We wanted to squeeze another holiday in between Austria and Menorca (to come in September) and decided to keep it fairly local and explore some of North Yorkshire. We were praying for nice weather given a lot of July has been a bit of a wash out but we were very lucky! Of course I had done my research on rainy day activities if needed but it turns out we didn’t.
Basing ourselves in the village of Snainton we were halfway between Scarborough and Pickering giving us the pick of a lot of things to do in both areas.
We’d booked a cottage for 7 nights but had only ever planned on staying 5 (it was the same price for 7 as it was for 5) so we arrived early on Saturday morning and checked straight in given we had it from Friday and got the boys settled. We stayed for 5 nights in the end and had a wonderful time. There was so much to do and so much more we could have done if we had the time. See below for everything we did, where we ate and for further recommendations.
What we did
Scampston Hall and Walled Gardens – We headed here on the Saturday afternoon and we got in for half price as we have the 2 for 1 Gardeners World card (definitely worth a purchase of GW for this card). It’s a lovely little spot with different areas - of course there is the walled garden which is beautiful and O loved running in and out of the manicured hedges. We then took a stroll in the wider grounds and came across a lovely little childrens area with wooden climbing apparatus, the biggest bug hotels I’ve ever seen, a wigwam and nature pictures on trees. There is a beautiful waterfall half way through the walk which mesmerised O. We didn’t stop for anything in the café this time as we wanted to head out for dinner but it did look lovely.
RSPB Bempton Cliffs – A and I have been here a few times in the past but we’ve never been with the kids. We were hoping to see the puffins again but knew it was quite late on in the season for them but we had our fingers crossed. There are accessible paths which meant we could take M in the pushchair but we also took the carrier so we could take him a little further when the accessible tracks stopped. We’d forgotten O’s toy binoculars so we hired a little discovery backpack for him which included binoculars, magnifying glass and activities for kids to do – in reality he only used his binoculars but he looked super cute carrying his rucksack. For kids they also have the “Bempton Cliffs Puffin Trail” which you can do for £3 and collect a badge when completed – but we didn’t do this. We were lucky enough to spot a puffin (one of the volunteers had found one and had positioned his telescope so people could see it). O loved wandering around and seeing all the birds (they are massive!) and even M was totally mesmerised by it all. The entrance fee in the summer is £8 per adult or free if you are an RSPB member. They have a beautiful gift shop and I could have spent a fortune so A quickly guided me away. They also have a café for a bite to eat and baby change facilities. It was a lovely morning out.
Filey - We parked by the train station and pottered into town to get some food. We had a great lunch at a little café (more info below) and then headed for the beach. There are various amusements for kids on the front as well as a crazy golf course that A and I have done in the past (I won and he still won’t play me again on that course!). Then of course there is the wonderful beach which is huge! It is split into dog friendly and dog friendly so I would pick the bit that fits your needs. O just loved spending time digging and making sandcastles, picking up pebbles and watching boats coming in. We could have stayed here way longer but unfortunately we had to head home to grab some food and get the kids into bed.
Dalby Forest- We only went here very briefly as O was ill on this day so we just headed out for an hour once he was up to it. There was a little Grufallo trail that we did. It was just OK so I wouldn’t make the visit just for this like we did – especially given its £10 to get into the forest. There did look like loads of other things to do so its definitely one to go back to in the future and explore more.
Scarborough – What a great time we had in Scarborough! There is SO much to do we could have spent days here. In short (as I could really spend hours on this post) we went to Peasholm park where we got caught in the rain so headed to the café for a drink to shelter. We went to look at the water chute just outside the park (that has been there for years) – we considered the miniature train but it would have taken too long out of the day so we opted for crazy golf! We then had lunch (fish and chips of course) and then got the open top bus to the South Bay. Here O played in some of the arcades on the 2p machines and then we headed to the beach for the rest of the afternoon. Then just as we were about to leave the lifeboat station sent out the boats on practice. It was fascinating to watch the boats be lowered into the water (for both young and old). We got chatting to someone and they said that they do this every Tuesday – so a good one to know about!
Flamingo Land – We had managed to get a buy one get one free pass to Flamingo land to make it a bit more palatable to go with a 2 year old and baby as we didn’t know if O would like the rides or not. Whilst he didn’t want to go on some he certainly went on a lot and it was so lovely to see him enjoy himself so much! There is a decent amount of rides for young children (O is 95cm) so is able to go on a lot but not all. He loved the tractor ride in particular and the helicopters. They also have animals there – we didn’t look at too many as the focus for us was on the rides having recently been to Chester Zoo – however we did go to a bird show and the tiger feeding. The zoo is well maintained and they do a lot of conservation so it was a nice experience. We had lunch at the Coach House which did “proper” food. We got caught up in a massive queue for the bar to order which was unfortunate but everything else was good. A took the boys for me for a bit so I got to go on rollercoaster as well which was fantastic. All in all a great day out and we stayed all day! We will definitely come again once M is a bit bigger and can also enjoy the rides.
Where we ate
Black Bull Inn, Pickering – We went here on our first night and had a lovely meal. Its very much no frills but it was very child friendly, had a good kids menu and a good GF menu for A. The food was really nice and I had the biggest Yorkshire pudding filled with steak and ale – I couldn’t even finish it and that is saying something!
Lighthouse Café, Filey – This was a fabulous place with wonderfully friendly staff. They had highchairs for both kids and food wise they just make smaller portions of anything for children which is great! The GF menu for A was amazing as well. As I headed to the toilets to change M, I was intercepted by a member of staff who handed me a proper change mat – great service! They also had books and colouring for children which was a lovely touch. If you are headed to Filey then definitely head here – it’s a charming little place.
The Talbot, Malton – The Talbot has an amazing outdoor space which meant it was great with the kids in the nice weather. We ate outside where O could run around and we felt less self conscious with the kids. The childrens menu was great and O’s food was even free as we paid for a main adult meal! We will definitely be returning!
saltWATER café bar, Scarborough – We ate here to have “sit down” fish and chips once we found out they did gluten free for A. It was quite expensive but we all had a lovely meal so would certainly recommend if you want a nice setting by North Bay. They also had a good children's menu for O.
Cedarbarn Farm Shop – this was a great little find when we were googling breakfast places on the way to Flamingo Land. They did a lovely breakfast (amazing kids breakfast and GF for A) and had a great farm shop. We just wish we had found this place earlier as they also had a great playground with ride on cars, fruit picking AND a miniature railway! We could have spent hours here but unfortunately we had to get going for our plans for the day. We will be back!
Where we stayed
We stayed in a two bedroom cottage in Snainton - Pine Cottage | Snainton | Welldale Fm | North York Moors And Coast | Self Catering Holiday Cottage (sykescottages.co.uk)
It was a lovely cottage with a nice enclosed garden and tractors and horses went past multiple times a day to O’s delight! The location was good in that it was between Pickering and Scarborough for a mix of activities but there weren’t a lot of amenities on the doorstep so we might consider a different village next time. The only other thing to note is that there were limited plug sockets in the bedrooms so if you have lots of kit for the kids (monitors, white noise etc) then it might be handy to bring an adapter or two!
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