North Yorkshire

The railway arrives with a proper sense of ceremony at Filey, depositing visitors into a seaside town that refuses to follow the usual Yorkshire coast script. While Scarborough gets the crowds and Whitby courts the goths, Filey carries on with a quiet confidence that's rather refreshing.

This is proper bucket-and-spade territory. The Boating Lake sits at the heart of things, flanked by the modest Paddling Pool where generations of children have splashed about. Filey Golf Club spreads across the clifftops, offering cracking views down the coast, while the town's compact centre revolves around practical pleasures rather than tourist frippery.

Carr Naze provides the dramatic punctuation mark to Filey's story - this rocky promontory juts into the North Sea with the determination of a Yorkshire farmer. The geology here is properly fascinating, and Filey Museum does a decent job explaining why paleontologists get excited about these cliffs. Saint Oswald's Church anchors the older part of town with typical Norman solidity.

Filey Bay curves for miles in both directions, backed by the kind of clean sand that makes Norfolk jealous. The Evron Centre Theatre keeps culture ticking over during the season, though most visitors are here for simpler pleasures. Even the Crazy Golf Payment Hut has a certain honest charm about it.

Getting here is straightforward enough - the train from York takes just over an hour, while drivers can follow the A1039 from the A64. The surrounding countryside rolls away in gentle waves towards the Wolds, making this an ideal spot for exploring the quieter corners of the East Riding. Several holiday parks dot the area between Filey and Cayton Bay, putting you within easy reach of both the coast and the market towns inland. It's the kind of place where a fortnight passes without drama, which is exactly the point.