CThe local gull squad has circled the leethorpes pier, which looks like a picture-postcard. The lunch crowd is making their way to the pier. Papa’s Fish & Chips In the restaurant’s ballroom, I listen to Kathryn Ferry, a seaside history expert, talk about her newest book. Twentieth Century Seaside Architecture.
The moment I ordered a pot, it brought me back to the days when I was a student. In the late 90s, the Ballroom hosted Pier 39After a shift as a waitress at a nearby fish restaurant, our girl gang would spray Charlie Red body spray on their hair to mask the smell of haddock before dancing the night away where the Humber estuary meets the North Sea. After a night of waitressing in a fish restaurant nearby, our girl group would spray our hair with Charlie Red body mist to cover the smell of haddock. Then we’d dance the night away at the point where the Humber Estuary meets North Sea.
The first pier opened in August 1873. It was a popular destination for locals, day-trippers and those who were travelling across the Humber on the first train-ferry service packages. It is easy to imagine the excitement felt when first seeing the elegant pavilion structure, which stretched 365 metres out into the ocean.
Ferry cites the pier as one of a trove of local architectural treasures: postwar buildings with funky rooflines, illuminations, shops fronted with Victorian cast-iron verandas … “enough surviving seaside things”, she tells the crowd, “to ensure Cleethorpes retains its very distinctive feel”.
I grew-up in Grimsby just a few miles away. Cleethorpes was a sand wonderland filled with sugar highs and bright lights. After 20 years of living in London, I returned to Cleethorpes during the pandemic. I feel fortunate to raise my family on the same sandy path as I did when I was a child. Summer feels magical – we are tourists at home. My toddler and nine-year-old both enjoy splashing around in the pool. open-air paddling poolThe dinky Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway and cycling along Buck Beck – a long, calming coastal path where ice-cream at the family-run Brew Stop A cafe is an important part of the culture. Rent the beach hut of the owner and enjoy the view from your stripy chair.
During my university and London years – roughly 2000 to 2020 – the resort’s cultural identity began to shift with the closure of iconic venues such as, in 2007, the Winter Gardens. The Winter Gardens was an entertainment venue that dates back to 1930s. Its stage once hosted acts such as Elton John and Roxy Music. Pleasure Island, one of the region’s most popular theme parks for 23 years, and its Boomerang ride were also closed in 2016, after ceasing to function. And some of the area’s big-draw events – including the Radio 1 Roadshow, which made its last stop here in 1999 fronted by S Club 7 – were scratched from the listings. Locals said that it felt like “the fun police” had arrived.
Building on recent events, we are now able to build upon the Summer Steam festival You can also read about the Great Grub FestThere’s a sense of cultural revival brewing. Cleethorpes’ seafront is currently undergoing a long-awaited renovation. £18.4m regeneration project This will include a reimagining the Pier Gardens, and the introduction of the old Market Place. With a potential direct train link from Cleethorpes to London In the near future, the resort plans to extend its bucket-and spade appeal into a new age group.
On 2 August – with the stage still warm from sets by the Charlatans and Ash as part of DocksFest – Cleethorpes’ Meridian showground is set to transform into an open-air celebration of cool and contemporary sounds covering jazz, funk and soul, as the area’s newest festival, Everybody Loves the Sunshine, lays down 10 hours of live music for just £10 a ticket. The festival is co-curated by Brighton’s Tru Thoughts and the Brighton-based label. the Culture HouseThe local charity, has been instrumental in filling the cultural gap throughout North East Lincolnshire. An area that often feels on the fringes when it comes to the national arts and cultures scene.
Nature is abundant beyond the music. At Marine Embankment beachIn the saltmarshes you can see curlews, oystercatchers and lapwings nesting (check the tide times). The sand dunes surrounding the area are also a great place to spot birds. Humber Mouth Yacht Club Picnics and big-sky sunsets are perfect at the Pier (about one hour away). Steel & Soul runs a blissful drop-in morning yoga class on the beach here every other Sunday until the end of September (£10 a class).
The Humberston Fitties is a must-visit in this part of town. It’s an otherworldly village with about 300 beach cottages that appeared beside the dunes following the First World War. These small dwellings include artist Sarah Palmer’s home (£80 a night for a two-night minimum stay, sleeps up to four), are available to rent and make a cosy weekend base.
Check out this stylish home away from home in the heart Cleethorpes. Cloves B&B (from £95), tucked off the main promenade. Nick and Maria Ross offer delicious home-cooked meals. If you arrive on a friday, you can create a picnic basket from their pop-up pantry, which includes freshly baked sourdough, pastries, fruit, vegetables, cheese, butter, and juices. Many of these products are organic or locally produced. Cafe Cloves is an intimate dining room that serves five seasonal dishes from Saturday through Tuesday. On our last visit, we shared tandoori king prawn skewers with a chopped spinach and red onion salad, cucumber raita and charred lime along with the signature Cloves fishcake – which I could happily eat every day.
A great place to eat lunch is NasturtiumJack Phillips is the chef at this popular pop-up food stall, which focuses on Asian cuisine. He offers a variety of classics including smoked butter with fish of the day, Japanese Kosho and tempura Enoki (fried floured mushroom). Phillips’ passion for Asian cuisine is also channeled through his pop-up food stand. Wakame Cleethorpes. After lunch, stroll down Sea View Street. boutique threads The heavenly plants and flowersThen, finish with a piece of lemon meringue at Marples.
As for fish and chips – you’re spoilt for choice. A booth in the olden days. Steel’s Cornerhouse Restaurant Haddock with chips, bread and butter and a cup of tea is always a special treat. When the weather is good, nothing can beat walking along the beach eating a platter of Papa’s chips, drenched with vinegar, while feeling the sand in between your toes.
Kathryn Ferry: “Cleethorpes has the feeling of a sleeper on its way to being woken up.” This resort is going to be in the spotlight again.
