Filey &
Surrounding areas

Things to do in

Filey and Surrounding Areas

There are so many things to do in the locality a week’s stay might not seem long enough!

Filey

Some people see no need to stray beyond the 5 mile stretch of clean, sandy, award-winning beach, but Filey does have more to offer. The great coastal views can be enjoyed from formal gardens (Crescent or Glen) or the promenade. If it’s a low tide a bracing walk onto Filey Brigg is fun, especially if you like rockpools and seabirds. You might want to visit one of the Filey attractions, such as Spirit of Yorkshire (whisky distillery using local ingredients); Filey (award-winning) museum; Filey Dams Nature Reserve (wetlands with wading birds); Filey Garden and Animal Park or Playdale Farm Park.  Those who like messing about on the water may find Bay Watersports of interest.

Scarborough

Well worth a visit!

There is a Sealife Aquarium at the North Bay and surfers can often be seen riding the waves. There is a promenade along the seafront between the North and South Bays, dotted with cafes (Watersmeet and The Lookout are our favourites), fish & chip shops, and stalls selling traditional seaside fare for a bite to eat on the way. You might be lucky enough to see the porpoises which can be seen from the headland between the two bays. Scarborough Castle dominates the headland, search on https://english-heritage.org.uk for opening times and other details. If you don’t fancy walking the Beachcomber Open-top Bus will take you around the seafront.

At the South Bay, you will find a working harbour where you can buy freshly caught crabs and lobsters, take a fishing trip, or a coastal cruise to spot wildlife.

Away from the seafront, Scarborough offers an Art Gallery, Museum, Water Park, and Open Air Theatre (at which various artists including UB40, Ollie Muirs, and Westlifeplan to play in Summer 2021).

Elsewhere……

• Bridlington (16-22 minutes by car 8.3 miles)– a traditional seaside town with a working harbour from which you can take RSPB Seabird Cruises and seal watching boat trips
• Malton (about 40 minutes by car 24.3 miles) – Wolds Way Lavender, Eden Camp Modern History Museum, and Kirkham Priory are all close to this historic market town known as the food capital of North Yorkshire
• Dalby – Go Ape Segway 48 Minutes about 25 miles) and The Moors National Park Centre (1 hour 15 minutes drive)
• Whitby (41.9 miles and a 1-hour drive) – famous for fish & chips, Robin Hood’s Bay, Whitby Abbey and also home to The Captain Cook Memorial Museum and a port from which you can go on a whale-watching boat trip.
• Pickering - is about 25 miles away and 45 minutes by car. In addition to Pickering Castle, you can start a rail journey on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway here (YO18 7AJ)
• Staithes (via A165 and A171 about 1hour 15 minutes) – a pretty fishing village

Walking and wildlife

The coastline between Filey and Flamborough Headland, and beyond, is outstandingly beautiful.

If you park at the RSPB Centre on Bemptom Cliffs and walk along the 5 mile stretch of clifftop coastal path you will be rewarded with views of nesting spots of guillemots, kittiwakes and gannets. Between April and July, you can also see puffins.

Flamborough Head is an outstanding area of natural beauty. There are 2 lighthouses, a café, and a pretty cove where we’ve often spotted seals bobbing in the water. You can explore the promontory, which has a hide, bookable in advance, where you watch the seabirds out of the wind! The rock formation of the cliffs can be appreciated if you follow the coastal path towards Sewerby, and enjoy the spectacular views of the sea.

A scenic drive of about 21 miles, 45 minutes, will take you to Ravenscar, a National Trust site, and home to a colony of about 200 seals. Well worth the steep,  rather challenging, descent to the shoreline!

Dalby Forest, via the B1261, is a 42-minute drive and offers woodland walks for all the family.

Forge Valley Woods National Nature Reserve is near Scarborough, about a 26-minute drive, and maybe worth a visit if you’re interested in birds of prey.

Stately Homes

There are many Halls and stately homes, often with extensive grounds and gardens to explore, and quite a few also have play areas for children. A few are suggested below:

• Castle Howard – https://www.castlehoward.co.uk near Malton a 32miles about a 50-minute drive
• Scampston Hall and walled gardens – https://www.scampston.co.uk via A1039 and A64 a 20-mile drive which should take 35 minutes
• Burton Agnes Hall near Driffield – https://www.burtonagnes.com -via A165 and A614 13.2 mile should take 25 minutes
• Sewerby Hall and Gardens - https://www.sewerbyhall.co.uk near Bridlington, a 9-mile drive which should take about 20 minutes
• Nunnington Hall – https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/nunnington 1 hour drive via A64 and B1257, 35 miles

Perfect holiday location

Getting Around

East Yorkshire Buses run a service (number 12) between Bridlington and Scarborough via Moor Road (near the Bay) and Filey. For full details of this, and other local bus routes and timetables, visit:                                

https://www.eastyorkshirebuses.co.uk

If you want to travel by train, from Filey you can take trains f to Bridlington, Scarborough and local inland historic market towns, such as Malton. Visit: https://www.northernrailways.co.uk to find out more.

A list of places within easy traveling distance by car, and in some cases by foot, are listed below. Estimated journey times are taken from Google maps

• Filey 3.2 miles, 8 minutes by car (about 40 minutes walk via the beach)
• Bemptom Cliffs 7.8 miles, 16 minutes, by car to the RSPB centre
• Flamborough Headland 11.4 miles, about 23 minutes by car
• Scarborough 9.8 miles, 23 minutes by car. Walking on the coastal path (Cleveland Way) just over 3 hours.