We all love a day at the beach and this year more than any. Here is a handy guide as to where is good for sand, fossils, rock pooling and a lovely family day out on the East Coast – both North Yorkshire and East Yorkshire. Find a comprehensive list of the different beaches in the area HERE.
Come rain or shine, Blackpool is always buzzing with families visiting its array of attractions including the Pleasure Beach, Blackpool Tower and Sealife Centre.
But the vast sandy beach, complete with piers and donkey rides are the reason Blackpool is a holiday mecca.
Bridlington has lovely wide promenades, glorious beaches, an historic harbour and a fascinating, arty Old Town with galleries and antique shops. Bridlington Spa has a variety of acts to suit all tastes and ages. Bridlington leisure centre is great for a rainy day complete with climbing wall and health suite!
The beaches are really accessible, sandy and you can walk for miles from South Bay.
Wide sweeping bay, dog-friendly beach, affordable parking and great facilities.
Cayton Bay is popular with holidaymakers and a beautiful place to explore, no matter what time of the year you decide to visit.
A favourite with surfers, bird watchers, fun-seekers and fossil hunters, or those who just want to relax and unwind.
Great rock pools and some fantastic fossils to be found.
Lucy’s Beach Shack sells snacks, sandwiches and a vast array of beach toys.
Parking is £2. Toilets near the surf shop are 20p.
It is quite a steep path to and from the beach.
Cayton Bay, Cayton, Scarborough YO11 3NJ
Danes Dyke; Jutting out miles into the North Sea, the headland has in the past been effectively cut off by the construction, in the Iron Age, of the erroneously named Danes’ Dyke, which encloses five square miles of the peninsula. The end of the Dyke is a deep ravine on the south side of the Headland, where it exits into Bridlington Bay There are a number of nature trails in the Dyke which can be accessed easily from the car park off the main Bridlington to Flamborough Road.
Danes Dyke, Flamborough Head, Flamborough, East Yorkshire YO15 1AG
A beautiful stretch of beach, one of the longest in the UK – its never crowded, however busy it is.
Take a walk, paddle in the sea or build a sandcastle.
The Brigg is great for a long walk, loads of rock pools to play in and explore. Be careful when you walk past the cliff end, it can be very windy. Before setting off, check the tide times, its further than you think!
With its glorious sweep of soft golden sand, Filey beach is one of the best in the country for families! If you take your dog, there are parts of the beach which are designated dog free zones.
Children love the Cobble Landing where they can see the fishing boats being taken out to see with the tractors or visit the Lifeboat, inshore and outshore. Visit Paul at Barnes Ice Cream or try the fish and chips from the Cobble Landing Fish Bar, I think they are the best.
The Amusements and the Fair have been entertaining children for years, including my brother and I since we were little!
Country Park has a great play area and the boating lake is always fun.
Flamborough’s famous white cliffs enclose a dramatic bay with caves and chalk arches, and boasting a fabulous lighthouse! It has two – one active, and one dating to 1674, making it the oldest surviving complete lighthouse in England. You can climb the 119 steps of the Flamborough Lighthouse to see the magnificent views. The village is just a couple of miles from Bempton, one of the UK’s most famous RSPB reserves, hosting gannets and puffins amongst other sea birds.
Danes Dyke is a lovely walk. Easy parking with a friendly café and then a walk through the woods to the beach. Lots of rock pools to explore. Great for finding sponge rocks.
The Living Seas Centre on South Sea Road (South), Flamborough, YO15 1AE has information and education facilities.
Situated just down from Bridlington. Its a lovely beach where you park in a field and just pop onto the beach. Lots of space to run and play. Dog and child friendly. Take your picnic and enjoy the East Yorkshire Coast at its best. Low cliffs and sand dunes. Parking is £5 for the day in summer.
A stretch of sandy beach with wooden groynes and backed by Zetland park, situated to the south of Redcar town.
Redcar Granville is one of four designated bathing beaches fronting the resort of Redcar. It is a gently-sloping sandy beach bounded at the low water mark by Redcar Rocks.
South of Bridlington Hornsea is a classic seaside resort with an extensive sand and shingle beach. A long promenade with newly-landscaped gardens, old wooden breakwaters, plenty of parking and easy access to town facilities.
Just a stone’s throw from Blackpool but this beach is often a little quieter.
There is an ornate Victorian pier in front of extensive tidal sands and a boating lake.
The town itself has plenty of restaurants and B&Bs, its own art gallery and Lytham Hall, a stunning Georgian country house, is open to visitors – prefect for a balmy spring day.
Believed to have been the busiest smuggling community on the coast in the 18th century – this historic fishing village is known for worldwide for its steep main street leading visitors down through a tangle of alleyways and side streets packed with quirky shops, cafes and pubs to a family-friendly beach complete with rock pools.
Beware it is very hilly down to the beach. Make sure you check the tide times!
Five miles south of Whitby and 15 miles north of Scarborough
Voted the location of one of the best 50 beaches in the world by readers of The Guardian in 2016, Runswick Bay is picturesque and “oldy worldy”, its red-roofed cottages clinging impossibly to the cliff above the bay, The golden beach is just made for nostalgic seaside trips – rock pooling, fossil hunting, sandcastle building and walking are favourite pastimes. One pub and that’s about it!
Apron 9 miles North of Whitby
Hidden gem just a couple of miles north of Whitby. Lovely beach in a cove that provides a lagoon for children to play in with their boats and body boards. Lifeguards throughout the peak season. Lovely local pub and café for food….and lots of ice cream! 5 minutes from Whitby for fish and chips. Perfect place for a lovely family day out.
Mumbler CB ’17
Scarborough has stunning scenery, glorious beaches and loads to do!
North Bay is a big open beach with cafés & a few shops.
South Bay is arcades, cafes etc. It is possible to walk between the two.
Staithes is one of Yorkshire’s best kept secrets, a charming coastal hamlet that overlooks the North Sea. It’s just one hour and forty minutes from Leeds by car and promises stunning views of the coast as well as a picturesque village worth exploring. A throwback of days gone by, it boasts narrow streets, ginnels and tall houses built into a sheltered cove at the base of a cliff. But it’s not just character, Staithes has loads of history too, because it was once one of the biggest fishing ports on the North Sea.
Whitby offers year round fun with its Blue Flag beaches and myriad attractions, including the world-famous steam-powered North Yorkshire Moors Railway. Whitby is steeped in history: fishing, whaling, the jet industry, Captain Cook, the glorious Abbey, Bram Stoker’s Dracula was inspired by the town and Goth Festival that draws visitors from around the globe.
The traditional seaside resort is a family destination with a host of family friendly summer events to enjoy. If you climb the 144 steps to the top of Withernsea’s famous inland lighthouse – now a museum – you can take in breathtaking views of its long promenade and Blue Flag Beach.
