UK's sunniest county where you can buy a beachfront home for just £257,000

With over 25 beaches and 60 miles of coastline, this UK county is the perfect place to soak up the sun.

There are a few things to consider when it comes to buying a home in the UK. Whether it's a detached house with ample parking space or a flat near great schools, whatever your requirements are, it's likely that proximity to good weather isn't one of them.

Given our reputation for a drizzly forecast and grey skies, many Brits instead head to the likes of Nice in France or Portugal's Algarve coast in search of a home that comes with guaranteed sunshine.

Moving overseas can be a long and expensive process, particularly with recent changes to EU border controls and new immigration laws.

If you've been dreaming of relocating to a place in the sun, instead of heading to Europe like many Brits, you might want to consider staying put because one county in the UK has officially been named the sunniest.

Comparing average house prices in the UK with Met Office weather data, over-50s property experts Regency Living have managed to find the sunniest place to buy a house in the UK.

A favourite holiday spot for Brits, with flocks of visitors thanks to its mild climate and golden sand beaches, and once home to a Royal residence belonging to Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, who also adored it, the Isle of Wight is the sunniest county in the UK.

Managing to outshine the rest of the UK, the Isle of Wight basks in a glorious five hours of sunshine a day. Elsewhere in the UK, the average amount of daily sunshine is just three hours, making the Isle of Wight the only county to pass the five-hour mark.

The property experts have also crunched the numbers to reveal how much you'll be shelling out for that extra bit of sunshine. With an average house price of £257,170 on the Isle of Wight, buyers are essentially paying around £835 for every hour of daily sunshine.

While this might seem steep, when compared to the UK's average house price of £271,415, most homeowners are coughing up a whopping £1,190 for a mere three hours of sun.

With over 25 beaches and 60 miles of coastline, there's no shortage of spots to soak up the sun on the Isle of Wight, with plenty of properties available on Rightmove.

A four-bedroom house near the well-known Shanklin Beach, complete with a lively promenade, is currently on the market for £260,000.

For those looking to stick to a budget, a two-bedroom bungalow boasting views over the dramatic cliffs of Alum Bay is up for grabs at £254,000, while £250,000 can get you a two-bedroom flat in the seaport town of Cowes.

If uninterrupted sea views are your thing, there's also a one-bedroom ground-floor flat available for just £200,000, meaning you can bag even more sunshine for your money.