Filey Beach

Filey Beach stretches for nearly two miles along the Yorkshire coast, backed by Victorian seafront architecture and a working amusement arcade that's been there since the 1920s. It's a proper sandy beach - none of that shale nonsense you get further down the coast - and the water shelves gently, which makes it ideal if you're bringing small children. The promenade has the usual seaside bits: fish and chips shops, candy floss stalls, deckchair rentals. Nothing fancy, but that's rather the point. Families will find the beach absorbs a full day without much effort. There's a boating lake just inland if the tide isn't right, and the cliff-top walks north towards Filey Brigg are worth the leg-stretch. We'd suggest arriving early in summer to bag decent parking and avoid the school holiday crowds. The beach itself is free, though parking can be a tenner or so depending on where you leave the car. If you're staying at Centenary Way Camping just up the coast, you're barely ten minutes' walk away. Haven Primrose Valley and Haven Reighton Sands are slightly further but still manageable for families wanting beach access without the bother of driving every day. Humble Bee Farm, further inland, works well if you want a quieter base but don't mind the short drive. Filey isn't dramatic or cutting-edge. It's reliable, unpretentious, and does exactly what a British seaside town should: keeps kids entertained and gives adults something to look at.