Bridlington North Beach & Promenade

The North Beach at Bridlington stretches for miles - proper golden sand backed by a working promenade that's seen better days but retains genuine seaside charm. You've got the sea on one side, chip shops and amusement arcades on the other, and enough space to actually breathe, even in summer.

It's a nature reserve in the loosest sense - more a working beach than a wildlife sanctuary, though you'll spot the occasional cormorant and the rock pools near the harbour end hold small crabs and anemones if you bring kids armed with nets. The appeal here is straightforward: miles of flat sand for paddling, a decent promenade walk, and the kind of old-school seaside that doesn't require booking three months ahead.

The best time is shoulder season - May or September - when the weather's still decent but the crowds from the holiday parks have thinned. Allow a couple of hours minimum, more if you're building a proper beach day. Families with young kids will get several hours' worth; serious walkers can push north toward Filey and clock up a proper coastal route.

Stay at South Shore Holiday Park if you want steps to the beach - it's practically on top of things. The other parks - Bridlington Caravan and Motorhome Club, South Cliff, The Old Mill - are all within easy reach for an evening stroll. Flamborough Glamping offers views but is further out. This works as a base for exploring the Yorkshire coast rather than a destination in itself, but the beach itself? Genuinely pleasant and refreshingly unpretentious.