Withernsea
OS grid reference:- TA 344 277
The traditional small seaside resort of Withernsea is located between Hornsea and Spurn Point, in the Holderness area of the East Riding of Yorkshire.
The sand and pebble Blue Flag beach boasts a grand castle like entrance, nicknamed 'the Sandcastle'. Commemorative plaques mark the sites out at sea, around 800 yards and a mile away, where old churches were once situated in the fifteenth and nineteenth centuries, a witness to the erosion of the coastline in this area of East Yorkshire.
The town's most famous landmark is its lighthouse, which stands at a height of about 127 feet (39 metres), no longer active, it now houses a museum to 1950s actress Kay Kendall, who was born in Withernsea and and a RNLI lifeboat exhibition. The museum contains Old photographs and models of how Withernsea once appeared and for the more energetic, there is also the option of ascending up the 144 steps to the top of the lighthouse which provides stunning views as far as the Humber Bridge, some 23 miles further inland. The lighthouse was built before the sea defences were constructed, so it now stands about half a mile inland.
The town has a wide promenade which reaches north and south from Pier Towers, the historic entrance to the pier. The Pier Towers is all that now remains of the nineteenth century pier.
There is a 9-hole golf course and leisure centre complex (with a gym and indoor pool), a variety of pubs, restaurants, amusement arcades and a selection of shops in the recently refurbished Queen Street and around the town.
Valley gardens is situated by the seafront, this beautifully landscaped space features children's playgrounds and a stage which plays host to open air concerts and events in the summer.
On the outskirts of the town is RAF Holmpton, a massive nuclear bunker, built in the 1950s, which now offers award-winning guided tours. In the surrounding area are the historic town of Hedon, Hornsea with its excellent Freeport shopping complex and beautiful Hornsea Mere, and Fort Paull, Yorkshire's only remaining Napoleonic Fortress.
The nearby Spurn National Reserve bird sanctuary on the Spurn Peninsula, now only 50 metres wide due to the continuing erosion of the sea. The reserve stretches along a 3 mile long spit of shingle and is home to rare plants, butterflies, seals and many migrating birds.
Towns and Villages of Yorkshire