If you go to down to Filey on a sunny autumn day, you'll find glittering silver sands, a wide sandy beach and windswept coastline as a far as the eye can see.
Since we became a family of four, it's fair to say we haven't been able to travel much for various reasons (not withstanding Covid of course which rendered an entire year on lockdown) but we did manage a quick escape before it all happened that I hadn't got round to writing up. Visiting nearby this weekend reminded me about how perfect it was for families.
With two under two, we wanted somewhere close and that would allow us a degree of privacy so that if we were up in the night it wouldn't upset anyone. Plus we wanted some cooking facilities for breakfasts and lunch.
The Bay at Filey stepped right up to the plate with a belter of a lodge that looked gorgeous on first sight and delivered the goods inside as well. It had two modern bedrooms, two bathrooms and an open dining kitchen and lounge.
Our eldest was so excited to pull up to the 'holiday house' and set to work exploring all it had to offer.
The coastal decor was lovely and contemporary, with everything you could need, including a decent kitchen, dining table and comfy seating.
The log burner was a nice touch for the evenings once the kids were in bed, although the lodge was so warm and toasty that it wasn't really needed.
The big squishy beds met with the youngest's approval and grown ups too. I was feeding round the clock at the time so I bed shared with littles, whilst the toddler shared with daddy.
The first port of call after unpacking was to find food and get familiar with the site. The Bay is a mix of houses, cottages, beach lodges, and some seriously smart looking waterfront properties. On site it also has facilities such as a gym, pool, and many activities that are on during peak season but were not an option for off season.
The main place for evening food was the on site pub, which was very family friendly, even providing an early kids disco and attached to an amusement arcade for the older children.
The food was good pub grub, things like fish and chips and halloumi skewers. The toddler enjoyed fish fingers, and a pasta dish and we found plenty to whet our appetite.
With our bellies full, a bit of vino enjoyed and a thoroughly good dance with the littles, we were ready to head back to our cabin and get the kids ready for bed. They surprisingly went to sleep quite easy, perhaps after the dancing and salty sea air and we enjoyed the rest of our evening watching the satellite tv on offer. There were also books, board games and the log fire for those not to exhausted to partake.
Morning came and we were up and out early, as parents to young children often area. We explored some more, had a little swim, where we were largely in there alone and found the on site cafe and ordered toasties for lunch,
We headed out after lunch to the local farm, called Playdale farm,which was full of fantastic indoor and outdoor play areas, animals to pet and bigger beasts to look at. There is also the towns of Filey on the doorstep, Bridlington and Scarborough a short drive away too.
The farm animals were adorable and a massive hit with the kids and we especially liked holding the baby chicks.
There were also cool tractor toys to play on and loads of soft play equipment for toddlers to rid themselves of energy. There was a nice cafe for me to sit and feed the youngest in.
When we arrived back it was late afternoon so we quickly freshened up and had a little stroll on site. These beach houses with balconies looks so gorgeous and had the most beautiful view of the bay.
The access down to the beach was so easy and mostly stroller friendly apart from the end. We opted to use a sling for the youngest as we weren't sure it would be suitable for our buggy.
The views down to the bay were not too shabby at all and teased us with what was to come...
The littlest was so excited to get down to the sea and gladly ran down the track most of the way with a little carry from daddy occasionally.
Seeing my little girl holding tight to daddy's had is always a heart warming experience for me.
As the sun was setting we headed back to the pub for dinner and then got the littles to bed so we could have a chill on the sofa and get an early night ourselves.
But the next morning very bright and early we set off on that track again but this time with sandy adventures on our minds.
The sun was still low in the sky casting the most gorgeous morning light over the bay and only a few people were out walking.
As the track opened out on the glowing pristine sand, we were mesmerised by the space and rugged dunes around it.
Then, finally, there was freedom to run. We were thankful for the wellies as there were various rock pools to splash in and so much fun to be had.
We collected treasures, with fossils, sparkly shells and glittery stones, casting shimmers in the early morning light.
And of course, we had one very, very happy little girl running around to her hearts content. The littlest snug in his carrier enjoyed watching all the sights around him and even dipped his toes in the sand.
I've found since becoming a mummy that my hopes for travel have changed; I don't need non-stop glamour, a long haul flight and 5* food, I just want easy comfort and delicious and fast grub, and this place delivered exactly what we needed.
The best bit of family travel is always the perfect moments of joy, in amongst the things that come with having littles and don't change whether you're home or away.
It's definitely on our list for somewhere to visit again the future, but this time I've got my sights on those beach front houses. ;-)
S x
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