Filey is a seaside town in North Yorkshire, England. It was traditionally a fishing village, catching sea trout from cobles, but it lacks a harbour - boats have to be dragged up the sands. So its fishermen couldn't compete with better-endowed ports and in the 19th C the village evolved into (and remains) a holiday resort.
Filey's long firm sandy beach stretches for 3 miles between the Brigg and Flamborough Head. From 1910 to 1912 it was a test field for early aviation, with Bleriots and other locally-designed aircraft juddering into the sky on shaky wings.
- Sculpture along the promenade, such as High tide in short wellies aka Finlay, the great steel fisherman.
- Gardens: Crescent Gardens, off The Crescent mid-town, is a sedate municipal layout of rose beds and summer bedding plants, with a Victorian bandstand.
Glen Gardens south edge of town is a more open space for ball games and picnics; there's a cafe. These were the gardens of Ravine Hall, which no longer stands.
Nuns' Walk on the north edge of town is a wildlife space, formerly the convent gardens.
- Filey Museum, 8 Queen Street YO14 9HB. Apr-Oct. Closed until Easter 2019.
- Filey Dams. is a freshwater wetland (now rare in this area) at the east end of the village. See bird life, plants & newts. Reach it along Wharfedale Drive.
- Filey Bird Garden & Animal Park. is a kiddy-zoo with aviary and gardens, a mile west of town on Scarborough Rd. It's open Apr-May & Sept-Oct Tu-Su 10:00-16:00, Jun-Aug daily 10:00-17:00.
Sculpture along the promenade, such as High tide in short wellies aka Finlay, the great steel fisherman.
Gardens: Crescent Gardens, off The Crescent mid-town, is a sedate municipal layout of rose beds and summer bedding plants, with a Victorian bandstand.
Glen Gardens south edge of town is a more open space for ball games and picnics; there's a cafe. These were the gardens of Ravine Hall, which no longer stands.
Nuns' Walk on the north edge of town is a wildlife space, formerly the convent gardens.
Filey Museum, 8 Queen Street YO14 9HB. Apr-Oct. Closed until Easter 2019.
Filey Dams. is a freshwater wetland (now rare in this area) at the east end of the village. See bird life, plants & newts. Reach it along Wharfedale Drive.
Filey Bird Garden & Animal Park. is a kiddy-zoo with aviary and gardens, a mile west of town on Scarborough Rd. It's open Apr-May & Sept-Oct Tu-Su 10:00-16:00, Jun-Aug daily 10:00-17:00.
- Filey Brigg. is the rocky neck of land extending from the cliffs of Carr Naze. South of it, the coast is clay, which the sea has scooped out and is still busily eroding to form the bay. A path has been laid along the Brigg, reach it either along the beach or by the path descending from the car park at the top of the Naze. Get yourself out of there two hours before high tide, as a couple of low spots along the Brigg flood early and will cut you off.
- Along the cliff top, the Cleveland Way is a clear trail leading north-east to Scarborough, and eventually to Whitby. The southbound path leads through Filey to Flamborough Head and Bridlington.
- See Bridlington for Flamborough Head, the great white cliffs that curtain the south end of the bay.
- Yorkshire Spirit Distillery, Hunmanby Industrial Estate YO14 0PH (2 miles south of Filey, 200 yards east of Hunmanby railway station. Tours M-Sa 11:00, 13:00 & 15:00, Su 13:00. They produce English whisky, first casked in 2016 so it will go on sale from autum 2019. Various tours and on Tuesday at 15:00 there's a combined tour with Wold Top Brewery, you'll need your own transport between them. Basic tour £5.
- Filey Folk Festival is next held Fri 3-Mon 6 May 2019.
- Filey Steampunk Weekend is held in May. The next event is Sat 28 & Sun 29 May 2019.
Filey Brigg. is the rocky neck of land extending from the cliffs of Carr Naze. South of it, the coast is clay, which the sea has scooped out and is still busily eroding to form the bay. A path has been laid along the Brigg, reach it either along the beach or by the path descending from the car park at the top of the Naze. Get yourself out of there two hours before high tide, as a couple of low spots along the Brigg flood early and will cut you off.
Along the cliff top, the Cleveland Way is a clear trail leading north-east to Scarborough, and eventually to Whitby. The southbound path leads through Filey to Flamborough Head and Bridlington.
See [[Bridlington]] for Flamborough Head, the great white cliffs that curtain the south end of the bay.
Yorkshire Spirit Distillery, Hunmanby Industrial Estate YO14 0PH (2 miles south of Filey, 200 yards east of Hunmanby railway station. Tours M-Sa 11:00, 13:00 & 15:00, Su 13:00. They produce English whisky, first casked in 2016 so it will go on sale from autum 2019. Various tours and on Tuesday at 15:00 there's a combined tour with Wold Top Brewery, you'll need your own transport between them. Basic tour £5.
Filey Folk Festival is next held Fri 3-Mon 6 May 2019.
Filey Steampunk Weekend is held in May. The next event is Sat 28 & Sun 29 May 2019.
- Sterchi's sell their own handmade chocolates. They're at 11 Hope St and open daily 09:00-16:00.
Sterchi's sell their own handmade chocolates. They're at 11 Hope St and open daily 09:00-16:00.
- Lots of small eateries on or near the main street from railway & bus station down to the shore. They include Amparian (Spanish), Monsoon Indian, San Marco's & Bella Italia, Gold River & Golden Dragon (Chinese).
- Fish & chips sit-in places include Inghams (Belle Vue St), First Catch (Station Rd) and Dicky Bee's (Mitford St).
- Filey is a traditional resort: you eat fish & chips, you yell at the dog, you drink beer. So Filey pubs are faring better than in other villages. They include The Imperial on Hope St, Bonhommes on The Crescent, The Buccaneer on Union St, Foords Hotel and The Grapes on Queen St, The Star on Mitford St, The Station on Church St, and Cobble Bar north end of the prom. They're all open daily, mostly 11:00-23:00.
- Wold Top Brewery is based on a farm 5 miles southwest of Filey. It doesn't normally offer tours, but see the Distillery for the combined tour.
- Scarborough (to the North), and Bridlington (to the South) are other towns worth visiting on this popular stretch of coast.