What does every seaside town need? Amusement parks, ice cream parlours, fish ‘n’ chip shops, the list goes on, but what about a beach? Well, sandy shores may not be as integral as you first think, as Stourport-on-Severn, aka Birmingham’s nearby “seaside town without a beach”, proves every summer.
Roughly about 25 miles from Birmingham—and about 60 miles from the open sea—Stourport has every but a beach. The riverside Georgian town in Worcestershire boasts everything from fairground rides at Treasure Island (can you get more seaside than that?) to amusement arcades, sweet shops, and crazy golf.
And if you’re missing a great big body of water, the historic canal basin—where the Staffordshire and Worcestershire Canal meets the River Severn—is as close a dupe for the ocean as you’ll find near Birmingham. Soak up the moored canal boats and enjoy independent cafés, pubs and restaurants.
You can also now make a splash at the recently reopened Paddling Pool at the Playland Fun Park. After two years closed, it is now open daily from 9.30am to 4.30pm until Sunday, September 6, 2026. So if you’re craving the feeling of water around your feet, you’ve now even got that at this ‘seaside town’.
Look, Stourport-on-Severn is never going to compete with the mile-long golden stretches of Weston-super-Mare, or the traditional Victorian seaside feel of Aberystwyth. But it’s also not going to take you up to three hours to get to… So, make Stourport-on-Severn your next seaside escape.
How do I get there?
Less than an hour from Birmingham, take the M5 to Sandy Lane in Worcestershire (exit 4) and continue on A491; then take B4188, A450 and B4193 to Lombard Street in Stourport-on-Severn. If you’d prefer public transport, take a 40-minute train from Birmingham Snow Hill to Kidderminster, where you can hop on a 15-minute bus to the ‘seaside town without a beach’.
