Hornsea Sea Front

The seafront at Hornsea stretches along the Holderness coast with a proper working-beach feel - golden sand, a functioning pier, and the kind of windswept charm that East Yorkshire does rather well. This isn't a glitzy resort. It's straightforward and honest: beach huts in faded pastels, a promenade for walking, fish and chips eaten standing up, the occasional arcade game. You'll find families building sandcastles, dog walkers doing their circuits, and pensioners on the benches watching the grey North Sea do its thing.

The pier itself is worth a wander if you want to pay for entry - gives you that seaside-town nostalgia without irony. The beach is free and works for a good half-day outing, especially if the weather cooperates. Kids will manage an afternoon here easily enough; adults benefit more from the walking and the simple rhythm of the place than from staged attractions.

From the caravan parks scattered nearby - Cliff Top and Sea View Country Park are closest at just over two miles - Hornsea makes an easy morning trip. Driffield sits inland and is the nearest proper town for supplies. The seafront itself doesn't demand hours of your time, but it's exactly the sort of place that proves useful when holiday weather turns or when you just want to stretch your legs without planning something elaborate. Go for the air and the walk, not expecting entertainment.