Redcar

Redcar does food and drink the way a seaside town should: unfussy, plentiful, and geared towards people who've just come off the beach or the promenade and want feeding properly. With around 70 restaurants and cafés listed for a town this size, there's real variety packed along the front and into the streets behind it. Places like Armandos and Bengal Spice cover the classic night-out standbys, Betty Bumps Cafe does the sort of nibbles and light bites that suit a slow seafront morning, and Blue Lounge and Cacau give you somewhere to sit with a coffee and watch the tide. Central Park Redcar and 25k round out a scene that's less about destination dining and more about reliable, well-loved local spots you'd happily return to on every visit.

The town itself sits on a broad stretch of North Yorkshire coast, with Redcar Beach as its obvious centrepiece and Saltburn Beach not far along for a change of scenery. The Redcar Beacon stands out as a local landmark and viewpoint, and it's worth building a walk around it before settling in for lunch. Redcar Leisure Centre gives the town a practical, everyday feel rather than a purely touristy one, which suits the way most visitors actually use the place - as a relaxed base rather than a checklist of sights.

Families are well catered for beyond the beach. The Kirkleatham Owl Centre makes for an easy half-day out, R Kade Indoor Skatepark and Hunt Fun Redcar give older kids something active to do, and Wacky Warehouse at Wheatlands Farm is built squarely for younger ones. None of it is far from the centre, so a morning of activities followed by lunch in town works without much planning.