Days Out Ryedale and Thirsk

Yorkshire Beaches

Please Be Respectful

PLEASE PLEASE respect the local residents, take your rubbish home, park responsibly and remember that many of the local community have retired to these beautiful locations.

Barmston Beach

This quiet beach is a popular fishing spot and well worth a visit for a peaceful stroll. It’s also a great place to watch sand martins which nest in the cliffs from April to September. Barmston beach is six miles south of Bridlington and well worth a visit during summer.

Bridlington Beach

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.

Please note there are some dog restrictions between May & September on the main beaches in Bridlington.

Cayton 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. Lucy’s Beach Shack sells snacks, sandwiches and a vast array of beach toys. It is quite a steep path to and from the beach.

Danes Dyke, Bridlington

Danes Dyke is a Nature Reserve just North of Bridlington.  The beach is a mixture of sand and rocks, and can be accessed on foot along the clifftop walk from Sewerby (about 2 miles), and then you can take the steps all the way down to the beach.  Or you can park in the designated car park accessed from the main road from Bridlington, and then walk through the nature reserve down to the beach, there are a number of nature trails in the Dyke which can be accessed easily from the car park.

Danes Dyke, Flamborough Head, Flamborough, YO15 1DU

Filey Beach

A beautiful stretch of beach, one of the longest in the UK – its never crowded, however busy it is. The Brigg is great for a long walk, loads of rock pools to play in and explore. With its glorious sweep of soft golden sand, Filey beach is one of the best in the country for families. 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. 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. Filey is my personal favourite!

Before setting off, check the tide times, and please note if you take your dog, there are certain areas of the beach designated as dog-free zones.

Flamborough Beaches

Flamborough consists of huge white cliffs with dramatic bays and caves, North Landing is is situated in a natural cove on the north side of the Flamborough headland about 7 miles south east of Reighton, and South Landing beach lies on the south side of Flamborough Head, within an area which has been designated a Local Nature Reserve.  Both beaches are a mixture of sand, pebbles and shingle and are great places for hunting marine wildlife in the rock pools.

You can also visit Flamborough Lighthouse on the headland which has recently re-opened to the public for tours.

Fraisthorpe

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. Pay and display carpark, and cafe and toilets nearby.

Hayburn Wyke

It is a rocky beach that is perfect for a family adventure, and that’s great for little explorers. Once you emerge from the coastpath, you’ll come out next to not one, but two spectacular waterfalls! Hiding in the rocks, keep your eyes peeled out for little creatures hidden among the rocks and boulders, plus it’s a great spot for some fossil hunting. Dog friendly.

Hornsea Beach

Hornsea marks the end of the TransPennine Trail and is more of a classic seaside resort with a blue flag beach and an extensive stretch of sand and shingle. There are some nice gardens alongside a long promenade and plenty of parking with accessible town facilities near to the beach.

Hunmanby Gap

Lovely long stretch of beach which is rarely busy. Great for kids to run and play without getting lost in a crowd.  You can walk all the way to Speeton from here and if you’re lucky see the ship wreck of ‘The Laura’ if the tide is far enough out.  Also good for hunting fossils.  There is a carpark at the top of the cliff, however this is closed during the Winter months, and parking on the road minimal.

Mappleton

An excellent beach for fossil hunters; Mappleton’s eroding cliffs reveal Jurassic and Cretaceous rocks including corals, molluscs ammonites and belemnites. Great place to discover a hidden treasure. Small carpark and toilets on the cliff top.

Ravenscar

Dramatic cliff tops and rocky beach coves, its the perfect place to visit if you like a bit more than sand on your beach day out.  Like many of the other towns and villages on the Jurassic Coast, it’s a magnet for fossil hunters.

Robin Hoods Bay

An old fishing village, famous for it’s smuggling community back in the 18th century.  A great place for families with its sandy beach, and rock pools to explore, as well as being a perfect location for fossil hunting.  There are also lots of coastal and country walks to discover around the area, and the village of Robin Hood’s Bay has many narrow, twisting cobbled streets to explore with lots of cafe’s and shops to buy yourselves a treat. Beware it’s hilly down to the beach and please check tide times!

Runswick Bay

Runswick Bay is 5 miles north of Whitby and is perfect for coastal walks along the cliff top (forms part of the Cleveland Way). The beach is a mixture of sand and rock pools, and it is another great fossil hunting location.  It was chosen as Beach of the Year 2020 by The Sunday Times.

Saltburn

Wide open beach to play, run and walk. There are some arcades, a few cafés and some little shops along the promenade. Saltburn is home to one of the best surf spots along this stretch of North Sea coast.

Sandsend

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, and when the tide is out there are plenty of rockpools to explore. Lifeguards throughout the peak season. Perfect place for a lovely family day out.

Scarborough

Scarborough has stunning scenery, glorious beaches and loads to do. North Bay is a large beach with vast expanses of sand, and rockpools at low tide.  There are also cafés & a few shops, and you are close to Peasholm Park. South Bay is more family orientated with arcades and lots of cafes, ice-cream shops etc.  It is also close to the harbour where there are boat trips out along the bay. It is possible to walk from one bay to the other along Marine Drive.

Spurn

It’s impossible to drive to Spurn Head, but you can park at the Spurn Discovery Centre, where there is a cafe and toilets, then begin your journey on foot.  You can walk all the way to the tip of Spurn but it’s a long walk and you are open to the elements along the way.  However, there are various places where you can pop onto the sand and have a play.  It’s a lovely way to spend the day, please be cautious as it is a National Nature Reserve so is highly protected.

Spurn Discovery Centre, Spurn Road, Kilnsea, Hull HU12 0UH

Staithes

Small beach great for rockpools and fossil hunting.  People mainly visit Staithes for historic interest and to explore the clifftop walks, where you get amazing views of the sea and coastline.

Thornwick Bay

Car park at the top with toilets. Steep enough walk down to the beach but level so pram is possible as long as you are feeling strong on the way home!  Pebbly / rocky beach with lots to explore including an arch and caves. Puffins, razorbills and gulls can be seen on the cliffs. Be careful of the tide as you can get cut off quickly.

Thornwick Bay, Flamborough. YO15 1AU

Whitby

There are 2 beaches in Whitby, either side of the River Esk. On the east side is a very small sandy beach, and on the west side is the main tourist beach which has all the usual beach amenities and the sand stretches for 2 miles.  Whitby is also a great historical place of interest with Captain Cook, Whitby Abbey, Dracula, and the fishing, whaling and jet industry.  There is lots of explore and discover in Whitby, a great day out.

Wilsthorpe beach

Wide sandy beach between Bridlington and Fraisthorpe, good for the kids and the dog to run around and let off some steam. No lifeguarding service and no facilities, but it’s a short walk to Bridlington.

Withernsea

This traditional seaside resort in East Yorkshire, is a typical family destination with a lovely sandy beach, perfect for bucket and spade activities. You will also find attractions such as the Withernsea Lighthouse museum and RAF Holmpton.

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