I visited Yorkshire's perfect 'secret beach' but left feeling heartbroken
It's fair to say that my recent outings to the beautiful Yorkshire coast have not been blessed with good weather. So it was great to see the sun shining over Scarborough as I headed to the resort's lesser-known 'secret' beach.
I was joined by my Labrador Scooby for our trip to Cayton Bay as it is a year-round dog-friendly beach. Nestled between Filey and Scarborough, this beautful bay was named as one of Britain's best beaches of 2024 - so we had to see why.
After a two hours drive, an exciting visit to Filey Bird Garden and Animal Park and a quick lunch at The Coffee Shed, as well as paying £4 for parking, it was finally time to let Scooby of the leash.
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Although it has been called a ‘dream destination’, it was far from that getting to the beach due to the steep and slippery bank you have to walk down. It was really hard to stay upright and, judging by the red faces and puffing coming from fellow visitors trying to climb up the bank, I wasn't on my own feeling this way. And it looked like it was even harder to go back up to the car park.
This, however, did not affect Scooby as he was chasing a ball down the bank and nearly knocking other visitors over for it. It must have taken around 10 minutes to get to the actual beach, to which I made sure to put on my crocs so I could keep my trainers from being damaged like my others were when I visited Redcar.
However, all my troubles were forgotten. With the golden sands and tranquility, I felt a million miles away from the rugged North Sea - if it wasn't for the biting wind, I could have been abroad.
And it was easy to see why some have dubbed it North Yorkshire’s secret beach as it is nestled away by hills. I wondered for hours across the sand, throwing the ball for Scooby and enjoying walking in the sea.
It was very clear to see why the beach was so popular with other dog walkers but also young families as it had everything. There were rocks at one far side to climb and miles and miles of sand and sea stretched along the shore.
It really was perfect and with the weather you could mistake it for being somewhere abroad.
As I made my way to the other steps at the other side of the beach, I spotted something grey and large. At first, I thought it was a rock but when I walked a little closer I saw it was a seal and instantly panicked - so I put my dog back on his leash.
However, sadly after taking a few moments to get an even closer look, I could see it was dead and a very kind message from a visitor said ‘RIP - Mr Seal, love ya’. After speaking to the worker of Salty Dog Coffee Shack after buying a can of Fanta and Scooby was rewarded with a dog treat, I was sad to learn that it was the second seal found dead this week and while it does happen, it is unusual to have two deaths in such quick succession.
It was such a heartbreaking sight that cast a bit of a shadow over an otherwise perfect day.
Reflecting on my visit, I really did enjoy my visit to Cayton Bay and I think Scooby did as well as he snored in the back of the car all the way home and on the sofa the following day.
It really is one of North Yorkshire’s best beach and worst kept secret, I cannot wait to bring other family members here to show them the perfect site.
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