A stunning UK seaside village is being overlooked as people run for a tourist honeypot which is just a stone’s throw away.

The Lake District is world famous for its beauty which has inspired poets, literary giants and songwriters alike throughout history.

But as people scramble to get to the area’s more famous hotspots such as Lake Windermere, Kendal or Keswick this tiny but gorgeous seaside village, named one of the best coastal places to live in the country by the Times, is being ignored by many tourists.

The seaside village of Arnside is an incredible mix of rolling green, rural landscapes with pheasants as common as seagulls flying near the white sands.

Jackie Ellis, 69, lives Penrith, in the Eden Valley, also in Cumbria, which is around a 50 minute drive away. She is visiting Arnside for a holiday.

She said: “I like to be beside the sea. It’s near for me and it’s very charming. It’s an oasis of peace and it’s beautiful.”

However she said that the tourist board is so fixated on the Lake District that the likes of Arnside remains under the radar.

Writer Jackie said: “Cumbria Tourist Board is obsessed with the Lakes and don’t take an interest in us! Who on earth wants to go to Beatrix Potter [a famous Lakes’ museum] if you can come here! What’s the point? You have beautiful countryside on your doorstep.

“People come and stay here as it’s maybe that bit cheaper than Ambleside and use it as a jumping off point.”

But she added that locals still get to enjoy relative peace and quiet compared to the more well known Cumbrian destinations.

She added: “But if I lived here I would be very grateful to be overlooked.”

Arnside is famous for its tidal bore, a rare tidal wave that occurs when the incoming tide meets resistance from the bay’s sands and channels. A bizarre claim to fame is that it is allegedly also where the Yorkshire Ripper’s ashes are scattered, with Peter Sutcliffe’s niece having revealed the location.

Trevor Brown, 72, has lived in Arnside for 12 years after relocating there from East Sussex. He explains when he first visited the chocolate box village it totally captured his heart. The retired industrial chemist is now a landscape photographer and spends his time taking beautiful photographs of the place he adores.

He said: “Somebody said to me ‘go and see Arnside’ as the sunsets are the best in the world. The first time I came here the rain was hitting me horizontally but I came back when it was sunny. I fell in love with the place.”

Although it’s almost free of tourists the day we visit, he says that it’s gaining popularity.

He said: “If you come here in the summer it is very busy – you won’t get a parking spot as it’s like Brighton!”

Leonie Punter, 53, runs a business called She Sells on the seafront which she has run for 15 years. She is originally from Manchester and now lives in Lancaster, which is 25 minutes away by car. 

She said: “On a sunny day it attracts lots of people but it’s overlooked as lots of people go to the Lake District. Only people in the know come here. It’s a hidden gem.”

Tracey Leigh, 59, runs Homeleigh Vintage and has lived in Arnside for four years. She is originally from Skipton and bought a property in the village to renovate “from scratch”.

She said: “I fell in love with the property and obviously the views.”

Tracey said that as well as the gorgeous landscapes the business owner says that another key appeal is the location’s accessibility.

She added: “The train links are good and you can get to Manchester Airport in one and a half hours and as we’re only 15 minutes from the M6 we are also very accessible.”

Property prices are above the UK average of £305,879, with an overall average price of £398,366 over the last year according to Rightmove. Although this is not uncommon for a pretty seaside spot, the prices are becoming an issue for the younger generation looking to buy a home where they grew up. 

A female pub worker, 21, from Arside, who didn’t wish to be named said: “Most young people would struggle getting a house here. It does panic me that home ownership is still quite far out of reach. Most of my friends are in the same situation as me even though they are ready to move out.”

She added: “Several friends with kids are still jammed in with their parents.”

Her colleague, a bar manager Tom, 31, said “I’ve grown up here” and that house prices have “rocketed”.