Southwold, Suffolk
Heyday: Southwold was originally a landing pier for paddle steamers taking holidaymakers to the glamorous shores of Great Yarmouth. Its functional origins meant it was more austere than other pleasure piers and only in the 1930s, after storm damage ruined the original wooden refreshment rooms, did it get a proper pavilion. Like many piers, it was sectioned during the second world war and suffered more damage from storms in the 1970s. It was completely rebuilt in 2000 and the new owners now plan to restore the art-deco pavilion.
Highlight: The Under The Pier Show, a collection of homemade slot machines built by cartoonist and engineer Tim Hunkin. Check out the Autofrisk - pay your money and standby as large inflatable hands frisk you up and down.
Where to eat: The Clock House cafe (01502 722105) on the pier boasts the best sea views in Southwold. Have a half-pint of smoked prawns with organic bread washed down with local brew Adnams or a glass of pink champagne.
Llandudno, Wales
Heyday: Llandudno pier is the jewel in the crown of this pretty Victorian new town, dedicated entirely to pleasure. And to compound its purely frivolous existence, the 2,295ft pier has an unusual 45-degree bend, which serves no purpose whatsoever. Nestled quietly in a sheltered bay, it has largely escaped storm damage although the shoreward end pavilion burnt down in 1994 and has not been replaced. Voted Pier of the Year 2005 by the National Piers Society.
Highlight: The 12 original Victorian kiosks with their exotic ogee roofs and wrought-iron balustrades remain intact, which along with the imposing Grand Hotel at the shore, makes the whole place something of a Victorian theme park.
Where to eat: Sit in the bay window at the gloriously old fashioned St Tudno hotel (01492 860407) on the prom and feast on a hearty bar menu: local sausages and mash (£7.50); or steak sandwich (£9.50).
Saltburn-by-the-Sea, Cleveland
Heyday: Facing the elements
in the North Sea, the brave little pier has been knocked out of shape with alarming regularity since it was erected in 1867. But despite continual battering, the occasional breach by a passing ship and sectioning during the war, it has survived and is Yorkshire's only remaining pier. Now a modest 700ft compared with its original 1,500ft, it is a no-nonsense fishing and promenading pier with two modest amusement arcades.
Highlight: The pier is reached by a water-driven lift that scales the side of the cliff down to the seafront. Two carriages holding 12 passengers pass each other in the middle as something clever to do with water pressure propels them up and down the cliff face.
Where to eat: Overlooking the beach, the 15th-century Ship Inn (01287 622361) remains a favourite haunt of local fishermen. Fill up on hefty portions of pub grub including steak pie (£7.25) and fish and chips (£6.75).
Southport, Lancs
Heyday: At 3,633ft, it's not quite the longest in the UK, but it's definitely the longest over land. Opened in 1860, it was the first iron pleasure pier to be built in the UK and straddles a boating lake, crazy golf course and a road before it even reaches the sea front. Tragedy and drama have dogged Southport since the outset. A woman was killed in 1865 when she fell from the pier tram, and gales and fires have devastated a succession of buildings. Sefton council even tried to have it demolished in the 1990s but residents fought to save it and the pier is now fully restored with a glittering pavilion and rigorous fire-safety measures.
Highlight: Fairground nostalgia by the bucket (and spade) load. Pay 10p and receive a real 1d to play the vintage penny in the slot machines at the end of the pier. Or take a ride on Herbert Silcock's famous Golden Gallopers, an ornate carousel of cockerels and horses, each with their own name.
Where to eat: The tide rarely comes in far enough for a decent sea view, so pick up a maritime vibe among the ship wheels and plastic lobsters at the award-winning Dolphin restaurant in Scarisbrick
Avenue (01704 538251). Cod and chips, £4.95.
Clevedon, Somerset
Heyday: The country's only intact Grade 1-listed pier (the other, Brighton's blighted West Pier, is in ruins), Clevedon is taller and more slender than its contemporaries and has an imposing, if slightly incongruous, toll house that looks like a castle. Clevedon avoided disaster until 1970, when insurers testing its strength caused a chunk of the pier to buckle and fall in to the sea. Parts of the collapsed structure were fished out and repaired, and it re-opened in 1989.
Highlight: HMS Waverley, the world's only remaining ocean-going paddle steamer, still makes regular trips from the pier, with over 100 sailings planned this summer. Fishing is also popular - pier mistress Linda Strong (the UK's only woman pier officer) set a record last summer when she hooked a 22lb conger eel.
Where to eat: Scarlet's (01275 349032) on the seafront, a converted school now posing as a 1950s French cafe. The famous all-day 10-piece breakfast with
home-made black pudding (£6.20), and ham, egg and chips (£5.50) are favourites.
Worthing, West Sussex
Heyday: Built in 1862, Worthing pier has a long musical tradition and was the first to boast a full-time orchestra. One blustery night in 1913, the visiting McWhirter Quintet wisely abandoned their show just in time to see the pier collapse, leaving the pavilion all at sea. The pier, which now has three pavilions (a nightclub, amusement arcade and theatre), re-opened a year later but suffered fire damage in the 1930s and was sectioned during the second world war when one pavilion also became a canteen for Canadian soldiers. It was refurbished and a cafe added in the 1950s before major structural repairs in 1979. It re-opened in 1982.
Highlight: The splendid Pavilion Theatre dating from 1926 is a vibrant, multi-purpose playhouse and the only remaining pier theatre. Catch seaside favourites such as Ken Dodd and Gary Wilmott in the evenings, or waltz away the afternoon at a tea dance.
Where to eat: Everything comes with ocean views at the 1959 Denton Lounge (01903 218250), a classic cafe on the pier, where roast lunch with all the trimmings is £5.95.
