Hornsea is a friendly town by the coast in East Yorkshire and I was surprised at how much there is to do! We spent a day there and still didn’t manage to see all the attractions, but our 1 year old had a brilliant time. In this blog page, I’ll tell you what we did, what we wished we did and how much fun we had!
Parking and Travelling:
We used the car park by the Leisure Centre which was very central and was pay and display, but there are lots of free parking options in Hornsea too. Click here for a list of paid and free parking.
There are several buses that go to Hornsea, including buses from Hull, Beverly, Withernsea and Bridlington. There is no train station in Hornsea which makes it trickier to get to from further afield!
Click here for more information on Hornsea buses.
Prams and Accessibility:
I found Hornsea to have good, flat paths suitable for wheelchairs and prams. The beach can be accessed by ramps as well as steps. There is a disable toilet and baby change available to use for free near the beach in Hornsea Hub. Both the men’s and women’s toilet have baby changing facilities inside too, something that matters a lot to me as my partner (male) is the one that is on nappy duty in the day time!
Things to do in Hornsea
1. Visit the Beach
With both dog friendly parts of the beach and parts that don’t allow them, there’s space for everyone. The beach itself is quite pebbly in places but there’s plenty of sand for sandcastles too. It goes on and on in both directions, so if you wanted to walk along it you can for miles. It’s also a blue flag beach so it’s very clean and a lovely space to spend the day with kids (and dogs).
2. Hornsea Museum
This 300 year old farmhouse has lots to interest adults, such as their collection of pottery and rooms set up to how they would have looked in the past. There is also lots to entertain children too. Our little one loved the simple play area with a wooden train to climb on and play kitchen, and there was also a toy room set up with vintage toys for children to use. We loved watching the minature railway steam its way around it’s tracks too. The price was pretty decent and we spent just short of 2 hours there.
3. Bugtopia Zoo
We didn’t have time to go here but really wanted to! It was about a half hour walk from the beach, or a few minutes drive. Here it looks like they have a good range of animals, including lots of insects and spiders. They have a focus on conservation of beetles and bees and I think my 1 year old would have loved their play area too.
4. Hornsea Freeport
Another place we didn’t have time to visit, this is an outlet shopping village within walking distance of the beach. Our friends who visited came back with lots of sweets from an independant business, and reported a soft play area too.
Things to do nearby
This magical underwater adventure is perfect for any age. My baby loved looking at the lights at The Deep and he found the water mesmerising. I saw kids, teenagers and adults all enjoying the sea life centre just as much.
2. Sewerby Hall and Gardens
This historic hall, located in the East Riding of Yorkshire near Bridlington, has tons of things to see and do for all ages. Even the littlest of people have a dedicated room with soft play toys. Not only that, but there is a small zoo and plenty of beautiful gardens to explore! On a sunny day, I’d say at least half a day can be spent well at Sewerby Hall and Gardens.
