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Voykit pocket guide · United Kingdom
Filey
Give Filey 2 nights: beach and Brigg on day one, Bempton or the distillery on day two. A day trip from Scarborough or York works if the tide is low.
Filey is a small seaside town on the North Yorkshire coast, halfway between Scarborough and Bridlington, with a firm sandy beach running about 3 miles to the Brigg and Flamborough Head. It is a low-key resort: promenade, gardens, fish and chips, a handful of pubs. Two nights covers the town and one coast or cliff day; most visitors come for a long weekend, and the branch-line train runs only about every two hours.
- Country
- United Kingdom
- Best months
- May–Sep
- Avoid
- Jul–Aug weekends (traffic and parking), Nov–Feb (many places shut)
- Stay
- 2 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- GBP
- Money
- Currency is the pound sterling (GBP, £). Cards and contactless work almost everywhere; some places are card-only.
- Daily spend
- Budget £45–75 excl. bed · Mid £75–130 excl. bed · High £130+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- EE, Vodafone (merged with Three in 2025) and O2 run the networks; prepaid SIMs sell in supermarkets, phone shops and airport vending machines, no registration needed.
- Emergency
- Emergency (police, fire, ambulance, coastguard) 999 · Emergency from any phone 112 · NHS non-urgent 111 · Police non-urgent 101
- Plugs
- Types G · 230 V · 50 Hz · Three-pin Type G only; European, US and Australian plugs need an adapter. Bathrooms have two-pin shaver sockets only.
- Tipping
- Restaurant with table service: 10–12.5% if no service charge is on the bill; check before adding more.; Pub or bar: Not expected; 'and one for yourself' offers the bartender a drink.; Taxi: Round up or 10%.; Hotel porter: £1–2 per bag.; Tour guide: £5–10 per person for a day tour; free walking tours expect £10–15.
- Water
- Tap water is safe everywhere. Free refills are common; restaurants will bring tap water if you ask.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are scarce and some charge 50p–£1 or are card-only. Stations, museums, department stores and pubs (if you buy a drink) are the fallback.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee or tea in a café | £3–4.50 |
| Fish and chips, takeaway | £9–14 |
| Pint of beer in a pub | £4.50–6 |
| Filey Museum adult entry | £2.50 |
| Filey Bird Garden adult entry | £8 |
| Distillery basic tour | £5 |
| Visitor round at Filey Golf Club | £70 |
| Bus 12/13 single along the coast | £2–4 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- LBA · Leeds Bradford
- About 1 h 45 min by road; rail via Leeds and York
- MME · Teesside
- About 1 h 30 min by road; limited rail links
- NCL · Newcastle
- About 2 h 30 min by road; rail via York
Typical fares
- Bus 12/13 Filey → Scarborough
- about 30 min, £2–4
- Train Filey → Bempton
- short hop, £3–6 return
- Taxi in town
- Lazer Radio Taxis, +44 1723 515515
Get around
The town is walkable: station to seafront is about 10 min. Bus 12/13 runs along the coast to Scarborough and Bridlington roughly every 30 min. The train is better for Hunmanby (distillery) and Bempton (cliffs). Local taxis: Lazer Radio Taxis, +44 1723 515515.
See and do
Known for
- Filey Brigg and the beach
- Cleveland Way cliff path
- Bempton and Flamborough Head seabirds
- Filey Museum and St Oswald's Church
- Fish and chips on the seafront
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Bempton Cliffs (RSPB) | Train to Bempton, then about 1.5 miles on foot | About 1 h |
| Scarborough | Bus 12/13, about 30 min, or train via Seamer | About 40 min |
| Bridlington and Flamborough Head | Bus 12/13, about 30 min to Bridlington, then local bus or taxi | About 1 h |
| Yorkshire Spirit Distillery, Hunmanby | Train to Hunmanby, then about 200 yards east | About 30 min |
| York | Train via Seamer, change for York | About 1 h 30 min |
| Whitby | Train or bus via Scarborough, then bus or North Yorkshire Moors Railway | 2–2.5 h |
Sleep
- Town centre (Station Road, Belle Vue Street, The Crescent)
- Walk to beach, station, buses, pubs and eateries; best for a car-free stay.
- South edge (Filey GC, Primrose Valley direction)
- Caravan parks and golf; 20–30 min walk to the centre, bus 12/13 along the coast.
- North end (Church Ravine, country park)
- Quieter, near the Brigg path and the country park car park; little seafront parking.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Two tickets to Scarborough, please | Two tickets to Scarborough, please |
| Is this seat taken? | Is this seat taken? |
| Where is the beach access? | Where is the beach access? |
| What time is high tide? | What time is high tide? |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake at first meeting; 'hi' and first names quickly; avoid: Cheek kisses with strangers
- Conversation: Weather is a safe opener; understatement and self-deprecating humour; avoid: Asking about salary or class
- Queues: Join at the back; avoid: Pushing onto buses or trains before others get off
- Apologies: 'Sorry' is said constantly, even when not at fault; avoid: Taking it as an admission of blame
- Pubs: Buy rounds in a group; wait at the bar without waving money; avoid: Clicking fingers at staff
- Nations: Call Scots Scottish and Welsh Welsh; avoid: Calling the whole UK 'England'
Scams and watch-outs
- Filey Brigg floods at low spots before high tide: leave about 2 h before high water.
- The branch line runs only every 2 h or so and the Seamer connection can be tight; ask staff if a late train can be held.
- A64 and A165 are slow on summer weekends; seafront parking is very limited, use the north end or country park.
- Some seafront places close out of season; check opening before a winter trip.
Filey is a quiet, safe small town; the real risks are the tide on Filey Brigg, slippery cliff paths and summer road congestion. In an emergency call 999 or 112; for the coast, ask for the coastguard.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Filey yet. Suggested stay: 2 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Filey Brigg and the beach
- Cleveland Way cliff path
- Bempton and Flamborough Head seabirds
- Filey Museum and St Oswald's Church
- Fish and chips on the seafront
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- National Rail — Filey station: www.nationalrail.co.uk/stations/filey/
- East Yorkshire Buses — service 12/13: www.eastyorkshirebuses.co.uk/services/EY/12
- Filey Bird Garden & Animal Park: www.fileybirdgarden.com/
- Yorkshire Spirit Distillery: www.spiritofyorkshire.com
- Filey Golf Club: www.fileygolfclub.com/
- Wikivoyage: Filey, revision 5273020 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5273020
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Filey
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Emergency (police, fire, ambulance, coastguard)999
- Emergency from any phone112
- NHS non-urgent111
- Police non-urgent101
No embassies in Filey; the US embassy is in London, and most countries' embassies or consulates are in London or Edinburgh.
Tide times are posted locally and online; check before walking the Brigg.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/filey). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.