East Yorkshire
East Yorkshire is a county in Yorkshire in the north of England. It's mostly rural, but there's an industrial strip along the banks of the Humber Estuary. The largest built-up area is the city of Hull: this is separately governed, but dominates the local economy and transport links, so it's convenient to describe it here.
Cities and towns
- 🌍 Hull, the only city, is a busy seaport with many points of interest.
- 🌍 Beverley is the county town, a pleasant place set in rolling countryside, with a racecourse and attractive Minster.
- Other small inland towns are 🌍 Driffield and 🌍 Pocklington.
- 🌍 Goole is a small seaport near the limit of navigation up the River Ouse. The countryside south and east is reclaimed fenland rather like Holland.
- East Yorkshire's coastline starts dramatically with the great cliffs of Flamborough Head.
- 🌍 Bridlington, just south, is a seaside resort.
- 🌍 Hornsea feels like an early 1960s time-warp.
- Further south the coast is being rapidly eroded, with old farm buildings and caravan sites slithering down the shore to join the drowned medieval villages that are now miles out at sea.
- 🌍 Withernsea is where much of Britain's gas is pumped ashore. The coast here becomes sand hills, ending in the long spit of Spurn Head.
Get in
By plane
It's the other side of the Pennines, yet Manchester Airport (MAN IATA) is often the most convenient, as it has global connections and competitive fares. There's an hourly rail service from the airport changing at Leeds for Hull, taking 2 hours 30 min.
By contrast, Humberside Airport (HUY IATA) is only 20 miles from Hull via the Humber Bridge, but there's only a couple of flights per day to Aberdeen and Amsterdam plus holiday charters to the Med. Stagecoach bus X1 runs hourly between Hull and the airport, taking 30 mins.
Doncaster Sheffield (Robin Hood) Airport DSA IATA is 60 miles west via M180. There are short-haul flights by Flybe, eg to Amsterdam, Belfast City, Berlin Tegel, Dublin & Paris CDG; flights by Wizz to to Poland, Lithuania and Romania, and Med holiday destinations by the major package operators. First South Yorkshire Bus X4 runs between the airport and Doncaster Frenchgate Interchange, the nearest railway and bus station, taking 25 mins. Buses run to the airport every 30 mins Mon-Sat from 05:30 to 23:30, hourly on Sundays, with the last bus back to town at midnight.
Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA IATA) has better European connections than Robin Hood, but lacks a rail or motorway link. Take the airport bus into Leeds for direct bus or train to Hull.
By rail
Hull has trains to London Kings Cross (some direct, but most with a change at Doncaster), Leeds, Manchester Piccadilly, Sheffield and York.
Bridlington has trains south to Hull; also north to Scarborough, change at Seamer for York and Leeds.
Beverley has trains via Hull to Sheffield, and to Bridlington and Scarborough.
By bus
Two direct National Express coaches per day link Hull with London Victoria, 7 hours.
Most other NX destinations involve changing in Leeds. Stagecoach X62 runs between Leeds and Hull three times a day, two hours.
Megabus runs three times a day between Hull and East Midlands Parkway which has trains to London St Pancras.
East Yorkshire bus X46 runs hourly from York to Hull via Pocklington and Beverley, 2 hours.
The Coastliner bus runs once a day from Leeds via York and Scarborough to Bridlington, 3 hours.
By sea
P&O Ferries sail nightly from Hull to Rotterdam and Zeebrugge, 13 hours.
Get around
Hull and Beverley have good public transport. Beyond those, you'll need a car, though bike-on-train is another option.
See
- For city attractions, Hull is worth a day to explore.
- The best section of coast is at Bridlington, with Flamborough Head.
- Inland is the rolling country of the Yorkshire Wolds, with Beverley its centrepiece.
Do
Eat
Drink
Go next
- The walled city of York is a must-see.
- North Yorkshire highlights include Harrogate, Ripon with Fountains Abbey, and the Yorkshire Dales.
- Sheffield in South Yorkshire is a buzzy city, with the Peak District beyond.
- Leeds in West Yorkshire is another lively city.
- South of the Humber is the old city of Lincoln.