Yorkshire Wolds Way: Epilogue

Published 19 May 2019

National Trail Acorn logo on a lamp post in Filey
Acorn on a lamp post in Filey

Filey was a pleasant place. And with the Yorkshire Wolds Way now done, we were free to pay proper attention to it. Well, after Tal had wolfed down a bag of chips, and we’d checked into our B&B anyway. And freshened up of course.

All that done, we were ready to check out the sights. Although we made the mistake of starting our tour at a wonderfully cosy and friendly pub. So actually we didn’t make it very far at all. In fact, if they’d done food, we would never have left. But they didn’t, so instead we popped up the road to a second pub, had an excellent meal, and went back to the first one. And after for a few more beers we collapsed happily onto our beds,

Well to be fair, the Yorkshire Wolds Way had taken us through most of Filey’s attractions. We’d done the promenade. We had visited Filey Brigg. And we’d walked through the shopping centre. Was there that much more to see?

The road to Filey seafront
The road to Filey seafront

The next morning I decided to find out, making an exploration that was a tad more thorough. Not that it would take too much time; Filey’s not exactly a huge conurbation. You can see most of the main sites in an hour. If you skip the museum anyway. And – luckily for me – that was the time I had between me finishing my breakfast, and my train home. And whilst I was a little sad at missing the town’s museum, it didn’t open until 11am.  I wasn’t quite sure I could entertain myself for the two hours required.

So after a hearty breakfast I bade farewell to Tal and went off to explore. We were both heading in different directions. Him to London via Hull, and me back to Manchester, not via Hull.

From the B&B, I wandered past the town’s Royal Crescent. This grand building is about a quarter of a mile in length, and dominates the seafront. For a long time it featured a hotel at its heart, although the hotel has long gone.

Filey town centre
Filey town centre

And then to the seafront again. At 9am it was pretty deserted, and other than a few joggers and dog walkers, I had it to myself. Up the promenade I want, past the RNLI Lifeguard Station. And then I gawped at a giant sculpture of a fisherman that – quite incredibly – I’d managed to miss the day before.

An information panel explained that Filey was once a fishing village, hence the fisherman statue. The Victorian era had seen it change a lot. The railway had arrived and after that, most of Filey had been redeveloped. Most of the village buildings had been swept away in a tide of redevelopment. Now only a few of the earlier buildings remained, almost all of them on a nearby street. A street that happened to be roughly in the direction of the station.

I went to take a look at the historic Queen Street where those buildings could be found. And discovered that Queen Street was full of buildings from the 1980s rather than the 1780s. But, whatever.

The sound of seagulls filled the air, their squawks and shrills more appealing to the ears now than they’d sounded at 3am when they’d woken me up. And then SPLAT!  One of the birds decided to use me for target practise.

Filey's impressive railway station
The impressive railway shed at Filey station

The worst of the bird’s poo narrowly missed me, although some liquid sprayed onto my hand. It was like Filey was trying to get rid of me, and I took this as a good sign I should be heading to the station. I’d seen everything anyway, and there would be a train soon.

But I knew I’d be back. Filey was a great place and I couldn’t wait to return. The Cleveland Way beckoned me. It was only a matter of time.

Comments

Raymond Wilkes

9 December 2020 at 2:16 pm

Hi
I tried to contact you about the LDWA Trails register but I think there was a site fault
could you e-mail me?
I am the recorder for the LDWA register and it may be of interest to you and your readers

Ryk

5 March 2023 at 8:45 pm

After reading your blog about the Yorkshire Wolds Way I am now keen to do it – it is part of a 103 day walking holiday I have planned for later this year. Originally I was not too keen on it, having only seen photos of some of the dales in the middle part of the walk – your photos give a better sense of what the entire walk is about, so thanks for the pics and the blog. I’m doing it over 4 days as I tend to walk fast.

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