Anchor Bay Holidays

Dogfriendly Magazine Review

Read our comprehensive review of this listing printed in our bi-monthly magazine.

The Bay at Filey with Anchor Bay Holidays Louise Furby

With the promise of a bank holiday week of sunshine rather than rain, we jumped in the car with our mini schnauzer, Laika, and headed a couple of hours up the east coast towards Scarborough for a 2-night stay at a family holiday village, The Bay, in Filey booked with Anchor Bay Holidays.  

This area of the east Yorkshire coast has long been a favourite for visitors with its sandy beaches, smaller fishing towns and ease of access, so The Bay was a great holiday-home base to explore the area.  

The site has plenty of amenities for you and your family and there are some great doggie advantages too, not least the sand and shingle beach a 25-minute walk away from our cottage which was located towards the front of the site.  

We were staying at Gingerbread Cottage. So arriving at the communicated check-in time of 4.30pm we were able to access keys from the lockbox on the property (the key code is provided by the site up to 24 hours before arrival). This simple process made for a much appreciated smooth and stress-free arrival to our holiday.    

Gingerbread cottage is positioned at the front of the site in a quieter area and has a driveway to the front and a small, open grassed area at the rear.  

There is plenty of space inside, with an open ground floor featuring the kitchen, dining and lounge all in one area and a spacious hall and toilet – so lots of room for the mountain of doggie paraphernalia we bring along on any break.  Upstairs are 2 bedrooms, a double master with an ensuite and a smaller second room with a single bed and set of bunkbeds, plus the family bathroom across the landing.

The cottage provides all the basics for your arrival, but you should bring your own dog bowls and dog bed etc…

For us humans though, we appreciated the welcome box that included tea, milk sachets, coffee, a stick of rock and hot chocolate to help us enjoy our stay.

There cottages do not have an enclosed gardens so you will need to have your dog on a lead/control outside the property, like we did with Laika. However, there are endless greens and communal spaces to walk your dog right outside your front door at The Bay, so you shouldn’t have to walk far for your furry friend to approve a spot for use.  There are plenty of dog wastebins provided across the site as a bonus too. 

If you don’t fancy strolling the site, there is the gorgeous - and often quiet - beach which was a 25-minute walk away from our property (15 minutes from some of the Anchor Bay cottages closer by).  Do check the tide times though, to make sure you get reasonable beach to enjoy. The walk back from the beach here is also quite steep, so unsuitable for anyone with mobility limitations.  

What really struck us is the amount of investment to ensure The Bay offers an inclusive holiday village experience, catering to all visitors needs and preferences.  

There are lodges, houses and cottages on the large site, and activities for all, including a dog-friendly pub and café, swimming, archery and tennis courts and an arcade to keep the kids occupied  The large lake and meadow to stroll around is a great alternative to the beach if you don’t fancy the longer walk or the weather isn’t ideal. There is also a leisure club card provided to give access to the gym.

An extra benefit for us was the EV charger provided on the front of the property. Having recently made the switch to a full-electric car this was a big advantage and made for a very convenient benefit to help us travel around the area and prepare for our journey home.

So, after we were finished settling in - and having bought some basics from the supermarket 15-minutes down the road - we were excited for exploring the area over the coming days.  

We awoke to a sunny day the next morning, and having done a little research on local attractions that welcome dogs, we opted for the local dog friendly attraction: Filey Bird and Animal Farm.  

At just £9 entry per adult and the only restriction for dogs being the kids play area, we enjoyed a couple of hours wandering the farm meeting birds, farm animals, reptiles and enjoying the early spring bloom of the gardens. The staff are very friendly here, Laika was mesmerised by the inquisitive Meerkats and once we could tear her attention away, we enjoyed a cuppa at the onsite café (serving cold food only) before heading onto Scarborough for the afternoon.  

The sun still shining, we drove 25-minutes to this well-known northern Yorkshire seaside town. With many of its Victorian features remaining, we strolled along the pretty promenade to the North Bay beach where dogs are allowed all year, joining lots of doggies and their owners throwing and catching balls and romping through the water.  We didn’t time it great as the tide was coming in, but we squeezed in a 30-minute playtime and frolic with Laika making some new furry acquaintances, before we opted for a stroll along the pier for an ice cream stop-off.  

There is lots to do at Scarborough, the usual seaside arcades and there’s a big wheel too (no dogs sadly) plus a pretty harbour to enjoy.  

As the sun was still beating down, we decided to take the Victorian Tram journey back up to the car park. The tram is a short ride (but it saves the legs!) and they welcome dogs too for no extra charge. We stepped out above the beautiful Victorian gardens stopping for a few photos before we headed back towards Filey.  

Although it was early evening, feeling quite hungry we headed past The Bay to Hunmanby and a pub called The Piebald Inn – and what a brilliant find!  

Piebald has a large beer garden area, but the real draw are the 52 pie flavours to choose from their menu (non-pie dishes also available!). It was a great find, the staff made a huge fuss of Laika, they are very dog-friendly here and even offer your hungry K9 a “pooch pie” option on the menu. Laika thought all her birthdays had come at once when a healthy portion of beef and vegetable pie was presented to her - far more generous than her tummy could handle! (The human portions are also on the larger side, and delicious too.)  

With very full bellies, we all rolled home and with a 10am check-out the following day, we rose early for a quick beach visit before packing up and heading down the coast to Bridlington, which is a 20-minute drive away.  

We’d read that the dog-friendly beach at Bridlington was impressive and still we were surprised by how large this popular dog-welcoming beach is. And with a very long sandy shoreline, despite its popularity, the beach still felt quiet and private.  

We spent a good hour or more playing and walking the coastline - it’s one of the best beaches we’ve visited with Laika, and she had a delightful time running on the damp sand and through the sea and rockpools. The tide had not long gone out, so we had plenty of beach to explore, and that also meant meeting a few other dogs taking advantage of the vast sands and coastline.  

After we had exhausted the schnauzer, we headed towards the promenade to grab a drink and give her some rest.  

The promenade here is lined with lots of beach huts that can be hired for a cost, starting from £35 for a day and from £85 for a week. It’s a great way to enjoy the seaside and dogs are welcome too, but you are best to pre-book and the cost does rise in high season.  

We took advantage of the small foot pools in front of the beach huts to rinse sandy feet and dirty paws and walked on to dog-friendly café Richie’s, on the Princess Mary Promenade.

Having recharged with a coffee and a hearty breakfast, we treated Laika to some doggy ice cream before we made our way back to the car and our onward journey home.  

All in all, we found The Bay at Filey to be a great location to visit the Yorkshire coast. Its position is ideal for those wanting to go off-site to explore the area, and for those looking for a holiday site that offers plenty of activities for all ages, it’s a good choice that the whole family – including their four-legged family member – can enjoy together.  

The Bay Filey, review by Louise Furby will appears in DogFriendly Magazine issue 85.  For more information on the DogFriendly magazine visit www.dogfriendly.co.uk/magazine