Whitby

[Indecisivelurcher]

Hello! I'm eyeing up Whitby for a family holiday with young DC at Easter time. Can anyone tell me pros or cons for staying in Whitby itself, Robins Hood Bay, Staithes, Saltburn or Filey? Ideally want to be walking distance to a good beach, a pub and fish and chips!

[Midlander88]

I'd stay in Whitby or Filey and do day trips to the other places. Staithes is lovely and peaceful, I always think it's like a setting of an off-beat fairytale, it's quite a surreal little place.

Filey has a nicer beach than Whitby, who's beach is very hard and flat. There are more normal high street shops in Whitby though, and there's just more there in terms of attractions - it's more bustling. If I were a kid on holiday, that's where I'd want to be.

Robin Hoods Bay is pretty boring, wouldn't bother taking kids there, it's more for older adults.

[TheCountessofFitzdotterel]

Agree with Midlander though if the kids are very little the relative peace of Filey might work better. If they are older there is more fun to be had in Whitby.

[JaninaDuszejko]

Staithes is lovely and peaceful, I always think it's like a setting of an off-beat fairytale, it's quite a surreal little place.

Old Jack's Boat perhaps? If your kids don't watch it OP get them watching it before you go to Staithes.

I'd try and stay in Whitby, driving in and finding parking is always a pain (parking at the Abbey is OK though). The youth hostel is suppose to be very good if you are looking for cheap accommodation.

[Indecisivelurcher]

Ah thanks peeps. Kids are 7 & 4.

[Juniper68]

We prefer the bay. You can get the bus to Whitby. Filey is great too. I would imagine Filey is better with small dcs?

[InTheLabyrinth]

I don't know the southern end of your search area well buy I'd say just have a look at what else is about incase it rains solidly the whole time. From Saltburn you would have easy access to Middlesbrough and activities like Mima or Butterfly World at Preston Park.

[Whatayear81]

It will likely be cold, windy and rainy OP

Please reconsider!

[Indecisivelurcher]

Does Whitby actually have a decent beach?

[Whatayear81]

I could considered it OP
But a friend who grew up there said… “don’t, please don’t”.

2022 needs heat and sun…. Throw caution to the wind and book abroad. That’s what I did!

[Driposaurus]

Saltburn has a beautiful beach and is just up the road.

[Happyinheels]

I would stay at Runswick Bay. There are only a couple of pubs but the beach is absolutely stunning and in a sweeping bay. It's much quieter and smaller than Whitby and makes for a fantastic base. Whitby is nice but absolutely heaving and unbearable. I'd just go there for the day. Saltburn beach is gorgeous, has great surf and a great chippy and coffee shop on the beach front. If you stayed somewhere like Runswick Bay then you can access the North Yorkshire Moors which has a steam train at Pickering which you could take a ride on. There's a lovely soft play in case of rain at Ruswarp, you can also hire pedal boats there. It's a beautiful part of the world!

[Feliana]

All of these places are fairly low key in terms of activities for young children. Filey has a good big beach where they can run around. Whitby is more scenic in general but parking is a genuine problem. Robin Hood's Bay is again very picturesque but beyond looking at the view there's not a lot going on. Nice for a day trip but check the tide times. Staithes is pretty quiet but a fairly nice vibe. Of the four, Whitby is probably the best for decent pubs and food but there isn't tonnes in any of the places. At Easter you're unlikely to be warm in any of them. And same as the rest of the UK, rentals are way more expensive than a couple of years ago. The youth hostel in Whitby would be okay with a family room. Otherwise it'll be pricey.

[Fivemoreminutes1]

Whitby is the most picturesque and photogenic resort on the Yorkshire coast and it had the most to do out of the resorts you’ve listed. Narrow cobbled streets with Art Galleries and jet shops in the old parts under the Abbey. Good local museum and good lifeboat museum.
There are many different boat trips available including whale watching. The beach has good quality sand but not much left at high water. It’s good for surfers and not normally crowded except near high water. The beach as you go towards Sandsend gets coarser.
Filey is the smaller. It has a beautiful beach between Filey Brig and Flamborough head. It is the least developed of the Yorkshire coast resorts with only one amusement arcade on the seafront and a few children’s rides. Many people think Filey is a more classy resort because of this. There are lovely gardens on the cliff top and you can walk out along the Brig. Filey has good quality sand and fairly sheltered water especially on the beach near the Brig.

[Indecisivelurcher]

Yes to the weather comments, but it's just luck of the draw eh! Could be worse in August.

[Whatayear81]

@Indecisivelurcher

Yes to the weather comments, but it's just luck of the draw eh! Could be worse in August.

Well not really “luck of the draw”

Easter time in this part of the UK is more likely than not to be windy and rainy.

[Indecisivelurcher]

That's interesting, more windy and rainy than Gloucestershire? It's defo hit and miss here, floods some years, sunburn others. Sometimes it's nicer than the summer hols.

[Maverickess]

Whitby beach isn't great as others have said, however Sandsend is walkable from Whitby or there's the bus and that beach is bigger, and there's a couple of pubs and a good cafe there.
More to do in Whitby or Saltburn, both places have a decent bus service (but check times for Sunday's and bank holidays, they start late and stop early) and train stations (you can't get direct from Saltburn to Whitby though, you need to go via Middlesbrough I think).
Parking is a problem in both Saltburn and Whitby, especially around holiday seasons.
The North Yorkshire Moors centre at Danby is a good place for kids, with walks and a cafe and a play and picnic area.
You can get to Redcar, Middlesbrough etc from Saltburn easily on the train or bus and to Scarborough on the bus from Whitby (goes through Filey and Robin Hoods Bay).

A word of warning about the weather though, we've had some beasts of storms up here in April, and snow is not unheard of, which while very pretty, becomes a pain in the arse when you factor in some of the banks we have like Lythe and Saltburn banks on the coastal route and plays havoc with the Moors route.

Goathland (where Heartbeat is set 'Aidensfield') is fairly close to Whitby and has a steam train that goes across the Moors, and the station is 'Hogwarts' station from Harry Potter (but check times as they do close for a time during the year, but imagine they'd be open at Easter).
If you're in a car and need to keep it cheaper, there's many outlying villages (but on the main route between Whitby, Middlesbrough, Scarborough) that have SC cottages and B&Bs that are a bit cheaper than Whitby or Saltburn or Filey - most have a pub, though maybe not a chippy!

[Maverickess]

@Indecisivelurcher

That's interesting, more windy and rainy than Gloucestershire? It's defo hit and miss here, floods some years, sunburn others. Sometimes it's nicer than the summer hols.

We truly can have 4 seasons in one day! Though to balance out my weather negative comments, during the first lockdown I got burned in April because it was so warm!

[rookiemere]

We had a week in Whitby last summer and were blessed with amazing weather.
I'd likely just stay in Whitby itself if you can get something with parking as that's not always the case. There's lots of shops and things to see and some nice cafes, plus The Magpie Cafe does amazing fish and chips and other seafood.

[PaulRuddsWife]

We've always gone to Whitby in February with little kids and they loved it. Day trips to all the other places for fossil hunting on the beach, and Whitby for the main stay. In Whitby, there's (or used to be) a pot painting cafe which they loved and the old fashioned musuem in Pannet Park. They also loved the NYM railway (a steam train that goes from Pickering to Whitby and back and stops at Goathland which was in the Harry Potter films).

It can get cold though. Although we've also had better weather in the summer on the North York's coast when we've been than we've had in Cornwall for the same dates. I personally wouldn't let the weather put me off.

[HamCob]

We've had lots of family holidays in Whitby with DC a similar age to yours. Would disagree with the poster above who said there's not much to do with young children.

We tend to stay in a cottage on the North Yorkshire Moors then do day trips out. We usually stay at a little village inland which is about 4 miles from Whitby so takes about 15-20mins in the car. Haven't ever had an issue with parking.

Some of the things we've enjoyed are

• Whitby -beaches, pannet park, adventure golf and arcades if it rains, small funfair near the beach, boat trips, crabbing in the harbour is a MUST!
• Staithes - nice for a morning or afternoon. Very quaint little fishing village but not much there for more than a day. Ditto Robin Hoods Bay
• NYMR steam railway
• Ruswarp (about 4 miles from Whitby)- rowing boats on the river. Miniature railway and a softplay if it rains
• Scarborough - great for a day trip. Takes about 30 mins from Whitby. Bigger seaside town, several nice sandy beaches, peasholm park with dragon boats, light railway which runs along the cliff top, lots of arcades and shops
• Falling Foss waterfall and tea garden
• Dalby Forest

Have also heard good things about the Haven site at Filey. Our friends visit there often and apparently the beach is lovely and sandy. The beach at Whitby tends to be quite wet - it never seems to fully dry out because of the tides.

We usually go in August and the weather is often cold and windy, much more so than somewhere like Devon/Cornwall.
We don't tend to spend a huge amount of time on the beach even in summer as it can get cold after an hour or so.
Personally I wouldn't plan the trip around the beach as unless it's unseasonably warm it will be quite bracing but it's a lovely part of the world regardless and there's lots to do. I'm sure you will love it!

[JaninaDuszejko]

Having lived in both parts of the country it will definitely feel cooler in N Yorks but it can be lovely at Easter. Wrap up warm and don't expect to spend all day lazing on the beach. There's lots to do along that coast (definitely go fossiling, my kids loved it) and there's lots of choice for beaches so people get fussy about the best one but all have their charms.

[Stillgoings]

I'd choose Whitby for your base and try and get a holiday cottage or flat that comes with parking, they do exist and are absolutely worth it as parking is definitely an issue!. We have holidayed 4 times in Whitby with our kids and always had a great time. There is so much to do...last time we took a bus to Robin Hood's bay and walked back to Whitby on the cliff tops. You can have a day out Scarborough and book into the water park. There's crabbing, fossil hunting, the steam train, crazy golf (indoor and outdoor) the walk up to the abbey...last time we were at the abbey there was a brilliantly funny dracula play on. I love it and I think the beach is great in front of the beach huts. We last went in the summer of 2019 and had a sunny week. We hired a beach hut and the kids played football for hours on the beach with acres of space. I like being in town rather than a village because after your day activity you can walk home and relax a bit before going out for tea...recomnend Trenchers for a meal out..or sending one of you out for fish and chips!

[SantaMonicaPier]

I love Whitby! We were there recently and there was plenty to do even in awful weather. There's a fantastic local museum, amongst others, plenty of bookshops, the Abbey has an interesting indoor centre. And our favourite for fish and chips is Papas. I wasn't overly impressed by The Magpie.

[Indecisivelurcher]

Thanks this is all really useful! I think we'll look to stay in Whitby and expect to plodge around in wellies rather than build sand castles.