Cool Place of the Day: Bridlington, Yorkshire

Every day, a new place to discover or explore from coolplaces.co.uk

Bridlington, East Yorkshire

There’s something no-nonsense about Bridlington, the east coast port and resort which celebrates its annual seafood festival this weekend. A day on the beach at Brid is what generations of Yorkshire children have grown up with – and it is in many ways still the perfect family day out. Not as full-on as Scarborough or as genteel as Filey, both a little way up the coast in North Yorkshire, Bridlington has its own east-coast character, and a history going back a thousand years or more, when it started out life as a simple fishing village.

Two fabulous sand beaches do the honours, and with the fishing harbour set between them you can buy a line and reel and go crabbing off the pier. There's a funfair on the prom, donkeys on the beach, boat rides from the harbour, and plenty of places to buy fish and chips and soak up the seaside vibe – Audrey's on Queen Street is our pick, but there are lots of good places. If the town behind the harbour fails to inspire, that's because the true glory of Brid is in its Georgian Old Town, set a mile or so inland and more antique shop and tea-room than seaside rock and candyfloss. The 12th-century Priory Church and nearby Bayle Museum give a flavour of more prosperous times, while afterwards you can head out of town to the 400-foot-high chalk-cliff promontory of Flamborough Head for thousands of nesting seabirds and dramatic sea views. No wonder David Hockney now calls it home.

Cool Places is a website from the creators of Rough Guides and Cool Camping, suggesting the best places to stay, eat, drink and shop in Britain (coolplaces.co.uk)