Burton Fleming
Chalk streams, standing stones and Wolds skies
Photo © Paul Brumfitt, Google Maps
Burton Fleming sits in a fold of the Yorkshire Wolds, in the heart of what geographers call the Great Wold Valley, where the chalk hills roll down towards the coast at Bridlington and Filey. The Gypsey Race, one of England's few winterbourne streams, runs right through the village before making a sharp turn south towards Rudston and, eventually, the sea at Bridlington. It's a genuinely small place: the 2011 census recorded a parish population of just 430, and the village was historically known as North Burton to distinguish it from Bridlington's own Burton Agnes area.
The village's oldest building is St Cuthbert's Church, founded in the early 1100s by Walter de Gant and rebuilt and extended piecemeal ever since, so that its Norman south doorway and 13th-century west tower sit alongside 17th- and 18th-century remodelling of the nave and chancel. Just outside the village, archaeologists excavated a substantial Iron Age cemetery of around 64 barrows in the 1970s, part of the wider Arras Culture that once spread across this part of the East Riding – a reminder that people have farmed and buried their dead in these chalk valleys for well over two thousand years. Today Burton Fleming is a working farming community and a peaceful base for exploring the Wolds on foot, by bike, or by car, with Bridlington's beaches and the RSPB reserve at Bempton Cliffs both within a short drive.
Getting to Burton Fleming
Burton Fleming lies around seven miles north-west of Bridlington and six miles south of Filey, reached along minor roads that thread between the Wolds villages of Rudston, Thwing, and Wold Newton. The nearest A-road access is via the A165 Bridlington to Scarborough road, from which the village is signposted inland. There's no railway station in the village itself; the closest mainline stations are at Bridlington and Filey, both on the Hull Trains and TransPennine Express routes, from where a taxi or short drive covers the remaining few miles. Hull and Leeds Bradford are the nearest airports, roughly an hour and two hours away respectively by car.
Best time to visit Burton Fleming
Late spring and early summer are hard to beat, when the Wolds' chalk grassland is at its greenest and Bempton Cliffs is at its busiest with nesting seabirds, including the gannets that arrive from March through to September. Summer brings warm, settled weather for walking the Yorkshire Wolds Way and for the beaches at Bridlington and Filey, while autumn brings quieter roads and golden stubble fields across the surrounding farmland. Winter is bracing and often wet underfoot on the chalk tracks, but the village and its churchyard have a stark, atmospheric beauty out of season, and it's the time of year the Gypsey Race is most likely to be running.
Where to stay in Burton Fleming
All hotels in Burton Fleming →About staying in Burton Fleming
Hotel choice directly in Burton Fleming is very limited, given the size of the village, so most visitors looking for a hotel or guesthouse base themselves a short drive away in Bridlington, which has the widest range of options on this stretch of coast, from traditional seafront hotels to smaller Old Town guesthouses. Filey, a little further north, offers a quieter seaside alternative with its own selection of hotels and B&Bs, while the Wolds villages around Burton Fleming – including Rudston, Wold Newton, and Thwing – have a scattering of farmhouse bed and breakfasts that put you right among the chalk valleys and dry dales the Wolds are known for. Wherever you stay, Burton Fleming and its neighbouring villages are within easy reach for day visits, whether you're walking a stretch of the Yorkshire Wolds Way, visiting the Rudston Monolith, or heading out to Bempton Cliffs to see the seabirds. Booking ahead is sensible in the summer months, particularly around the coast, when the East Yorkshire holiday season is in full swing.
The Piebald Inn
65 Sands Lane, Hunmanby
The Southgate B&B
8 Bridlington Street, Filey
The White Swan
1 Church Hill, Hunmanby
Wrangham House
10 Stonegate, Filey
Haven Primrose Valley Holiday Park Yorkshire
Primrose Valley Holiday Park, Filey
Haven Reighton Sands Holiday Park Yorkshire
Reighton Sands Holiday Park, Filey
The Royal Oak
Moor Road, Filey
The White Lodge Hotel
The Crescent, Filey
Things to Do in Burton Fleming
All attractions in Burton Fleming →Top things to do near Burton Fleming
Burton Fleming is small, but it sits within easy reach of some of the East Riding's best-known landmarks, and the surrounding Wolds villages are worth exploring in their own right.
- St Cuthbert's Church, Burton Fleming — the village's parish church, with a Norman doorway, a 13th-century tower, and centuries of later alterations layered on top; a good starting point for a walk around the village.
- Rudston Monolith — in the churchyard at nearby Rudston, this is the tallest standing stone in Britain at over 7.6 metres, a Bronze Age monument that has stood watch over the Great Wold Valley for thousands of years.
- Wold Cottage meteorite site, Wold Newton — a monument near Wold Newton marks the spot where a meteorite fell in December 1795, a fall investigated at the time by local magistrate Edward Topham and now recognised as one of the events that helped prove meteorites really do come from space.
- Bempton Cliffs RSPB reserve — dramatic chalk cliffs on the coast beyond Bridlington, home to one of England's largest seabird colonies, with gannets, puffins, and guillemots nesting in huge numbers through spring and summer.
- Bridlington Harbour and Old Town — a working fishing harbour with boat trips and fresh seafood, plus the cobbled streets, Georgian buildings, and independent shops of Bridlington's historic Old Town.
- Yorkshire Wolds Way — the 79-mile national trail runs across the Wolds from the Humber Bridge to Filey Brigg, and the chalk dry valleys around Burton Fleming and Thwing give a good taste of its rolling, big-sky scenery.
- Sledmere House — a fine Georgian country house and estate a short drive across the Wolds, with landscaped grounds, walled gardens, and a working estate village.
Where to Eat in Burton Fleming
All restaurants in Burton Fleming →Food and drink near Burton Fleming
Burton Fleming itself has no pub of its own, so most visitors head into Bridlington for its harbourside fish and chip shops and seafood stalls, or explore the wider Wolds villages, several of which have well-regarded country pubs. Bridlington's Old Town has a growing number of independent cafes and tea rooms alongside its traditional seaside fare, making it the natural place to eat after a day exploring the surrounding countryside.
Attractions Near Burton Fleming
All attractions in Burton Fleming →Worth the trip — within 50 miles of Burton Fleming.
6 mi
Filey Beach
Filey · ⭐ 4.6
6 mi
Filey Zoo
Filey · ⭐ 4.6
6 mi
John Bull World of Rock
Bridlington · ⭐ 4.5
6 mi
Candy Kingdom
Bridlington · ⭐ 4.3
7 mi
Park Rose Village
Bridlington · ⭐ 3.7
7 mi
The Scarborough Fair Collection
Scarborough · ⭐ 4.7
7 mi
Bridlington South Promenade
Bridlington · ⭐ 4.4
7 mi
The Bridlington Spy Mission Trail
Bridlington · ⭐ 4.4
Camping in Burton Fleming(1)
All campsites in Burton Fleming →About camping in Burton Fleming
Burton Fleming and the surrounding Yorkshire Wolds offer a quieter, more inland alternative to camping on the East Yorkshire coast, with rolling chalk countryside, dry valleys, and the winterbourne Gypsey Race running through the village itself. As with anywhere in England, wild camping on open land or farmland here is illegal without the landowner's explicit permission, so it's worth seeking out one of the region's licensed campsites and small farm-based sites rather than pitching informally in the Wolds. The terrain around Burton Fleming is gently undulating chalkland rather than dramatic hill country, which makes it comfortable ground for tents, and several sites in the wider area cater specifically to walkers tackling the Yorkshire Wolds Way, which passes within a few miles of the village.
The best camping season here runs from late spring through to early autumn, when the ground is driest and the days are long enough to make the most of the Wolds' big skies and quiet lanes. Because the region sits inland from the coast, conditions can be a touch more sheltered than on the exposed cliff-top sites around Bridlington and Filey, though summer evenings can still turn cool once the sun drops behind the hills. For those who'd rather skip the tent, glamping options in this part of East Yorkshire – pods, yurts, and shepherd's huts on working farms – have grown steadily in recent years, offering a comfortable way to experience the same chalk-valley scenery without the packing list. Combined with the area's footpaths, bridleways, and the Yorkshire Wolds Way itself, camping near Burton Fleming suits anyone who wants a slower, walking-paced holiday within easy striking distance of the coast at Bridlington, Filey, and the seabird cliffs at Bempton.
Self-Catering Cottages in Burton Fleming
All cottages in Burton Fleming →Stratton House
3 bed · sleeps 6 · from £597
The Blue Texel
1 bed · sleeps 2
The Lincoln Longwool
1 bed · sleeps 2
The Swaledale
1 bed · sleeps 2
Springdale Farmhouse
6 bed · sleeps 15
The Follies
2 cottages · from £403
Birch
1 bed · sleeps 3 · from £413
Oak
1 bed · sleeps 3 · from £413
Common questions about Burton Fleming
How many campsites are there in Burton Fleming?
We list 1 campsites in and around Burton Fleming, of which 1 take tents.
Are there dog-friendly campsites in Burton Fleming?
Yes — 1 of the 1 campsites we list in Burton Fleming accept dogs, including West Hale Gate Caravan Site.
Which campsites in Burton Fleming have electric hook-up?
1 of the 1 campsites we list in Burton Fleming offer an electric hook-up.