Helensburgh has been ranked as one of the top five rainiest coastal destinations in the UK, according to Met Office figures.

With an average of 16 full days of rainfall each year and 137mm of rainfall each month, Helensburgh was found to be the overall fourth rainiest seaside town in the UK.

Despite the town’s placement of fourth overall, Helensburgh was found to have the highest amount of average rainfall.

The statistics were revealed after Met Office figures from 1991 to 2020 were analysed by former BBC weather presenter Owain Wyn Evans and Sykes Holiday Cottages.

Owain said: “I love that even in the rain, holidaymakers will still embrace a Great British staycation.

“Us Brits won’t let a bit of wet weather keep us indoors, and I’d argue some activities can even be better with a few rain drops.

"Despite my experience as a weather presenter, the exact detail on rain, especially showers can be hard to predict, so hopefully this analysis will give Brits some idea of what to expect and plan for if they’re heading to a seaside location this year."

Scottish towns make up four of the top five rainiest seaside destinations in the UK.

Aultbea in the Highlands took the top spot with an average of 121mm of rainfall each month and over half the year - 209 days - seeing more than 1mm of daily rainfall.

Tiree in the Inner Hebrides is the second rainiest seaside spot, with a monthly average of 106mm.

Third place went to Lochboisdale in the Outer Hebrides, which saw an average of 100mm across 17 days every month.

Helensburgh is placed fourth, and Portrush in Northern Ireland closes out the top five.

Graham Donoghue, chief executive at Sykes Holiday Cottages, said: “Rain is often part and parcel of a UK holiday, but our latest research shows that wet weather isn’t necessarily a dampener on people’s staycation experiences.

“In fact, having spent my childhood in Scotland, I am more than used to a bit of rain, and it certainly doesn’t make it any less of an incredible destination to explore.

“Whether that’s visiting a museum or spending the day in a local paint-a-pot or board game cafe, there are plenty of ways to enjoy a packed staycation itinerary even when it’s raining.”

On average, however, seaside towns are drier than the rest of the UK, with the analysis showing they get an average of 75mm of rainfall a month - compared to 97mm for the rest of the country.

A study of 2,000 UK adults carried out by market researchers OnePoll in January 2024 also found 34 per cent of staycation holidaymakers have backup ‘rainy day’ plans for their UK trips - with visiting a restaurant or café, a pub, or museums among the most popular choices.