The Yorkshire coast of England is approximately 110 miles long, stretching roughly north-east to between the River Tees in the north and the River Humber in the south, and abuts the North Sea. The coast from the Tees to Flamborough Head, has some of the most magnificent scenery on the English coast. From Flamborough Head to the Humber, the coastline is less dramatic, being one long, gently curving bay with high cliffs  tapering down to sand dunes in the south.

Situated at the mid-point of the Yorkshire coast is Filey Bay and the John Paul Jones Heritage Coast, the stretch of coast line where, in September 1779 John Paul Jones engaged the British frigate Serapis in a classic sea battle that took place in the Bay itself

The proposed John Paul Jones Heritage Coast starts on its northern extremity above the peninsular headland known as Carr Naze and Filey Brigg and extends across the broad sweep of Filey Bay, an expansive, gently sloped embayment. The wide, sandy shore of the bay extends southward of the Brigg for several miles until it meets the white chalk cliffs that lead to the spectacular chalk cliffs of Speeton and Bempton and on to it's  southern extremity around the striking chalk cliff promontory of Flamborough Head, then  into Bridlington Bay and is shown on the map at the foot of this page.

This stretch of the coast is rich in Geology, History  and Archaeology and is the home of the Filey Bay Jurassic Coast. Flamborough Head is also and area of special importance and is the subject of separate Flamborough Head European Marine Site Management Scheme.

Filey Brigg is a reef of calcareous grit, which projects more than a half mile from the foot of the promontory of Carr Naze. In calm weather the Brigg is not easy to discern, for it is low-lying and submerged in areas , but in rough seas huge white waves break over it with considerable violence. On these occasions it is a serious hazard to maritime traffic, and has caused many shipping losses. At the seaward end of the reef a bell buoy has been in place since 1871. However, as early as 395 A.D. a Roman signal station had been erected above the Brigg on the Carr Naze promontory. Recent archaeological investigation suggests that the Brigg itself may have been enhanced by the construction of a Roman pier or jetty known as Spittals

 Nestled in the northern lee of Filey Bay is the town of Filey, which not only benefits from the shelter offered by the Brigg, but also owes its existence to it. Filey has been extant since at least fourteenth century, when it was known as Fyvely or Filo. Documentary evidence indicates an ancient pier, Roman origins, graced the waterfront of the bay, probably at or near Filey Brigg, as early as 1326 A.D. There is no harbour here, or anywhere in the bay, but for generations a small fleet of fishing cobles has worked from the town, as it still does today, with vessels launched across the expanse of sandy beach manually, by animal power or, in modern times, by tractors. Over the centuries, many schemes for building a harbour of refuge at Filey have been put forward but none, with the exception of a possible Roman construction at the Spittals on Filey Brigg, none ever came to fruition.