Mablethorpe

Mablethorpe sits on the Lincolnshire coast between the marshes of the Lincolnshire Wolds and the North Sea, a resort that has been drawing families to its wide sandy beach since Victorian times. It is the kind of place where donkey rides, amusement arcades and a proper stick of rock still matter, and where the beach itself, backed by dunes and a long promenade, is broad enough to lose a crowd on even in high summer.

The town grew up around the fishing and shipping trade before the railway turned it into a holiday destination in the nineteenth century, and that seaside-resort character has stuck. A short walk south along the coast brings you to its quieter neighbour Sutton-on-Sea, while inland the flat, fertile fields of the Lindsey Marsh give way to the gentle hills of the Wolds. Mablethorpe suits visitors after an unpretentious, old-fashioned English seaside break rather than a polished resort experience.

Top things to do in Mablethorpe

Most of what Mablethorpe has to offer is within easy walking distance of the seafront, making it a genuinely simple town to explore without a car.

• Mablethorpe beach — a wide stretch of golden sand backed by dunes and a promenade, big enough for kite-flying, sandcastles and long walks even at peak times.
• Mablethorpe Seal Sanctuary & Wildlife Centre — a long-established rescue centre on the seafront caring for injured grey seals from the Lincolnshire coast alongside other animals, from owls to meerkats.
• Hooks Island Crazy Golf — an adventure golf course on North Promenade with a pirate-themed course that has been a fixture of the seafront for years.
• Queens Park — a sheltered park just back from the promenade with a boating lake, a miniature railway, crazy golf and a bowling green.
• Sutton-on-Sea — Mablethorpe's quieter neighbouring resort a short drive or coastal walk south, with its own sandy beach and Edwardian promenade shelters.
• Alford — a handsome small market town a few miles inland, known for its five-sailed working windmill and Friday market.
• Golden Sands amusements and promenade — the classic run of arcades, fairground rides and ice cream kiosks along the seafront that give Mablethorpe its traditional resort feel.

Getting to Mablethorpe

Mablethorpe has no railway station of its own; the line that once served the town closed in the 1970s. The nearest station is Skegness, about seventeen miles south, from where regular buses run up the coast to Mablethorpe, or Grimsby to the north, with buses connecting via Louth. By car, the town sits on the A52, which runs along the Lincolnshire coast and links Mablethorpe to Skegness in the south and Grimsby and Cleethorpes in the north; from Lincoln, the A153 and A16 provide the main inland route.

Best time to visit Mablethorpe

Summer, from June to August, is when Mablethorpe is at its liveliest, with the amusements, beach and seafront cafes all in full swing and the best chance of warm, dry weather for the beach. Spring and early autumn are quieter and can still bring good weather, with the added appeal of birdlife on the surrounding dunes and marshes. Winter is very much off-season, with many seasonal attractions closed, though the long empty beach has its own appeal for a bracing coastal walk.

Where to stay in Mablethorpe

Mablethorpe has a good spread of small seafront and town-centre hotels and guest houses, along with self-catering apartments overlooking the promenade. Just outside the town, caravan holiday parks along this stretch of coast offer static caravans and lodges as an alternative to a hotel stay, particularly popular with families visiting for a week at a time.

Food and drink in Mablethorpe

Fish and chips is the mainstay of the Mablethorpe seafront, with Salty's and Mermaid Fish & Chips among the long-standing takeaways serving the classic combination along with pies, fishcakes and, at Mermaid, ice cream sundaes. St Annes fish and chip shop offers both sit-in and takeaway options a little further along. For something more substantial, The Dunes is a family-friendly shorefront bar and restaurant serving pub food and showing major sporting events, The Beck across from the seafront is known for its carvery, and The Wild Goose is the town's dedicated smokehouse and grill. Seabreeze Restaurant offers a more considered menu built around fresh, seasonal and locally sourced ingredients for those after a proper sit-down meal.