Everyone’s heard of Cleethorpes Beach, but have you ever looked into what the locals are saying?
What should you bring to Cleerthorpes beach? How much is parking at Cleethorpes beach? Where’s the best chippy? What are the best things to do? Are there things only a local will know?
Luckily for you, I grew up in Cleethorpes and stayed in the area in adulthood. I visit the beach regularly and use it as my main plan for entertaining the kids. I can tell you everything you need to know about Cleethorpes beach – from the perspective of a local.
Cleethorpes Beach – A Local’s Guide
If you’ve got as far as searching for Cleethorpes beach, then I’m guessing you’re planning a trip. Whether you’re coming for the day, or staying for the week, there are a few things you need to know, and plenty to do!
This guide contains absolutely everything I could think of that you might need to know before you come. If I’ve missed anything, please feel free to get in touch. I’ll answer your questions and update my guide!
Where to Park at Cleethorpes Beach
There is parking all along Cleethorpes seafront. It gets very full on hot, sunny days in the summer, so it’s a good idea to have a plan B. The parking on the seafront is the most expensive, I’d say. It starts at £2.50 for an hour, so if you want to stay all day, you’ll be paying a fair whack.
A lot of the areas around the beach are either “no parking” or permit parking only. The traffic people do ticket (and ticket a lot) so it’s not worth the risk – you WILL get a ticket if you chance it.
You could park in some residential streets nearby, but the locals won’t like it and they are often overcrowded.
There is a long stay carpark on Wardall Street car park is a good bet. It’s not so obviously on display that visitors will naturally go for it, but it’s very close to the beach (just a quick 5 minute walk), so it’s very convenient.
Other car parks include the one on St. Peter’s Avenue next to Boots (this fills up quickly), Grant Street Car Park (near the train station side of the beach, generally has spaces), and Cleethorpes High Street Car Park (not far from the beach, but does get busy).
Of course, you could give the headache of parking a miss and get the train down. The train station deposits you right on Cleethorpes seafront. Perfect!
If you are visiting from abroad, it is worth sorting your mobile data before you arrive. Picking up an eSIM UK plan from Roambit means you can set everything up before your flight and land with a working connection for maps, train times, and finding the best fish and chips on the seafront
What to Pack for a Day Out at Cleethorpes Beach
If you’re planning a sunny day out at the beach, then you’ll need all the things you’d expect – beach towel, sunhats, sunscreen, swimwear etc.
You can buy stuff when you get to the beach but the local businesses do capitalise on the supply and demand ratio so you’ll be paying £6 for a bucket you’d have got from the pound shop. My best advice is if you forget your bucket and spade but want to save a couple of quid, then walk down to St. Peter’s Avenue and raid the beach supplies in Value for Money or some of the shops down there. It’s a much better price and not a massive trek from the beach.
You’ll definitely need to reapply sunscreen even if it’s overcast, and you might want to bring layers because our beach is quite windy, even on a hot day.
How Clean is the Water on Cleethorpes Beach?
Cleethorpes is an estuary, not the open sea, so the quality of the water varies a lot. I’m not going to lie to you – it’s mostly brown, but that doesn’t mean it’s not clean.
I would advise checking the beach pollution levels before paddling though, as sometimes it can be bad for sewage. No one wants to paddle in sewage.
I check the surfers against sewage app but they have a website too if you don’t want to be downloading more apps.
Where are the Toilets?
There are some public toilets up near Cleethorpes Leisure Centre and some more near the bus station at the Pier. Both of these are a bit grotty at times, but they are your only free options.
Otherwise, a lot of the cafes and eateries have toilets but you have to buy something to use them. If you’re going out for lunch then that’s at least one toilet trip catered for but you might have to go for a coffee somewhere to visit another nice, clean loo.
Where to Eat at Cleethorpes Beach
If you’re spending a day at the beach, you probably also want a chippy dinner. I don’t blame you, I always want a chippy.
Papas is right on the beach and seats loads of people. It’s won lots of awards and lots of people rave about it. I’ve been and it’s fine – good chippy dinner for sure. But between you and me, I have a couple of other chippies slightly away from the seafront that are a real treat.
Ocean Fishbar on St. Peter’s Avenue is fab. It’s not open Sunday (no idea why, they’re missing a trick) but it does a good and big feed that you’ll lie in bed thinking about, next time you’re hungry.
Another favourite with the locals is Steels Cornerhouse Restaurant. They’re in the marketplace and occupy a wonky looking house. Inside is kind of twee, it looks like your nanna’s living room, but it works. I think this might be my favourite chippy but I’ve not been for ages so don’t know if my memory still serves. We tend to go to Ocean more often because it’s easy for parking (car park opposite) and it’s my husband’s fave.
Can Dogs Go on Cleethorpes Beach?
Dogs are only allowed on certain parts on Cleethorpes beach and these restrictions are for specified parts of the year.
Between Cleethorpes Leisure Centre and The Fitties, dogs can go on the beach all year round. On the main part of Cleethorpes Beach, you can take your dog between 30th September and Good Friday. If you break the rules, you’ll get a £100 fine.
So dogs are allowed on Cleethorpes beach, but it comes with a caveat. Double check the rules before you come so you don’t accidentally break them.
Places to Stay Near Cleethorpes Beach
If you’re planning a few days in Cleethorpes and want to stay right near the beach, you’ve got a few choices that are probably spread across several websites. There are loads of guesthouses in Cleethorpes and B&Bs near the seafront.
As a local, I feel it’s my duty to suggest a few that are right near the beach. The first places I’ll mention are the holidays flats right on the seafront. They sit above The Helm Cafe on Kingway Cleethorpes (and possibly the buildings adjacent, I have a vague idea of them just being above these few shops but I don’t know the logistics).
These little holiday apartments look right out onto the beach, which is across the road. I think these are worth mentioning as a bit of a hidden gem because they’re a 5 minute walk from central Cleethorpes, but they’re also right on the beach. There’s a cafe downstairs and a really nice chippy on the same block (it’s called The Leaking Boot, I worked there for years as a teen and can vouch for the fish and chip quality). As far as I know, you can only book through Air B&B. Search for The Helm Seafront apartment and it should bring it up, you can click on the host to see the other property too.
A little further up the road (also Kingsway) and equally as close to the beach is another family option – a house. This one is on Booking.com and is called “Lovely Seafront House Sleeps 6”, which is a mouthful for a name when everyone else calls their place “seashell cottage” and suchlike, but I have to admit it’s a very functional name.
Further up the road (also on the Kingsway) is a hotel called The Kingsway Hotel. As far as I know, they only really have double rooms, single rooms, or twin rooms, so you might want to leave the kids behind for this getaway. These guys have their own website and you can just Google them and ring up if you have questions.
I’ll also point out that there’s loads of houses on Booking.com right near the sea front, I just don’t know enough about them to make mention. There are also guest houses dotted about on the roads off the Kingsway too.
Further up Kingsway, towards Cleethorpes Leisure Centre is the OYO hotel (it used to be called Hotel 77, if you’ve been before and recognise it). My auntie used to stay here whenever she visited town so it must have been nice to be a regular haunt. They do have limited family sized rooms and again, it’s across the road from the beach.
Everything past Cleethorpes Leisure Centre is a big further out from the central beach. There’s a Premier Inn opposite Cleethorpes Boating Lake, but you’d probably have to take a bus or drive to the main promenade if you didn’t want a bit of a walk every day. If you’ve got kids with you, they might not like the little trek.
Before the Premier Inn, opposite the first part of Cleethorpes Boating Lake is The Wellow Hotel. It’s really a Greene King pub but it has family rooms upstairs. I’ve heard it’s pretty cheap (in comparison to other places) to stay there, so it might be worth a look if you want a beach holiday on a busget.
Further past the Premier Inn is Haven at Cleethorpes Beach. It has got a stretch of beach right near it called The Fitties Beach, but that area doesn’t really have much in the way of shops or anything. There’s a small tearoom about a 10 minute walk from there. This is the bit of the beach dogs are allowed on, but there’s no amusements or chippies etc.
A fun trip to Cleethorpes Beach leaves behind some unforgettable seaside memories. A souvenir will help preserve the memory and the magic of this coastal getaway, and Personalised Keyrings make for the perfect travel keepsake.
You can sometimes customize your own keychain with picturesque views of Cleethorpes Beach, coastal landmarks, or travel souvenir text. It’s also a nice gift to give to a loved one who couldn’t come along on the journey.
Boutique keyrings can be worn on bags or keys to remind you of where you’ve been every time you spot it. They can also be given as souvenirs to friends and family to show them what they’re missing out on in Cleethorpes.