East Yorkshire

East Yorkshire is a county in Yorkshire in the north of England. It's mostly rural, but there's an industrial strip along the banks of the Humber Estuary. The largest built-up area is the city of Kingston upon Hull: this is separately governed, but dominates the local economy and transport links, so it's convenient to describe it here.

Cities and towns

• 1 Kingston upon Hull, the only city, is a busy seaport with many points of interest.
• 2 Beverley is the county town, a pleasant place set in rolling countryside, with a racecourse and impressive medieval Minster.
• 3 Driffield is a small town sitting in the centre of the Wolds, with a showground and canal head.
• 4 Pocklington is a small town towards York, with an arts centre and a Buddhist centre with open grounds on its outskirts
• 5 Goole is a small seaport near the limit of navigation up the River Ouse. The countryside south and east is reclaimed fenland rather like Holland.
• East Yorkshire's coastline starts dramatically with the great cliffs of Flamborough Head.
• 6 Bridlington, just south, is a seaside resort.
• 7 Hornsea is a small town on the coast, with a mere (lake) on the edge of the town.
• Further south the coast is being rapidly eroded, with old farm buildings and caravan sites slithering down the shore to join the drowned medieval villages that are now miles out at sea.
• 8 Withernsea is where much of Britain's gas is pumped ashore. The coast here becomes sand hills, ending in the long spit of Spurn Head.

Get in

By plane

It's the other side of the Pennines, yet Manchester Airport (MAN ^IATA) is often the most convenient, as it has global connections and competitive fares. There's an hourly rail service from the airport changing at Leeds for Hull, taking 2 hours 30 min.

By contrast, Humberside Airport (HUY ^IATA) is only 20 miles from Hull via the Humber Bridge, but there's only a couple of flights per day to Aberdeen and Amsterdam plus holiday charters to the Mediterranean. Stagecoach bus X1 runs hourly between Hull and the airport, taking 30 mins.

Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA ^IATA) lacks a rail or motorway link. Take the airport bus into Leeds for direct bus or train to Hull.

Doncaster Sheffield Airport (DSA ^IATA) is no longer an option, as it closed in 2022.

By rail

Hull has trains to London Kings Cross (some direct, but most with a change at Doncaster), Leeds, Manchester Piccadilly, Sheffield and York.

Bridlington has trains south to Hull; also north to Scarborough, change at Seamer for York and Leeds.

Beverley has trains via Hull to Sheffield, and to Bridlington and Scarborough.

By bus

Flamborough Head Lighthouse

Two direct National Express (NX) coaches per day link Hull with London Victoria, 7 hours.

Most other NX destinations involve changing in Leeds. Stagecoach X62 runs between Leeds and Hull three times a day, two hours.

Megabus runs three times a day between Hull and East Midlands Parkway which has trains to London St Pancras.

East Yorkshire bus X46 runs hourly from York to Hull via Pocklington and Beverley, 2 hours.

The Coastliner bus runs once a day from Leeds via York and Scarborough to Bridlington, 3 hours.

By sea

P&O Ferries sail nightly to Hull from Rotterdam, 12 hours.

Get around

Hull and Beverley have good public transport. Beyond those, a car is the most convenient way to get around, though there are also limited rural bus services. Bike-on-train (or, uniquely, bike-on-bus on the specially adapted route from Hull to York via Pocklington) is another option to travel between the main towns.

See

• For city attractions, Hull is worth a day to explore.
• The best section of coast is at Bridlington, with Flamborough Head.
• Inland is the rolling country of the Yorkshire Wolds, with Beverley its centrepiece. The Cathedral-sized medieval Minster in Beverley is perhaps one of Yorkshire's best kept secrets.

Do

• Go to the big match: the county's pro teams are all in Hull. Hull soccer team plays in the Championship, the game's second tier, while Hull FC and Hull Kingston Rovers play rugby league (13-a-side) in the Super League, that game's top tier. Rugby union (15-a-side) is only played at amateur level hereabouts.
• Go to the races: Beverley has flat-racing April-Oct.

Go next

• The walled city of York is a must-see. One of Britain's most historic and beautiful cities.
• North Yorkshire highlights include Harrogate, Ripon with Fountains Abbey, and the Yorkshire Dales.
• Sheffield in South Yorkshire is a buzzy city, with the Peak District beyond.
• Leeds in West Yorkshire is another lively city.
• South of the Humber is the old city of Lincoln.