Hull is the best base for the East Riding. Beverley, 13 km north, is a fine market town with a minster that rivals York's, easily reached by train in 15 minutes. The Humber Bridge and the Yorkshire Wolds beyond it are 20 minutes by car.
Spurn Point, the long sand spit at the mouth of the Humber, is a remarkable nature reserve about an hour east — best on a clear day for the bird-watching and the Victorian lighthouse. The Holderness coast north of Spurn includes the dramatic chalk cliffs at Flamborough Head and the seaside resort of Bridlington. York is an hour by train and makes for an easy day out if your stay is long enough.