A beach popular with dog walkers and families has recieved a sharp rise in negative reviews from visitors who claim to have received unexpected fines after accidentally breaking strict terms and conditions at the car park.
Reviews of the beach side car park at Fraisthorpe suggest that some visitors feel hard done by with the new parking rules introduced in late 2020, with some reviewers suggesting that they were unable to pay the parking fees within the time limits set upon arrival, incurring a parking charge when the parking had been paid for at the time. A ten minute 'time limit' to purchase parking - a limit which is displayed on the numerous parking signs, is referred to by numerous seaside visitors in their reviews.
A Popular Beach with Miles of Wide Sands to Enjoy
The wide, sandy beach at Fraisthorpe is popular without being overcrowded
Auburn Sands at Fraisthorpe is a beach that has grown in popularity in recent years. Unspoiled by large development and without garish "seaside attractions" the beach, once quiet enough to have been used as a naturist beach in years gone by, has seen visitor numbers rise during the past decade. Possibly as a result of internet groups and "dog friendly beach guides" online, visitors looking for a quiet, natural beach have discovered the wide sands that offer miles of walking at low tide, have discovered the secluded location, a mile outside the small village of Fraisthorpe, off the A165 roughly 4 miles south of Bridlington. With the growing visitor numbers, the Cow Shed Tea Shop in a converted dairy barn receives favourable comments from visitors, providing refreshment during a day by the sea.
The beach at Fraisthorpe begins some 3.5 miles farther north, at Bridlington's South Bay and it is a pleasant walk to Bridlington along the beach. Dogs can be freely exercised off lead for most of the length of the walk, with the only restrictions on dogs at the northernmost end as you reach Bridlington. Heading south from Fraisthorpe, the beach curves gently around the coast to Ulrome and Skipsea Sands about 4.5 miles away, mostly easily walkable at low tide with a slight scramble over some rocks at a concrete jetty.
The beach is walkable from Fraisthorpe up to Bridlington's south bay
The incoming sea breeze means the beach is a popular destination for families flying kites, whilst a rough slipway suitable for off-road vehicles down to the beach farther south at Skipsea Sands gives access to kite surfers as well as jet skis. The 8-mile or so stretch of beach from Bridlington to Skipsea Sands with Fraisthorpe sitting almost centrally, means that there is plenty of room for all hobbies from the very active to simply relaxing quietly, with neiother inconveniencing the other.
Clean and free of litter for its length, the condition of the beach suggest that visitors and dog owners generally follow the philosophy of leaving nothing but footprints (and the odd sandcastle of course)
Fraisthorpe is a dog-friendly beach with lots of space for dogs to enjoy exercise and a doggy-paddle
Remains of 2nd World War coastal defences can be seen, with concrete anti-landing blocks at some sections where the sea meets the shore, and pill-boxes, some of which have now collapsed down from the low cliffs due to erosion along this section of the coastline, harking back to the days when the landing of an enemy invasion force was a very real threat.
Remains of World War II Defences - ©malivsey and licensed for reuse under this Licence
Growth in Popularity
The Covid-19 pandemic and the lifting of the first UK lockdown in the summer of 2020 saw more visitors to UK beaches and beauty spots, Fraisthorpe being no exception. The large car park, up until Autumn of 2020 was manned by a person collecting parking fees of a very reasonable £3 per day, with an honesty box being utilised when the park's owners were unable to man the collection booth at the entrance.
On my last visit to Auburn Sands that summer, posters were visible requesting that the honesty box was not abused, so it was perhaps unsurprising that operation of the car park beside the beach became contracted out to a parking management company but this, if reviews on tripadvisor are to be taken at face value, seems to have caused problems almost immediately. The reviews for the location which, last year were trending at 4 and 5 stars aside from the odd negative review about being stung by a wasp(!), have plummeted with 1 and 2 star ratings featuring prominently, with car parking the overarching theme.
A Ten-Minute Window to Purchase Parking
Reviews left suggest that the Automatic Number Plate Recognition camera registers your vehicle at entry and from that moment there is a strict time window of 10 minutes in which to purchase a ticket. This is confirmed on the plentiful but high word-count signs around the car park displaying the terms and conditions. Some reviewers suggest that simply due to demand, it can be difficult or impossible to purchase a ticket from the machine within that time. Others suggest that they have been issued tickets after being unable to use the machine and having to use the online payments.
The car parking terms and conditions displayed at Fraisthorpe
Reading these reviews it seemed that pre-planning was essential to avoid the day becoming one blighted by car parking worries. The Auburn Sands at Fraisthorpe website gives parking details and a link to install an app to pay for parking online. The app involves registering your details, your vehicle's details, and optionally, for quick payment when purchasing parking, a linked credit or debit card. Installing the app was fairly straightforward but, as is normal, the process involves downloading the app software, entering your details and receiving a confirmation link by email, to click and log in again. All of this eats up the minutes. Once registered on the app, its easy to search for the car park but to progress, the user needs to select the vehicle which is displayed by registration number, as plain text with no instruction. Perhaps an intuitive step on an account with multiple vehicles registered, I found it unclear how to progress to purchasing parking. I would certainly not wish to set up, register and use the app for the first time, with a ten minute timer counting down.
Arriving at the car park on the Sunday of the May Bank Holiday weekend, I was glad to have read the reviews prior to setting off. Given that car parking was easy but took perhaps 2 minutes to find a spot that would leave 8 minutes in which to purchase a ticket. Looking to the nearest ticket machine, there seemed to be a queue 12 deep waiting to pay giving each of us under 37 seconds to enter vehicle details and payment details in order for me to complete a purchase within ten minutes of arrival, if the ten minute window is as strictly enforced as some reviewers suggest.
Thankfully internet connection seemed to be good and I was able to log in and pay on the app well within the timescale thanks to having already set up and registered my account on the Connect app. Had I not previously set this up, or been reliant on having to purchase parking at the machine, the day would have been marred by the worry of having triggered a parking charge, one which the signage in the car park suggests would be issued for such a breach of the terms.
The Connect Parking App seems to be the quickest way to pay - but takes time to register if not previously used
There is no need to "Pay and Display" at Fraisthorpe as the automated ANPR registers time of entry and time of exit and compares parking purchase records.
Whilst the new management of the car park has also seen a rise from £3 to £5 for a day's parking, I felt £5 not an extortionate charge for use of the car park by the beach and the toilet facilities provided, but it would certainly seem prudent for anyone planning to visit Fraisthorpe beach, to pre-register for online parking payment and ensure that the app is fully set up, ready to use and that you are familiar with it, before entering the car park especially on busy days.
