Bridlington

Bridlington is a seaside town and fishing port in East Yorkshire. It was originally two towns: the Old Town, about a mile inland, grew up around the medieval Augustinian priory, while Bridlington Quay was the fishing settlement and harbour. The two merged in the mid-19th-century when the railway arrived and Brid (as it's often called) developed rapidly as a resort.

Get in

By road

The usual approach is to follow M62 east to Howden (J37), then take A614. From the north, take A64 or A19 to York, then A166 east to meet A614 at Driffield. By any route, expect congestion on summer weekends.

For travel news tune in to Yorkshire Coast Radio (102.4FM).

By rail
  • 🌍 Bridlington railway station. Trains run from Hull every hour or so, taking 40 min; this is the surest route from points south. From the west or north, there is an hourly service from Liverpool via Manchester, Leeds and York to Scarborough, but then you have to connect at middle-of-nowhere Seamer with the infrequent Scarborough to Bridlington train. If you are delayed and likely to miss this connection, then stay on the train to Scarborough and take Bus 12 / 13 onward. (updated Mar 2019)

By bus

Transdev Coastliner Bus 843 runs hourly from Leeds via York to Scarborough. Change at Scarborough for East Yorkshire Bus 12 / 13, which runs daily every 20 min via Filey to Brid; it takes an hour as it visits all the caravan parks dotted along the coast.

There's an hourly East Yorkshire Bus 121 from Hull, taking 90 min. Summer only, the Express X21 takes about 1 hr 20 min but there's only one per day, leaving Hull around 9AM and heading back from Brid around 5PM.

National Express coach NX563 runs directly from London Victoria taking 7 hours to Bridlington. This leaves London daily around noon, with the return southbound leaving Brid around 8AM. This coach runs via Leeds and York, so change at Leeds for travel north, e.g. to and from Newcastle upon Tyne.

Get around

East Yorkshire Bus 14 runs hourly M-Sa between Brid and Flamborough North Landing, near the Head. There's no bus to Bempton, for the seabird centre, but Bempton railway station on the Hull-Brid-Scarborough line is a mile or so away.

Access: Bridlington is a very accessible town for people with mobility issues. It is flat, unlike Filey or Scarborough further along the rugged coast - the cliffs rear up just north of town but gradients are mild between the centre and the beaches. The harbour area can be a little tricky to negotiate as much of it is cobbled or has steps. Mobility scooters can be hired by the day or week and many can be seen on the promenades on the front. Several guest houses and self-catering places have spaces for scooters to be kept by guests.

See
  • The harbour and fishing port.
  • The Old Town, about half a mile inland from the harbour.
  • 🌍 Priory Church of St. Mary (Bridlington Priory), Church Green, Bridlington YO16 7JX. Apr-Oct: M-F 10AM-4PM, Sa 10AM-noon, Su 2-4PM; Nov-Mar: daily 10AM-noon. Built on the site of the Augustinian Priory dissolved by Henry VIII in 1538. Part of it continued in use as a church then it was rebuilt in the 19th century by Sir George Gilbert Scott. Note the Victorian organ (restored 2004-6), monument to the Great Storm of 1871 (which led to the "Plimsoll Line" and other marine safety measures), and plaque to George Symons VC (wounded in the Crimea). Modern features are the plaque to World War II pilot “Ginger” Lacey, leger stone to 14th-century prior St John of Bridlington, the applique tapestries, and “Lamb of God” tree carving. Free. (updated Aug 2017)
  • 🌍 Flamborough Head. This spectacular line of chalk cliffs begins just north of town and juts out for six miles into the North Sea. Admire them from below from the Prom or beach. Do not attempt the shore walk round the Head unless you have checked the tide times, and are confident that you can walk the six miles to the next access point before the tide rolls in; the sea will come right up to the cliffs, with no escape path. To admire the views from above, drive or cycle the minor roads out to the Head or to the "North Landing". This northern part is called "Bempton Cliffs" and there's a wild-life centre. 
  • 🌍 Sewerby Hall, Bridlington YO15 1EA (2 miles E of Bridlington on the B-road to Flamborough Head), ☏ +44 1262 673769, . Apr-early Nov: daily, house 11AM-4:30PM. Georgian mansion incorporating the East Yorkshire Museum (with a room dedicated to aviator Amy Johnson) and Coastguard Museum. Gardens, putting green, family-oriented events. A “land-train” runs here from central Brid, if you don’t have kids you could still use it ironically. Adult £2.20, child 5-15 £1.10, extra fee for some attractions. (updated Aug 2017)
  • 🌍 Burton Agnes Hall, Driffield YO25 5NB (7 miles SW of Bridlington on A614), ☏ +44 1262 490324. Apr-Dec: daily 11AM-5PM. Fine Elizabethan Mansion House plus remains of its Norman predecessor. Extensive gardens, hosting the National Collection of Campanulas. Adult £10.50, child 5-15 £5; concessions, and 10% discount if you come by bus. (updated Aug 2017)

Do
  • Sandy beaches.
  • Small fanfare and amusement arcades by the North Beach.
  • Boat trips from the harbour, including speedboat rides.
  • 🌍 Bridlington Spa, ☏ +44 1262 678258 (Box Office). Main venues are the Royal Hall (1930s décor), 3800 standing, often used for rock concerts; Spa Theatre (Edwardian) seats 676; and Harbour Suite with 120 seats. Rebuilt several times (in 1926, 1932 and 2016) after fires, floods and other calamity, but preserving the original features. Often hosts conferences. (updated Aug 2017)
  • 🌍 Bridlington Birds of Prey & Animal Park, Carnaby Covert Lane, Bridlington YO15 3QF (take coast rd A165 S for 2 miles then turn inland on Moor Lane, signs for Carnaby), ☏ +44 1262 673653, . 10AM-4PM. Surprising number of pigs for a bird centre. Adult £9.95, child (3-15) £7.95. (updated Oct 2023)
  • 🌍 John Bull World of Rock (John Bull Candy Factory), Lancaster Road, Carnaby, Bridlington, YO15 3QY (3 miles S of Brid, near Birds of Prey Centre), ☏ +44 1262 678 525, . late Jul-Aug: M-F 10:30AM-noon, 2:45-3:45PM. Tour the factory where they make seaside rock and other confectionery, have a go at making your own. Adults £4.50, children over four £3.50, family of 4 £15, family of 5 £18. (updated Oct 2023)

Annual events

Buy

Eat

Drink
  • 🌍 Marine Bar, Expanse Hotel, North Marine Drive, Bridlington YO15 2LS, ☏ +44 1262 675347, . CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) recommended pub, serving Wold Top, Timothy Taylor's and at least two other real ales throughout the year. Besides serving real ale, the Marine Bar has a wide range of services including disabled access, free wifi, Live music, quizzes, a DJ and both food and accommodation available. 

Sleep
  • 🌍 Helena Holiday Flats, 36 Windsor Crescent YO15 3HY (off South Marine Drive), ☏ +44 1262 674589, toll-free: 0800 0935071, . Check-in: noon, check-out: 10AM. Access information for the building is available on the web site. The units are rated 2 and 3 stars. Central heating is included in the cost, as is parking and wi-fi access. The property is non-smoking, although guests can smoke in the front yard. The flats are close to the train station and supermarket and within walking distance of the town centre and the coach station. from £125 per flat, per week off-peak/£250 per flat, per week, peak. 
  • 🌍 Summerfield Guest House, 6 Summerfield Road YO153LF (off South Marine Drive), ☏ +44 1262 677791. 
  • 🌍 Marina Guest House, 8 Summerfield Road YO153LF (off South Marine Drive), ☏ +44 1262 677138. Both of the above are family-run guest houses in a quiet residential area with unrestricted road side parking 50 yards from South Beach and 250 yards to the Spa Complex. from £25 pppp. 
  • 🌍 Victoria House, 25-27 Victoria Road (south side of town). Family-run B&B offering daily or weekly mobility scooter hire and a free wifi service. Wheelchair access from street direct to one of ground floor rooms. 
  • 🌍 Mowbray Apartments, 8 The Crescent, ☏ +44 1262 676218, . Self-catering apartments with excellent sea views. £25. 

Connect
  • As of Jan 2021, Bridlington has 4G from all UK carriers, but the signal is poor towards Flamborough Head. 5G has not reached this area.

Go next
  • To the north, Scarborough and Filey are agreeable nearby beach resorts, easily done as day trips by bus or train. The coast further north is rugged and scenic, with the little harbour of Robin Hood's Bay, and then gothic Whitby.
  • Inland, explore the North York Moors National Park.
  • To the south is the small resort of Hornsea, a 1950s time-warp, then come the strange "toffee-castle" cliffs of East Yorkshire. Here the soft hills of the Wolds are being rapidly eroded by the sea, leaving farm buildings dangling over the edge or crumpled sideways on the shore, while humbug-hued turrets of ground await the next high tide. Erosion is so rapid that even a recent map is likely to be out of date, with access roads closed off, or gone over the edge to join the medieval villages drowned offshore. These 15- to 30-foot-high cliffs stretch for some 20 miles, then the coast becomes sand hills. It culminates in Spurn Point, a nature reserve - look out for birds, moths, butterflies, and huge ships churning past the lighthouse along the Humber.
  • York, some 40 miles east, is a must-see, and for big city amusements head for Leeds.
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