Are these the best beer garden cities in the UK?

With the Euros kicking off today (14 June) and Brits hopeful of some summer sun, one study has outlined what it believes to be the best beer garden cities and cheapest places to grab a pint in the UK.

Temperatures should be more than 20 degrees outside by the second group stage game of the Euro 2024 football championship, and searches have increased by 674% for ‘beer gardens’, according to a study by Electric Radiators Direct.

According to the analysis, Brighton is the beer garden capital of the UK, with a score of 62 out of 67 when considering the weather and number of gardens available in the on-trade.

The seaside city has an impressive 99 beer gardens with plenty of opportunity for outside boozing. But when it came to the price of a pint, it was at the other end of the table.

Best beer garden cities

1. Brighton – 62
2. Oxford – 60
3. Southampton – 57
4. Milton Keynes – 53
5. Peterborough – 52
6. Bristol – 48
7. York – 45
8. Plymouth – 44
9. Bradford – 43
10. Manchester – 42

If you are looking to avoid a colder pint outside, according to the study, more northern cities are inevitably best to avoid. Belfast ranked only 7 out of 67 due to the least amount of sunshine (439 hours) but the most rainfall (384 hours).

Scottish cities Glasgow and Aberdeen followed with low scores of only 13 and 15 out of 67 respectively. But it seems unlikely that a chillier pint will put off Scots who will be celebrating their team in the competition, including tonight against Germany, especially with the heaters turned on.

Chilliest pints outside

1. Belfast – 7
2. Glasgow – 13
3. Aberdeen – 15
4. Swansea – 17
5. Edinburgh – 21
6. Newcastle – 21
7. Dundee – 22
8. Newport – 23
9. Liverpool – 24
10. Kingston Upon Hull – 27

The company also looked at the average cost of a pint in each city, discovering the north and Midlands was considerably better than the south, and inevitably London was the most expensive.

Cheapest pints

1. Kingston Upon Hull: £3.75
2. Coventry: £3.80
3. Aberdeen: £4.00
4. Stoke-on-Trent: £4.00
5. Southampton: £4.00
6. Dundee: £4.00
7. Bradford: £4.00
8. Swansea: £4.00
9. Newport: £4.00
10. Sheffield: £4.00

Most expensive pints

1. London: £6.50
2. Brighton & Hove: £6.00
3. Belfast: £5.50
4. Oxford: £5.45
5. York: £5.40
6. Edinburgh: £5.00
7. Bristol: £5.00
8. Manchester: £5.00
9. Liverpool: £4.83
10. Norwich: £4.50

Patio heaters expert, Stephen Hankinson from Electric Radiators Direct said: “As we are hopefully set to see some good weather hit the country in the next month, this research shows the best spots across the country to find a beer garden when the sun does come out. What we have found from comparing this recent study to one in 2022, is that the cost of pints in pubs has generally increased across cities, with London in particular, seeing a £1 rise.

“Understandably, rising costs may be persuading some to stay home and enjoy drinks in the comfort of their own garden. Either way, If you’re looking to enjoy the outdoor space to watch England take on the Euros or even just catching up with friends over a cheap pint, make sure the night doesn’t end when the sun goes in and keep warm with a patio heater or layer up with throws.”