Filey is a great place to explore whilst on the Yorkshire Coast
My hometown Filey is a great place to explore up and down the Yorkshire Coast, and has been listed in Conde Naste Traveller Top 30 UK Beaches. I agree!
Aside from a fantastic beach where you can walk for miles or just a short trek out to the end of the Brigg and see a host of wildlife from common seals, cormorants and even dolphins if your lucky, you can also start or end your journey along the famous Cleveland and Wolds Way Walks.
There is plenty for you do in the surrounding area also. Cyclists will enjoy a challenge at Dalby Forest, or perhaps follow some of the Tour De Yorkshire route and tackle the famous Cote De Harwood Dale or just pedal village to village along the idyllic country roads of the nearby Wolds and admire the views David Hockney has famously painted.
Bird lovers will want to go to the RSPB nature reserve at Bempton Cliffs to see the 250,000 guillemots, gannets and puffins who flock there to raise their young between April and August. Inland, Filey Dams Nature Reserve, a gem of freshwater marsh, is run by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, and is a haven for birds and animals, including an important colony of great-crested newts. I myself regularly visit this reserve and you can see Barn Owls, Sparrow hawks, and Foxes to name a few.
Sport enthusiasts can even make their way down to Clarence drive the home of Filey Town Football Club and enjoy some keenly contested matches whilst enjoying a drink at the teams Sports club. Alternatively if you are there over the summer months Filey Cricket Club also play here and they are always welcome of any support.
Scarborough is 20 minutes north of Filey where theatre goers can enjoy the world premieres of Alan Ackybourn plays at the Stephen Joseph Theatre. Make sure you book into the excellent EatMe Cafe,which is situated next to the theatre on Hanover Road. Alternatively, you can venture further afield and amble up to the moors and visit Goathland – where “Heartbeat” was filmed.
There are several stately homes in the area – Sledmere House, Burton Agnes Hall, Burton Constable, Castle Howard to name but a few – each with their own special charm.
If you would like to explore Filey, we recommend you check out Treasure Trails Filey
Filey’s History
Filey Brigg is a promontory, jutting out 1600 metres into the sea. Below the cliffs, the promontory continues as a blade of rock, barely above the waves. At low tide, this rocky point is a haven for fishermen, naturalists and fossil hunters. The Spittal is an enigmatic rock structure running out from the Brigg, which may be the remains of an ancient harbour, perhaps serving the Roman signal station, which used to be on the cliffs above, which have now moved to Crescent Gardens for all visitors to enjoy.
The museum, a past winner of Discover Yorkshire Coast’s Small Attraction of the Year award, is housed in a building dating from 1696, and is crammed with fascinating memorabilia, including an extensive photographic archive.
Many of which document Filey’s famous coble fishing boat industry which sadly stopped over the years. But the images as fascinating to look at and enjoy.
The parish church, St Oswald’s, was built in the 12th and 13th centuries, and once boasted Charlotte Brontë amongst its congregation.
Images Captured over the years of Filey
Other destinations visited