Padstow named Britain’s top spot for that lucky holiday feeling

Stand on the harbourside in Padstow on a warm August evening and you can feel it: that loose, sunlit optimism that makes anything seem possible. New analysis from The National Lottery suggests the feeling leaves a mark somewhere more concrete than a suntan, in the tills of seaside shops right along the coast, and nowhere in Britain shows it more than this stretch of the Cornish coast.

Padstow tops Britain’s table of lucky coastal towns

The research looked at National Lottery retail sales in seaside towns and airport stores across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, comparing July and August 2025 against the rest of the year. Top of the pile is Padstow, the picturesque Cornish harbour town, where sales during those two months ran 27.3% higher than the yearly average, the biggest jump of any coastal destination in the country.

Padstow was not the only place where holidaymakers seemed to be feeling lucky. Portrush in Northern Ireland recorded a 23.0% uplift, Tenby in Wales saw sales rise by 21.8%, and St Ives, Cornwall’s other seaside favourite, enjoyed a 19.5% summer boost. Newquay also made the list, with sales up 9.4% over the summer months.

Cornwall crowned the UK’s biggest lottery hotspot region

Padstow’s win was not a one-off. Looked at region by region, Cornwall came out as the UK’s biggest summer hotspot overall, with average monthly National Lottery sales across the county running 4.5% higher in July and August than during the rest of the year, the largest regional uplift anywhere in Britain.

📷EDITORIAL USE ONLY National Lottery Seaside Sales Picture date: Friday August 14, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: James Speakman/PA Media Assignments

‘A real sense of positivity in the air’

Vince Malone, a National Lottery retailer at Tenby Stores, has watched the summer surge play out at the till. “Summer is a brilliant time of year in Tenby because people arrive feeling relaxed, optimistic and ready to make the most of their holiday,” Vince said. “We often hear visitors say how lucky we are to live by the coast, which naturally leads to conversations about what they would do if they won a big National Lottery prize. There’s a real sense of positivity in the air, and many customers enjoy picking up a National Lottery ticket or Scratchcard as part of their holiday experience. It’s lovely to see people leave with a smile on their face, enjoying their time in Tenby and dreaming about what a life-changing win could mean for them.”

📷EDITORIAL USE ONLY National Lottery Seaside Sales Picture date: Friday August 14, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: James Speakman/PA Media Assignments

Ruth Breen: ‘there’s nowhere quite like Blackpool’

The seaside effect is not confined to Cornwall and Wales. Ruth Breen, a midwife from Wigan who scooped £1 million on EuroMillions, puts Blackpool’s place in the top ten down to something similar. “There is just something about the great British seaside, whenever I visit it puts a smile on my face and it just makes me feel lucky,” Ruth said. “There is nowhere quite like Blackpool, which I love visiting as it’s fairly local to me, and it comes as no surprise that it ranks in the top 10 seaside sales in the summer.”

The same feeling takes off at the airport

The summer uplift is not limited to seaside towns. Holiday optimism appears to travel with people, showing up again at airport stores on the way out and the way back. The largest increase of all was recorded at a store in London Stansted Airport, where sales were 155.2% higher during the summer months than during the rest of the year. Arrivals stores at Heathrow and London City Airport also saw substantial jumps.

📷EDITORIAL USE ONLY National Lottery Seaside Sales Picture date: Friday August 14, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: James Speakman/PA Media Assignments

📷EDITORIAL USE ONLY National Lottery Seaside Sales Picture date: Friday August 14, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: James Speakman/PA Media Assignments

📷EDITORIAL USE ONLY National Lottery Seaside Sales Picture date: Friday August 14, 2026. PA Photo. Photo credit should read: James Speakman/PA Media Assignments

‘There’s never been a better moment to believe’

Andy Carter, Senior Winners’ Advisor at The National Lottery, says the pattern comes down to holidaymakers giving themselves permission to dream a little bigger. “Whether it’s a family holiday in Wales, fish and chips on the Cornwall coast or a long-awaited summer getaway, our findings suggest that summer is the season when the nation really gets that ‘fingers crossed’ feeling,” Andy said. “Being on holiday often gives people the chance to switch off from everyday life and dream a little bigger. It’s fascinating to see that reflected in National Lottery sales last year across some of Britain’s most popular destinations, and we’re seeing the same trend in sales so far this summer. And with New Lotto now making more millionaires than ever before, with more than 100 millionaires already created this year, there’s never been a better moment to believe that it could be you.”