Despite the lockdown caused by the corona virus, Filey has both been in the national news and has, allegedly, become a property hotspot. Readers across Britain were transported to the town via the pages of The Daily Telegraph. Within those august pages a feature writer wrote of a fifty-year love affair with the town. Inevitably the ‘hidden gem’ theme that travel writers love to regurgitate appears:

‘It hasn’t been popularised by a traditional folk song like Scarborough Fair, nor does it have a famous resident like Bridlington has David Hockney, and it doesn’t have an outstanding modern boutique hotel like The Parisi in York’.

Whether David Hockney still lives in Bridlington is a moot point. However, perhaps the article captures a yearning, in this post-pandemic world, for an escape, a bolt hole? If a property website inspired story in the Yorkshire Post is a barometer, escapism appears to be flavour of the month, or should we say, pandemic. With foreign destinations out of reach for the foreseeable, it would be surprising if people weren’t looking closer to home for their holidays and family retreats. Among favourite property web searches are Filey, Whitby and, perhaps surprisingly, the Shetland Islands (folk must be really fed up with the A64).

The property website Rightmove claims that searches for properties in Whitby, Filey and Pickering ‘have remained fairly buoyant during the lockdown, despite slow market conditions’. One can only wonder what exactly ‘fairly buoyant’ means in the current climate. However, we are then treated to classic estate agent speak:

If we ever invent a game of estate agent bingo, ‘up-and-coming’ would be right up there with ‘sought-after’. Dabbers at the ready, as the next paragraph is a gold mine.

‘In Filey, there are a range of properties for sale in a small town that is fast becoming a more popular alternative to Whitby and Scarborough.’

‘Fast becoming’ really means ‘we’ve a load of stuff to shift’ and ‘it’s better than Brid’.

We jest of course. If you’re reading this website you probably already know how brilliant Filey is. You probably smile inwardly when you read about the ‘quaint’, ‘unspoilt’ and ‘undiscovered’ little town. Anyone would think that Filey isn’t featured on Ordnance Survey maps.

So what’s Filey like at the moment you might ask? Aside from the recent bank holiday, when one motorist decided, in a Dominic Cummings-esque moment, to park on the beach, the town has been fairly quiet. Until recently the vast majority of businesses were closed, along with the public toilets and the car parks. Little-by-little things are beginning to return to normal. Judging by bookings at our friends The White Lodge Hotel, it appears that confidence is building and July is looking like a crucial month. Clearly, it will take some time before people and businesses adjust to social distancing rules. At the moment, we would say that Filey is open, but tread lightly. In truth no one really knows what to expect this summer. Keep tuned for reports!