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Regency and Victorian Terraces © TAB

Located on the North Yorkshire coast, the popular resort town of Filey stands above a line of cliffs overlooking a sheltered bay. It has elegant hotels and a bustling shopping centre, along with seaside terraces and fine views.

Together with the nearby towns of Scarborough and Bridlington, Filey grew rapidly during the 19th-c with the coming of the railway and the adoption of the traditional seaside holiday. Although more compact than its neighbours, Filey has plenty of charm. The old village has quaint streets and a number of properties dating from the 17th-c. The modern seafront boasts an excellent promenade, a fine sandy beach and several well-kept gardens.

Fishing Cobles © TAB

Before it became a holiday resort Filey was just a simple fishing village. The traditional Yorkshire fishing boats or 'cobles' are still beach-launched at the northern end of town.

English novelist and poet Charlotte Bronte often visited here, staying at Cliff House (now a cafe). A small volunteer run museum, dedicated the town's history, can be found in two preserved fishermen's cottages on Queen Street.

Above a wooded ravine stands the 12th-c Church of St Oswald, with its magnificent square medieval tower. One of the stain glass windows commemorates local men lost at sea.

The beach provides safe bathing, protected to the north by the mile-long promontory of Filey Brigg. The Brigg, which forms a natural pier and breakwater for the bay, has interesting caves, coves and rock pools, visible at low tide. The wide sweep of grassland along the top and at Carr Naze has been preserved as a country park, with a nature trail leading the site of a Roman signal station.

Filey Beach and Brigg © Travel About Britain

To the south is a fine six-mile stretch of sand. After which the coast extends further southwards to the cliffs of Speeton, Buckton and Bempton - a rich fossil hunting ground. Just inland, away from the sea, is rich farming country and low hills, known as 'wolds'.

Filey is the starting point of the Cleveland Way, a 110-mile footpath that follows the coast to Saltburn-by-the-Sea, before cutting inland across the North Yorkshire Moors to Helmsley.

Map of Filey

North East England

Towns and Villages in Yorkshire

Attractions in Yorkshire