BAY DREAMING
CRAVEN SOAKS UP SUN AND SEASIDE FUN AT NORTH YORKSHIRE’S CAYTON RESORT
WITH glorious stretches of golden sands, tiny fishing villages and fun by the bucketload, the Yorkshire coast really is the seaside “done proper”.
Journey across brooding moors and green dales to award-winning fish and chips, a decent pint in the pubs and, of course, locals who pride themselves on offering a generous northern welcome.
Good times come in big portions here, so when school was out for summer, the east coast came calling. Parkdean Resorts has bagged four of the best spots on this stretch, including Cayton Bay holiday park, which has a wide sweep of beach right on the doorstep.
Sandwiched between Scarborough – believed to be the world’s first seaside resort – and Filey with its historic promenade, it’s at the heart of the area which paved the way for family adventures by the sea
Having just received a £4million makeover, we were eager to try out Cayton Bay’s host of brand new activities and facilities, get busy on the beaches and make a few memories along the way.
So we were thrilled with the new contact-free check-in which meant we could go directly to our caravan at our allotted time, where we found our access-all-areas entertainment passes waiting for us.
Excitedly we whizzed around the place, checking out all three bedrooms, our children Timothy, eight, and twins Erica and Nathaniel, five, bagging their beds in the process.
I was pleased there was plenty of storage along with the enormous corner sofa.
But I really loved the fact it was so beautifully clean, the kitchen and bathrooms spotless and the beds made up with fresh-smelling linen.
There are various grades of caravans to suit all budgets. If you fancy going all out, there are lodges with hot tubs.
Dinner that evening was in the newly extended Boathouse Bar & Restaurant. Parkdean has devised a nifty app so you can order food and drinks straight to your table – ideal for adults who don’t want to leave their kids unattended.
However, this also meant I didn’t have an excuse to leave my husband, Mark, for a five-minute “break”. But it was on a sneaky trip to check out the Showbar and amusement arcade that I noticed the mother lode, the ideal accompaniment for parents on holiday… a soft play area in the restaurant!
I headed back to our table to share the exciting news and before I could say “tunnel slide” the kids had already dashed off to explore.
Cue a large glass of Sauvignon Blanc for me and a nice pint of Guinness for the other half.
All that “exercise” had rendered the kids starving, so they each wolfed down a Star Burger and curly fries, £6.49. My cheeseburger with bacon, £10.99, was lovely.
Next day, we had an actionpacked schedule. There are so many new things to do here, you have to start early if you want to experience them.
After a “treat” breakfast in the caravan – Frosties instead of Corn Flakes – Timothy and Mark were raring to go on the High Ropes course, which costs £10pp.
Following a safety briefing, they were strapped in and soon inching their way around the course.
Timothy threw himself into it with gusto while Mark, being 5ft 11in, struggled on the high wire, looking like a poor man’s trapeze artist.
As we watched with bated breath, when he’d finally made his way across, he received a round of applause from other amused holidaymakers.
Hoverboarding, £9pp, was next, which is in the new Sports Dome.
Timothy took on the challenge again, and after a tricky start spinning round in circles, he sped off.
Other activities available include go-karts from £8, Lazer Tag, £9pp, and Bumper Zorbs, where kids wear a giant bubble and play games, £7.50pp.
My auntie and uncle were staying nearby with their Shih Tzu, Isabella, and they brought her along so we could try the new dog agility course, Woof Park.
Think small-scale Crufts and you’re almost there. But it wasn’t just Isabella who enjoyed jumping through holes and tipping the seesaw, the kids followed her round too. Well, they do need behavioural training I suppose.
After a walk along the nature trail and past Base Camp, home to the Bear Grylls Survival Academy, it was time to focus on a much cuddlier kind of bear, namely building one in the new activity den.
For £15 each, kids can pick out their favourite toy and stuff it. We are now the proud owners of Flower the cat, Spiderman the dinosaur (don’t ask), and Mckenzie Man who was actually Peter Rabbit.
A pit stop was needed so we swung by Scoops next to the den for crepes and doughnuts.
Then a mooch round the arcade, before hitting the indoor pool. Tim
othy surprised us all by zooming down the biggest slide, while Erica and Nathaniel whizzed around the splash pad.
After drying out in the caravan, we parents needed a drink so we headed to the Showbar. From 5.30pm there is kids’ entertainment with the Starland Krew, disco, games, a giant purple dragon…
We kicked off Sunday, the supposed day of rest, with a go at the new pirate-themed adventure golf, £6pp.
There was huge excitement at the end where, very much like something from the Crystal Maze, Mark had to tug a rope to pull a raft over to the end of the course.
After all that hard work, he was rewarded with a rest as the kids bounced around on the bungee trampolines, £6.50pp.
Time to hit the beach. Cayton’s beautifully wide bay is a short walk from the site. The kids loved rock pools, where they found a crab then built it a sandcastle home.
Scarborough is nearby, with its picturesque North and South bays either side of a headland crowned by the dramatic ruins of a 12thcentury castle.
After taking in the sights, we visited the fantastic Peasholm Park with its pathways, waterfalls and colourful boats (peasholmpark. com).
When in Yorkshire, fish and chips cooked in beef dripping is the tea of kings, so we stopped off at Harpers outside Scarborough for the full works (harpersfishandchips.co. uk).
Then it was a scenic drive through the countryside to our caravan for drinks out on the deck. Great for the family, Cayton Bay was just the tonic.
Just with lots of gin for me.