Quiet English town that people ‘don’t know about’ is right on the coast – and is home to puffins, dolphins and seals
IF the quiet East Yorkshire town of Bridlington is good enough for Captain Mainwaring, then it is good enough for me.
Despite posing as the fictional resort of Walmington-on-Sea in the 2016 Dad’s Army film, it has remained relatively off the map as a holiday destination in the UK.
Cinema-goers saw Toby Jones lead a star-studded cast along the pretty High Street as the bumbling fictional Home Guard leader.
And this coastal gem has plenty to draw people in.
Placing a generous platter of scones and sandwiches on my table at The Georgian Tea Rooms, owner Katherine Furmidge tells me: “Bridlington has so much to offer — people just don’t know about it.”
She’s right.
There really is a lot going on here.
And because the town hasn’t been in the spotlight yet, it’s still great value for money.
It’s also home to some of the most undisturbed and striking walking trails in the country with miles of pathway carved into the cliffs that border a thrashing sea.
I headed to Danes Dyke, a wooded ravine cleaved in the rocks as if from a Viking’s axe — apt, as the area was invaded by the Scandis in the 8th century.
The ravine opens out on to a white pebble beach sheltered by pale cliffs and lapped by gleaming waves.
Across Flamborough Head is the majestic RSPB site Bempton Cliffs, a corner of heaven for serious bird-spotters and novices.
Puffins, dolphins, seals and owls all make seasonal homes here and when I visited, the air was thick with more gannets and fulmars than you might think possible.
I hadn’t given much thought to gannets since seeing Steve Backshall’s Deadly 60 TV series as a toddler, but it turns out watching them in flight or at rest is an almost religious experience.
Fulmars, meanwhile, are furtive little seabirds which can spit foul-smelling oil for yards.
Bridlington has the biggest lobster catch in Europe
Harry
They can also smell fish from miles away, so probably caught an envy-stirring whiff of the lobster thermidor I had for dinner back in town.
Bridlington has the biggest lobster catch in Europe, and the Salt On The Harbour restaurant is the best place to try it fresh, having served more than 500 of these crustaceans to customers this summer.
Overlooking the tethered boats, it’s a great spot to order a glass of wine and some scallop popcorn while observing the vessels which caught your meal earlier that day.
Like many joints around Bridlington, Salt On The Harbour is dog-friendly — though it would take a saintly pooch to resist swiping their owner’s dinner.
Grinning like a kid
If you’re not into fish, Highfield House, a mock-Tudor mansion in the nearby market town of Driffield, has a more varied menu plus a handful of dog and family-friendly rooms.
I dined there on my first night, tucking into venison tartare, Yorkshire trout and a chocolate-coffee pud that had me grinning like a kid.
Too much gluttony calls for penitence, so the next morning my better half marched me down to Bridlington’s South Beach for an outdoor yoga class in the North Sea wind.
Kitted out with an England shirt and a panic-bought towel in place of a yoga mat, I wobbled, flopped and shivered through the downward dogs and tree poses — even the local OAPs were putting me to shame.
Yoga teacher Kimmy Palmer runs the Active Coast classes entirely for free over the summer months.
Come winter, East Riding Leisure in Bridlington has a fabulous gym with floor-to-ceiling glass overlooking the bay.
I was rewarded for my yoga efforts with one final treat (for a history fan, like me).
One stop away on the train is the market town of Beverley where you can meander around the old shipyards — much of the North Sea fishing fleet was built there, as well as some of the landing craft for D-Day.
The shipyards have now all closed but Beverley remains a fascinating spot for lovers of history with Beverley Minster, a gorgeous example of Gothic architecture at its centre, as well as St Mary’s Church.
Look out for the church’s stoney white rabbit, said to have inspired the character in Alice In Wonderland.
Alice’s white rabbit led her to Wonderland, whereas mine took me to East Yorkshire — but it was an adventure nonetheless.
GO: East Yorkshire
STAYING THERE: Highfield House has rooms from £150 per night, B&B.
See thehighfieldhouse.com or call 01377 256 231.
OUT & ABOUT: See rspb.org.uk/bemptoncliffs.
MORE INFO: See englandscoast.com and www.visiteastyorkshire.co.uk.