We do love to be beside the seaside in Yorkshire, here are seven of our favourite resorts
Runswick Bay With its sweeping, sheltered bay and charming red-roofed cottages, Runswick Bay is one of the Yorkshire coast’s prettiest destinations. The sandy beach, which once provided anchorage for brightly coloured fishing boats, is a now a family favourite for rock pooling, fossil hunting, coastal walks and sandcastle building. It’s a great place for surfing if you fancy braving the chilly North Sea waves. If not, you can just sit back with a picnic and watch the boats from Runswick Bay Sailing Club charter their way round the bay.
Scarborough South Bay is the busiest of the resort’s stretches of sand, mainly because it’s something of a sun-trap, sheltered from the weather by the Castle Headland. North Bay is the town’s Blue Flag beach, meaning it’s one of the best in Europe for cleanliness.
Bridlington The town’s picturesque, bustling harbour sits in the middle of two lovely beaches with golden sand stretching in both directions. You can take speedboat rides across the bay and pleasure cruises along the heritage coast or just sit and watch the catch come in.
Filey The wide sweep of sandy beach at Filey makes it perfect for children as they can be spotted from all directions (no matter how much they try to hide). Stretching from the Brigg in the north down to Bempton Cliffs, it’s flay, wide plains make it perfect for beach games.
Sandsend Often overlooked in favour of Whitby, this gorgeous little village just two miles north boasts a sweep of fine beach, bisected by a stream (complete with ducks) running into the sea. It also offers atmospheric views of Whitby Abbey and a corking beachside café.
Robin Hood’s Bay If you can survive the perilously steep climb into and out of this fantastic bay, you’re in for a real treat as this is Yorkshire’s coastline at its most elemental and wild. Surrounded by huddles of former fishing cottages that tumble down to the water’s edge, it’s a timeless gem.
Staithes With its higgledy-piggledy cottages and winding streets, Staithes has the air of a place lost in time. Once a large fishing port, it’s not perfect for cliff-top walking, rock pooling and fossil hunting on the small but perfectly formed beach (four deckchairs and it’s crowded).
