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The Yorkshire coast has four major tourist resorts. Bridlington, Scarborough and Whitby have harbours you can explore, while Filey has the coble landing. These resorts all have good large sandy beaches and cliff top walks and lots of things to do. They also have shopping areas and plenty of food outlets of all descriptions.
Whitby has a good sandy beach to the west of the harbour. It is the most picturesque and photogenic resort on the Yorkshire coast. There are many different boat trips available. The river Esk flows through the town and flows into the North Sea through an impressive harbour entrance. Whitby Abbey is perched on the cliff top above the quaint old town. It has jet works and a smoke house.
Scarborough has beaches to the north and south of the castle and harbour. It is by far the largest resort on the Yorkshire Coast with many amusement arcades and eateries of all sorts on the seafront. Scarborough north bay is quite a bit less developed. Scarborough has the most amenities of any of the resorts and is the busiest.
Filey is the smallest of the big 4 resorts. It has a beautiful beach between Filey Brig and Flamborough head. It is the least developed of the Yorkshire coast resorts with only one amusement arcade on the seafront and a few children’s rides. Many visitors think Filey is a more classy resort because of this. There are lovely gardens on the cliff top and you can walk out along the Brig. There are more details on the things to do in Filey page.
Bridlington is often compared to Scarborough. Like Scarborough it has excellent beaches to the North and South of the harbour. The beach south of the harbour is one of the best in the country in all respects. It is safe, has good sand, good facilities and is relatively unspoilt. This part of the seafront has no amusement arcades and is not too crowded. Bridlington is not as picturesque as Scarborough but the bay is the most sheltered on the Yorkshire coast and so the sea is usually much calmer here. It has a bigger funfair on the seafront to the north of the harbour. Sewerby Park to the north is very popular
Spend the day with your children or grandchildren on one of the Yorkshire coasts award-winning beaches. My favourite beaches for this are Filey or Bridlington. Choose a warm day and you may get them in the sea. Both are very safe beaches with good sand and have all the facilities you need.
You can walk along the beach from Filey or park in the Country Car Park on the cliff top. The Brigg is a great place for rock pooling or fishing or just a walk. Take care on any of the smooth rocks or the concrete “footpath” if there is damp green or brown algae. It can be very slippery. There is even access down to the North side of the Brigg on iron ladders, but take great care as they are vertical.
Flamborough head sticks out several miles from the Yorkshire coast. Depending on how far you want to walk you can park at North Landing and walk to the lighthouse at Selwicks Bay and back. For a longer walk you can park in the village, walk to North Landing, right round past the lighthouse to South Landing. It is then a short walk back into the village. It is a very long walk but there are cafes at North Landing, the lighthouse and now South Landing again. The section from the lighthouse to the South landing is usually very quiet. Maybe one of the most rewarding walks to do on the Yorkshire coast.
Now run by the RSPB. You can get there with long walks in from other places such as Speeton or Thornwick bay. The car park at the reserve is part of the RSPB property. The views from the cliff top (over 300ft vertical cliffs) are magnificent. You are really close to the nesting birds and the gannets are truly majestic. If the weather is good you can also take trip from Bridlington Harbour. This is probably one of the most memorable things to do on the Yorkshire coast.
You will see hundreds if not thousands of gannets, razorbills and guillemots. It is hard to believe that back in the 1950s there was just a handful of gannets. Gannets are big aggressive birds and have chased many of the gulls and kittiwakes away from these nesting sites. Many gulls and kittiwakes have moved to the lower cliffs nearer North Landing or even into the towns.
There are also puffins and if lucky you will see a peregrine falcon. I have seen them take pigeons and young kittiwakes. Keep your eyes peeled for peregrines as they can be spotted as they fly so differently to the seabirds. Peregrines can be seen anywhere from Filey round the head to South landing. I am not sure how many pairs there are.
Whitby is an amazing place with beaches, harbours, bridges, piers, abbey, lifeboat museum, old town and lots of narrow alleyways. It is the most photogenic town on the Yorkshire coast. You can take a walk to the west along the beach or even to the east on the rocks under the abbey if the tide is out. You can even take a ride on a lifeboat or a replica of Captain Cook’s HMS Endeavour.
For some, the walk down from the car park in Robin Hoods Bay and back up is enough. If you are fit enough parking your car for free at Ravenscar and walking to Robin Hoods Bay is a much more rewarding walk. There are several routes either on the cliff top and beach, old railway line or down Ravenscar point past the Peak Fault. The latter takes on the shore past the seal colony. Look carefully at the image to see how many seals you can count. There are at least 100 in the photo. This route requires low water. You also stand a good chance of finding jet in Robin hoods bay if the sea has been rough. There is a good article about Robin Hoods Bay history here.
There are many fossils to be found on the Yorkshire coast and I think the best three places are Speeton cliffs near Filey, Staithes or Runswick bay. At the latter two do be careful if you go near the cliffs as they are very unstable and stones, some large, fall regularly. It is well worthwhile looking up the areas you want to find fossils on the internet before you go by following the links above. A Google search for “Yorkshire coast fossils” will yield many more good places to try with lots of information.
Fishing anywhere on the Yorkshire coast can be both enjoyable and occasionally very rewarding in terms of fish. Mackerel, bass, cod and flatfish can all be caught by various methods off the rocks, beaches and harbour walls. Lots of other species too. Sunset is often a good time. Bait can be bought or dug on the beaches. Try here for more general fishing information and here for family friendly places to fish.
The coastal scenery is magnificent, especially as the sun rises. There are also many opportunities around the resorts, big and small for interesting photography. Whitby is especially famous for being photogenic, and of course for the Sutcliffe collection. Rough seas can also give you amazing opportunities. With your favourite photo editing software, you can have some real fun. Try everything from creating panoramas to HDR shots. The best time of the year for photography may well be the winter. Sunrise and sunset at are at a more reasonable time and of course give some gorgeous lighting effects.
