Thursday 24th – Saturday 26th August 2023
Fraisthorpe:
We had chosen to stay on the Temporary Holiday Site, run by the Leeds District Association of the Camping and Caravanning Club, where we resumed our rendezvous with our friends Jeeves and Michelle.
Although Fraisthorpe is a named place on the map, it is no more than a collection of houses near the coast around a mile north of the seaside town of Bridlington. The beach there however is brilliant. Good firm sand for walking and a gentle slope to the sea, so there is plenty of room when the tide is out. It is clean too.
We enjoyed a really nice, long walk on north Thursday evening; one of those where you walked for ages, but didn’t seem to get anywhere. The beach is just that big!
There are many remnants of the WW2 defences still in place, many, I am sure having fallen onto the beach from the small cliff-line to the rear due to erosion.
Bridlington:
On Friday we walked the mile or so to Bridlington, again on the sand.
In many respects, Bridington is a typical “kiss-me-quick hat” and slot-machine type of seaside resort. At the time of our visit, being a fine, bank holiday weekend, it was very busy.
The attractions included the RNLI lifeboat, pleasure trips from the harbour on a “pirate” ship (more a boat really) and trips on a speed-boat. We also saw the National Trust boat leaving for viewing of the seabirds at Bempton Cliffs, which we planned to visit (on land) in a few days, ourselves.
The town is also a busy fishing port and we saw crabs and lobsters being landed.
According to information boards, people have been making a living from fishing in Bridlington for nearly a thousand years. A traditional boat is called a “Coble” and these are still used today:
The harbour wall seemed a popular place for anglers to fish the tide:
Clearly at times in its past, Bridlington had higher aspirations, with buildings which although now in poor repair, were apparently echoing The Crescent in the City of Bath.
Goods on sale are many and varied. I could have even picked-up a used Sinclair C5.
I love the sign: “We buy junk and sell antiques”. Hmmm …refreshingly honest I think.
Walking back along the beach, the weather seemed a little threatening, but nothing materialised. The view south gave us a glimpse of our onward destination, Flamborough and its lighthouse on Flamborough Head.
Visiting with a Motorhome:
A stated in the opening paragraph, we stayed at a temporary holiday site. This is basically a farmers field, with basic services (water, Elsan and refuse disposal) which is temporarily designated for camping / caravanning. The field was at Auburn Farm, Fraisthorpe, YO15 3QU. and I think this is a regular site for such events. The farm also has a small site which you book directly. There is also a small shop/cafe I think.
To access the field, there is a long (half-mile) single track road with passing places, then you go through the public car park and out of the other side. It is quite a busy road, but no major problems as there is good visibility and you can see oncoming traffic well in advance.
The field is reasonably well kept, but it is difficult to find a level bit as it is quite lumpy. Not so much a problem for caravans, but for motorhomes it means you are likely to need to use your ramps at least. The up-side of this, is that you are very close to the beach.
"See-u-Later" 