Bewholme

Bewholme is a small village and civil parish in the East Riding of Yorkshire, lying around three miles north-west of Hornsea in the flat, fertile farmland of Holderness. The parish also takes in the nearby village of Dunnington and the tiny hamlet of Nunkeeling, and together they hold a population of little more than two hundred people. It is the kind of place travellers pass through rather than aim for directly, which is exactly its appeal: quiet lanes, working farms, and an unhurried pace that sits in sharp contrast to the busier resorts along the coast a few miles east.

The name Bewholme is thought to come from either the Old Norse word for a river bend or the Old English for a circle, a reminder that this landscape has been settled for over a thousand years and was recorded in the Domesday Book. The village church, St John the Baptist, was built in 1900 to a design by S. Walker of Bridlington, while the former Bewholme Vicarage nearby is a Grade II listed building designed in 1859 by the celebrated Gothic Revival architect William Burges, who also drew up an unused design for the church itself. Beyond these landmarks, Bewholme is defined by its surroundings: the wide, low-lying fields of Holderness stretching towards the North Sea, and a network of quiet roads linking it to Hornsea, Bridlington, Driffield and the market town of Beverley further inland.

Top things to do near Bewholme

There is little in Bewholme itself beyond its church and farmland, so most days out mean a short drive to the coast or the Wolds. The area rewards those happy to explore a little further afield.

• Hornsea Mere — Yorkshire's largest natural freshwater lake, a few miles from Bewholme, with an RSPB reserve, birdwatching hides and gentle walking trails around the water.
• Hornsea Beach and seafront — a traditional Yorkshire seaside town with a long sandy beach, promenade and the northern end of the Trans Pennine Trail, which runs all the way to Southport.
• Hornsea Freeport — an outlet shopping village on the edge of Hornsea with family attractions alongside the shops, useful for a wet-weather afternoon.
• Sewerby Hall and Gardens — a Georgian country house near Bridlington with parkland, walled gardens and a small zoo, overlooking the cliffs above Bridlington Bay.
• Bridlington Old Town and harbour — a working fishing harbour and a well-preserved historic old town, roughly nine miles from Bewholme, with plenty of places to eat fresh local seafood.
• Spurn Point — further south along the Holderness coast, a dramatic three-and-a-half-mile sand spit and nature reserve at the mouth of the Humber Estuary, best visited on a clear day for the walk and the views.

Getting to Bewholme

Bewholme sits just off the B1244, the road that links Hornsea to Skipsea and on towards Bridlington, making it an easy stop for anyone touring the Holderness coast by car. Driffield, a useful base with its own railway station on the Yorkshire Coast Line, is around eight miles to the west, while Beverley and Hull lie further south-west and offer wider rail and road connections. The nearest mainline stations are at Beverley and Hull, from where local buses and roads cover the remaining distance to the coast. There is no railway station in Bewholme itself, so a car is the most practical way to reach the village and to explore the surrounding lanes and coastal towns at your own pace.

Best time to visit Bewholme

Summer, from June to August, brings the best weather for the beaches at Hornsea and Bridlington and for walking the flat, exposed lanes around Bewholme, though the coast here can still be breezy even in high season. Spring and fine autumn days suit birdwatchers heading to Hornsea Mere, when migrating waterfowl pass through the reserve. Winter is quiet and often bracing, with the flat Holderness landscape offering little shelter from North Sea winds, so it tends to suit only those seeking genuine solitude rather than a typical seaside break.

Where to stay near Bewholme

Bewholme itself has little in the way of formal accommodation, but Hornsea, Bridlington and Driffield nearby all offer a range of hotels, guest houses and bed and breakfasts, from traditional seafront hotels to smaller family-run options. Self-catering cottages are common throughout the surrounding villages, giving visitors a quiet rural base within easy reach of the coast.

Food and drink near Bewholme

Bewholme is small enough that most food and drink options lie in the surrounding towns rather than the village itself. Hornsea and Bridlington both have a good spread of cafes, fish and chip shops and pubs serving fresh local seafood, reflecting the area's fishing heritage, while Driffield offers a market-town choice of pubs and restaurants. Visitors staying in or near Bewholme should expect to travel a short distance for a meal out, with the coastal towns offering the widest choice.