Kilnsea sits on the north bank of the Humber Estuary (Image: Simon Kench)
A seaside village in the east of the country is home to a remote beach with remains of World War I structures.
Kilnsea is a village in Holderness, East Riding of Yorkshire, at the tip of the Spurn Head peninsula on the north bank of the Humber Estuary.
Its beach has been described as “a spectacle of sublime natural beauty” with sandy shores and calm waters, overlooked by the historic Spurn Lighthouse.
Reviewers on Tripadvisor spoke of the “unspoilt peace” of the beach that is off the beaten track but “well worth the trip” with lots of wildlife and sights.
Jill H, from Nottingham, wrote: “A lonely walk through sand dunes next to the pounding waves of the North Sea, with tangible evidence of the erosion taking place on the Holderness coast and the force of the sea.
“The vastness of the landscape and the unspoilt peace is reminiscent of the north coast of Scotland. Brackish lagoons just north of Kilnsea were teeming with bird life as the sun went down. An amazing experience.”
The village’s only pub, the Crown and Anchor (Image: Samuel Port)
Andy O added: “Fabulous location miles from anywhere. Main visitors were “birders”. The beach is huge with great views along the coast. Access is fairly easy even for my disabled partner though there is no actual ramp. Free parking and an excellent clean loo block.”
On the beach are the remains of the Godwin Battery, constructed during the First World War and comprised of gun emplacements, search light, barracks, officers’ mess, and a hospital.
To the east is the Grade II listed concrete acoustic mirror used as an early warning device during the First World War.
Kilnsea Wetlands is intended to provide refuge for passage and wintering roosting waders that leave the adjacent Humber mudflats at high tide to roost.
Golden and grey plovers, knot, dunlin, sanderling and bar-tailed godwit should all benefit from this safe refuge.
Neighbouring Spurn is Yorkshire’s answer to Land’s End – a constantly moving peninsula between the North Sea and the Humber Estuary at over three miles long but as little as 50 metres wide.
Also in Spurn is a bird observatory, which according to reviewers is one of the best areas for birding in Britain due to the peninsula making it an excellent place to witness thousands of migrating birds.
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The village has one cozy pub, the Crown and Anchor, offering home-cooked food, real ale and views across the estuary.
The old St Helen’s Church was lost to the sea in 1826, and was replaced by a new church in 1865, at a cost of £420, that incorporated some salvaged remains of the old building. The church was listed as a Grade II building in 2018.
Those interested in art and history can visit the Withernsea Lighthouse Museum and National Fishing Heritage Centre in Grimsby.
Twenty-four miles west is the city of Hull with the Deep aquarium, Ferens Art Gallery, Hull Minster, the Old Town, the marina and numerous green spaces.