text: Bracing Skegness is one of the most popular places in Britain to own a holiday home, according to new figures out today. The Lincolnshire resort, famous for its giant Butlin's holiday camp and sprawling caravan parks, joins picturesque places such as St Ives and Windermere in the top ten league of towns for holiday property. Billy Butlin located his first holiday park at Skegness in 1936 and it still attracts 400,000 visitors a year. A railway poster promoting the town once famously boasted 'Skegness is so bracing'. Popular: Skegness (pictured) is one of the most popular places in Britain to own a holiday home, according to new figures out today . Scenic: The Lincolnshire resort joins picturesque places such as St Ives (pictured) and Windermere in the top ten league of towns for holiday property . It is number five among the UK's holiday home hotspots behind Windermere in the Lake District and Newport in Pembrokeshire. The research revealed that 165,000 people in England and Wales have holiday homes. Cornwall, with its 300 mile coastline, is the nation's holiday home hotspot, with more than 10,000 holiday properties located there, six per cent of the total. Gwynedd, home to Snowdonia national park and north Norfolk with its sandy beaches and salt marshes, complete the top three. Researchers for Direct Line Select Premier Insurance interviewed estate agents about the holiday home market in these areas to get recommendations on where to buy and find out how competitive the local property market is at present. 1. St Ives, Cornwall . 2. Abersoch, north Wales . 3. Holt, Norfolk . 4. Windermere, Cumbria . 5. Skegness, Lincolnshire . 6. Newport, Wales . 7. Beverley, Yorkshire . 8. Salcombe, Devon . 9. Filey, Yorkshire . 10. Burnham Market, Norfolk . Across England and Wales nearly 1.6 million people have a second property in a different area to where they live permanently. About 11 per cent of these are used as holiday homes with the remainder being used for purposes such as work or accommodation for student children. Nick Brabham, of Direct Line, said: 'Holiday homes are very valuable to owners as they are often a place to relax and spend quality time with loved ones. 'This time is often limited, which means it is essential to keep the property and its contents in top condition all year round. Peter Olivey, an estate agent in the Cornish resort of Padstow, said: 'Cornwall ticks a number of important boxes for second home owners with its coastal location and abundance of activities. 'It's a true holiday haven without the hassle or cost of going abroad. The local property market here is competitive but with a number of new developments springing up and mortgage rates much lower than they have been, there's still plenty of opportunity for prospective buyers.' Sought after: It is number five among the UK's holiday home hotspots behind Windermere in the Lake District and Abersoch in Wales . Beautiful: Across England and Wales, nearly 1.6 million people have a second property in a different area to where they live permanently - such as Windermere (pictured) which also featured in the list .
target: Skegness featured among picturesque places like Windermere and Cornwall .
  Lincolnshire town famous for its Butlin's attracts over 400,000 visitors a year .
  Research revealed 165,000 people in England and Wales have holiday homes .