it one of the warmest locations on the list, and an impressive 682 pubs per 100,000 people.

In third place was Crawley in Sussex, thanks to its impressive 2,312 beer gardens per 100,000 people, the highest of any location in the analysis. However, it didn’t quite beat Southend’s scores for sun, with just 206 hours of sunshine in May on average.