Cleethorpes is a seaside resort on the Lincolnshire coast of England, south bank of the estuary of the River Humber, with a population in 2021 of 30,000. It merges into the neighbouring town of Grimsby, and this conurbation and rural hinterland comprise the unitary Local Authority of North East Lincolnshire.
Understand
[edit]Like Grimsby, Cleethorpes began as a fishing settlement, but evolved instead into a seaside resort when the 19th-century fashion for sea-bathing developed. This was greatly boosted by the arrival of the railway. It thrived until the 1960s, when the Med became accessible to British holidaymakers, and traditional resorts declined. Today most visitors come on day-trips: the motorway puts it within a couple of hours drive from the main cities of Yorkshire. Those staying longer are often caravanning.
Cleethorpes is where the Prime (or Greenwich) Meridian of 0 degrees longitude crosses the UK coastline.
Tourist information is on the Promenade just south of the pier, open daily 9AM-6PM.
Get in
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See Grimsby for long-distance driving directions and buses.
1 Cleethorpes railway station is the terminus for hourly trains from Liverpool Lime Street. These trundle across the country via Warrington, Manchester Oxford Rd (for airport) and Piccadilly, Sheffield, Doncaster, Scunthorpe and Grimsby.
Trains clatter through the fields every hour or two from Barton-upon-Humber, which has a connecting bus across the Humber Bridge from Hull. After Grimsby Town these also stop at Grimsby Docks and at New Clee by the football ground. From Lincoln change at Habrough or Grimsby.
Cleethorpes station is on the promenade near town centre. It has a ticket office and machines, a waiting room and cafe, and a clock tower with ornate ironwork. There is step free access to all platforms.
Get around
[edit]Stagecoach buses run frequently between Cleethorpes and Grimsby, and down the long Promenade. Otherwise walk, or cycle to outlying attractions such as Tetney bird reserve.
A dozen taxi firms serve Cleethorpes and Grimsby.
See & do
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- What's on? - see Visit Cleethorpes.
- 1 Cleethorpes Pier is a stubby affair, only 100 m long, so the sea only reaches it at high tide. When built in 1873 it was 370 m long, but it was shortened during World War II to make upkeep simpler. It's usually open daily from 11AM to 10PM, whenever the fish & chips restaurant is open, see below.
Parking charges apply 7 days near the pier, but there’s free street parking a few hundred yards away.
Cleethorpes Beach and Promenade stretch for a couple of miles either side of the pier. The strip of sand is narrow so the area near the pier can become cramped during the summer holidays, but further north and south are quieter. The Humber has big tides, so the sea goes out a long way, leaving an expanse of mudflats. Check the tide times before venturing far out, as it comes flooding back very quickly, filling channels behind you to cut you off. A red flag may fly at these times.
North of the pier are a small funfair, the railway station and the football stadium, then the beach gives way to mud and dockland. You'll know you've crossed the boundary into Grimsby when you encounter a fish-processing factory.
- 1 Grimsby Town FC actually play at the north edge of Cleethorpes.
The beach is better south of the pier and the Promenade has more to see and do.
- Pier Gardens are just south of the pier.
- 2 Ross Castle is a Victorian folly, a mock-medieval ruin erected in 1885 just to look quaint. And now it's about the most ancient structure in town.
The beach broadens near the Leisure Centre. Beach and seafront are generally quiet this far from the pier. Midweek, the only beach action will be a pensioner's dog chasing the seagulls.
- 2 Cleethorpes Leisure Centre (Lincs Inspire), Kingsway DN35 0BY, ☏ +44 1472 323200. Facilities for sport and recreation. There's a large heated swimming pool, tennis, squash and badminton courts, gym and fitness suite.
- 3 Parkway Cinema, Kings Road DN35 0AQ, ☏ +44 1472 290100. 9-screen cinema showing mainstream releases.
- The boating lake is next to the cinema. The sand dunes alongside it have been designated a nature reserve as this area is an important stop-off point for migratory birds.
- Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway, ☏ +44 1472 604657. A narrow gauge railway running for a mile between the Leisure Centre and the south end of the boating lake. It’s just 15 inch gauge so although it's real steam, it feels like a kiddie-ride.
- Meridian Showground is now a caravan park, see Sleep, and no longer hosts events.
- 3 The Boy with the Leaking Boot, of whom the legend goes, yadda yah . . . but identical statues stand in several American and European cities all dating to circa 1890, all with their own local legend, and all just as irresistible to drunks and vandals. So the Boy is 19th-century mass-produced kitsch.
- 4 Meridian Park stands on the Prime (Greenwich) Meridian of 0 degrees longitude, so you can bestride the east and west hemispheres. From here the Meridian crosses the Humber estuary to the Holderness peninsula of East Yorkshire, again leaves the coast at Withernsea, then has no other landfall on the way to the North Pole – that's 2517 miles from Cleethorpes, according to the signpost.
- 5 Humberston Fitties are a well-preserved colony of pre-war chalets. They're on long leases and seldom available to visitors.
- 6 Haile Sand Fort close to shore and Bull Sand Fort mid-channel were built during World War I as artillery positions to defend the estuary. They can't be visited. Far side of the channel, spot the lighthouse and coastguard station at Spurn Head: it would be a 60 mile drive to reach them. Early evening you'll see the ferry making its way downriver from Hull to Rotterdam.
- Humber Mouth Yacht Club is based at Thornes Park by the entrance to the RSPB reserve. Visiting sailors welcome, note the big tides and busy shipping lanes: all craft must maintain contact with the marine traffic service. Find the Club at latitude 53.5251 North, and if you don’t know the longitude by now, stick to the boating lake.
- 7 RSPB Tetney Marshes are a birdlife reserve.
- Lincolnshire Wolds Railway is 10 miles south at North Thoresby. This is standard gauge, a remnant of the dismantled Grimsby-Louth line, and usually steam-hauled.
- Waltham Windmill is nearby, see Grimsby.
Buy
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Asda is in town centre on Holles St, open M-Sa 6AM-10PM, Su 10AM-4PM.
Aldi is on Cleethorpe Rd near the football ground, open M-Sa 8AM-10PM, Su 10AM-4PM.
Several convenience stores near the pier.
Eat
[edit]- Numerous small places, both eat-in and carry-out, offer the traditional British seaside fare of fish and chips, pizza, kebabs, chicken foo yong and lamb bhuna, to be followed by more chips.
- Papa's Fish & Chips, Pier DN35 8SF, ☏ +44 1472 601501. Daily 11:30AM-9PM. 500-seater restaurant opened in April 2017, reinvigorating the pier. Is this the biggest fish & chips shop in the galaxy? It's certainly the biggest on Cleethorpes Pier.
- Steels Corner House, 10 Market St DN35 8LY (100 yards inland from pier), ☏ +44 1472 692644. Daily 11:30AM-8PM. Possibly the only fish & chips shop in England to earn a Blue Plaque, commemorating a sermon here by John Wesley, the founder of Methodism.
Drink
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- The Bobbin, 12 High St DN35 8JN (100 yards inland from pier), ☏ +44 1472 200205. W noon-9PM, Th-Sa noon-1AM, Su 1-11PM. Decent enough pub, mixed reviews for the food.
- Pier area also has Swashbuckle Pub, Rift Bar, Barracuda, Coliseum Picture Theatre, The Old Vic, Platform, Under the Clock and Market Tavern. Just north by the station are No 1 Pub and Slush Bar.
- Willy's, 17 High Cliff Road DN35 8RQ (by slipway and lifeboat station), ☏ +44 1472 602145. M-Th 11AM-11PM, F-Su 11AM-2AM. Seafront bar with own microbrewery, has a large selection of ales and food.
- The Signal Box Inn, Lakeside Station, Kings Road DN35 0AG (opposite Premier Inn), ☏ +44 1472 604657. Daily 11AM-11PM. This has a credible claim to being the smallest pub on the planet, at 8 ft x 8 ft. It was a signalbox at Scunthorpe steelworks, and now adorns the south terminus of the miniature railway.
Sleep
[edit]- 1 Isaac's Hill at the entrance to town centre has a cluster of B&Bs, but most folded during Covid. Those open in 2025 are Clee Hotel, Brookfield, Claydens, The Vines and Meg's Island.
- MJ Guesthouse is by the railway station at 23 Grant St.
- Wheelers B&B is 100 yards west of the station at 34 Prince's Rd.
- Arlana Guest House is opposite Wheelers at 53 Prince's Rd.
- Burlington Hotel, 2 Albert Rd DN35 8LX (200 yards south of station), ☏ +44 7458 305982. Smart modern hotel. B&B double £100.
- 2 Dovedale Hotel, 12 Albert Rd DN35 8LX, ☏ +44 1472 692988. Clean and central. B&B double £100.
- 3 Kingsway Hotel, Kingsway DN35 0AE, ☏ +44 1472 601122. Simple but clean, some traffic noise. B&B double £120.
- Cloves B&B is 100 yards south of Kingsway Hotel at 11 Bradford Ave.
- 4 Premier Inn, Meridian Point, Kings Rd DN35 0PN, ☏ +44 333 321 9334. Tatty exterior but comfy within. B&B double £120.
- 5 Cleethorpes Showground, Meridian Road DN35 0AR, ☏ +44 7522 551877, [email protected]. Open April-Oct for touring caravans and camping. There’s a washhouse; no other facilities but this site is closest to town. Pitch £31, hook-up £36.
- 6 Pearl Holiday Park (formerly Beachcomber), 208 North Sea Lane DN36 4ET, ☏ +44 330 053 7000. Large holiday park open April-Nov. It only has static caravans, no touring or camping pitches, but accepts short stays.
- 7 Haven Cleethorpes Beach (formerly Thorpe Park Holiday Centre), Humberston DN35 0PW, ☏ +44 1472 813395. Open April-October, this has touring & static caravans plus camping. Within Thorpe entertainment park, with swimming pool, putting, daytime & evening shows, and a food court.
Stay safe
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You’ve come to the right place, there’s seldom much aggro around town. Keep a close eye on children close to the sea’s edge: big tides mean strong currents.
Connect
[edit]As of Sep 2025, Cleethorpes and its approach roads have 4G from O2 and Vodafone, and 5G from EE and Three.
Go next
[edit]- Hull is the big busy port across the estuary, with a maritime heritage.
- Lincoln has a charming preserved medieval centre.
- Louth is an attractive market town much used for 1950s TV locations.
| Routes through Cleethorpes |
| Lincoln ← Grimsby ← | W  E
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→ END |