Journal

Why Yorkshire?

Take a holiday cottage on the North Yorkshire coast - offering beautiful sandy beaches, sailing, glorious countryside, superb visitor attractions, heritage sites, great shopping, award-winning restaurants and wonderful walks. The Yorkshire coast boasts pretty villages and so much to see and do, making it an ideal holiday destination for all ages.

Further inland there are wondrous places to visit – the magnificent Yorkshire Dales, and the stunning ancient walled city of York with its 1000 year old York Minster, cobbled streets, charming tea rooms and superb shops. There are elegant spa towns such as Harrogate and cosmopolitan cities like Leeds. For culture lovers there are theatres, stately homes such as Harewood House and Castle Howard, numerous museums and art galleries including the renowned Yorkshire Sculpture Park and the Barbara Hepworth Museum. Fancy a day at the races? There are several superb race courses including York, Ripon, Catterick and Doncaster.

We have wildlife parks, theme parks and marine parks, with Sea Life at Scarborough and The Deep at Hull offering great family entertainment, whilst providing a rescue centre for marine life.

Whatever your interests, Yorkshire provides an unrivalled location for a fabulous holiday with plenty of things to do in Yorkshire for the whole family to enjoy.

The Yorkshire Coast

From sandy Blue Flag beaches to working harbours, from atmospheric abbeys to quaint coastal villages, and from bustling seaside resorts to quiet deserted bays, the stunning Yorkshire Coast has something for everyone, with a wide choice of luxury holiday cottages to choose from.

Surfing at Sandsend, fossil hunting at Staithes, exploring the rock pools at Runswick Bay, long lazy afternoons on the beach at Robin Hood’s Bay, a donkey ride on the beach at Scarborough, a steam train ride from Whitby to Pickering through “Heartbeat” countryside, bird spotting at the RSPB sanctuary near Flamborough Head – never again hear the dreaded words “I’m bored”.

With charming seaside resorts including Saltburn-by-the-Sea, Whitby, Scarborough, Filey and Bridlington waiting to be explored, this is the ideal British holiday destination – the Yorkshire Coast.

Saltburn-by-the-Sea

Saltburn-by-the-Sea has maintained much of the charm of a typical Victorian seaside resort with its pier, the colourful Italian Gardens and walks through Riftswood. Saltburn boasts the oldest water balanced cliff tramway in Britain that is still in operation, linking the town with the pier below – the only surviving pleasure pier on the North east coast.

There is ample parking near the beach where the old fishing village straddles Skelton Beck. The Ship Inn remains as a focal point, and is steeped in smuggling history. Take a walk along part of the Cleveland Way up to Huntcliff, once the site of a Roman Signal Station.

Saltburn-By-The-Sea to Whitby.

The coastline from Saltburn southwards – the start of the “Dinosaur Coast” –  is dominated by sheer high cliffs interspersed with numerous small villages and hamlets offering good old fashioned Yorkshire hospitality. The cliffs at Boulby are the highest in England (679ft), but soon drop down to the picturesque village of Staithes.

Between Saltburn and Whitby, the villages include: Staithes, the delightful Runswick Bay and Sandsend.

The more energetic could take the cliff top coastal path – part of the Cleveland Way – and walk all the way from Saltburn to Filey!

Staithes

Once the largest fishing port on the North East coast, is now a picturesque, unspoiled  village  with a  thriving artist community, for which it is becoming increasingly renowned. Having checked out the galleries, and when exhausted from fossil hunting perhaps it will be time for refreshing drink sat outside the Cod & Lobster Inn overlooking the bay? Or take a leisurely lunch at The Clevelend Corner Bistro.

We have a growing number of fabulous holiday cottages in Staithes – please call for details of new holiday cottages coming soon.

Runswick Bay

The exclusive village of Runswick shelters at the northern end of a beautiful sandy beach, protected by high cliffs. Narrow paths wind between the picturesque cottages and houses with small colourful gardens. The thatched property on the seafront is believed to be one of the last remaining thatched houses on the Yorkshire coast.

The village appears to cling to the steep hillside. Although seemingly ageless, the complete village was rebuilt in 1682 due to a massive landslip. The village offers a camping and caravan site, two hotels, restaurant, café/tea shop , public house serving bar meals, a church and picnic area. A regular bus service connects into Whitby.

The wide sandy bay is a favourite for families and for yachtsmen – The Bay having a thriving yacht club situated right on the beach.

Sandsend

The unspoiled village of Sandsend is, as the name suggests, at the end of a three mile long beach stretching into Whitby. Nestling under the Kettleness cliffs to the north, the village boasts a wonderful sandy beach with fossil-rich rock pools and a beck running across the sands forming a natural child-friendly paddling pool.

For food you are spoiled for choice – from the two AA Rosette Estbek House restaurant, through the Hart Inn, serving first class pub meals to the excellent Sandside and Wits End Cafes the choice is yours. The Sandsend Stores is well stocked with everything from daily newspapers to quality local produce.

Here you can even sign up for lessons at the Sandsend Surf School – go home with a new skill.

 

Yorkshire Coastal Cottages recommend:

Wits End Cafe – famous for good food, fine wines, great service and a lovely walled garden

Wild Hart< – an exquisite shop selling Traditional Gifts and Country Interiors

Sandside Cafe – affectionately known as the cafe in a cabin, or the little cafe with the big view

Estbek House – fine dining at it’s best

Sandsend Stores – the simply superb village shop

Turnstone Gallery – the best of art and craft work from the region, at the Turnstone you will always find a broad range of contemporary work – original paintings, etchings, ceramics, sculpture, photographs and enamels

Whitby

One of the most picturesque ports in England, Whitby and its harbour are dominated by the cliff top ruined Abbey. The narrow alleys and quaint streets meander down to the busy quay, with its harbour side houses and small shops filled with crafts, curios, Whitby Jet and antiques.

Climb the famous 199 steps up to the parish Church of St Mary, one of the finest Anglo Saxon churches in the country, featuring carved pews made by ship’s carpenters and craftsmen from Whitby’s once booming whaling fleet.

The town is famous for its associations with the Dracula tale – visit the Dracula Experience; its world renowned Jet industry and of course for being the home port of Captain Cook. However, the town now offers a wide range of excellent restaurants and bars, and many quality shops.

The town hosts many annual events and festivals, including the famous Whitby Gothic Weekends. Started in 1994, they have since grown into one of the most popular goth events in the world, attracting the best dressed Goths from across the UK and even around the world. The weekends are held annually around March and November.

The Whitby Regatta is another well attended event, with  three days of racing, and fun and attractions for all the family.  This usually coincides with Whitby Folk Week  – around the end of August –  ensuring the that the town is full to capacity.
Inland from Whitby, the North York Moors National Park is a quiet, unspoilt upland area perfect for walking or touring. Goathland, with its ‘Heartbeat’ connections, is within easy reach, as is Grosmont, where the spectacular North York Moors Steam Railway meets the Esk Valley line. Peaceful moor land and gentle valleys with pretty villages, castles and abbeys in abundance, lead to expanses of glorious countryside associated with James Herriot.

 

Yorkshire Coastal Cottages recommend:

North Yorkshire Moors Railway – magnificent steam engines, beautiful rural stations and smartly uniformed staff

Green’s Restaurant & Bistro – multi award winning restaurant and bistro

Whitby to Scarborough

The coast between Whitby and Scarborough is almost all within the North Yorkshire Moors National Park, the best known of the villages being Robin Hood’s Bay – which has nothing to do with Robin of Sherwood!  The village, due to its inaccessibility was once the haunt of generations of smugglers, with secret passageways connecting many of the houses, but is now a picturesque fishing village with lovely safe beach for the kids, where they can explore the rock pools or hunt for fossils whilst the parents can enjoy refreshment at one of the many tea shops or at The Bay Hotel, which serves fine pub food.

We now have a number of holiday cottages in Robin Hood’s Bay, including the charming Viewley Cottage, Wortley Cottage and Graystones Cottage – all in the centre of Robin Hood’s Bay.

Overlooking the bay is Ravenscar – the town that never was. At the beginning of the twentieth century a Victorian entrepreneur decided that a town should be developed around the village then known as Peak. Roads were built; sewers laid and plots of land sold to the first generation of potential holiday cottage owners. Sadly, the plan failed as the route to the shore is not only precarious but precipitous. The project was abandoned in 1913 with only a handful of houses having been built .Peak was re-named Ravenscar; the wide roads remained and the houses built looking out of place in the middle of the countryside. Foxcliffe Tearooms remains as part of this history, being  part of the old Ravenscar House Hotel – another victim of the failed plan.

Scarborough

Britain’s first seaside resort, has been welcoming visitors for over 360 years and is still as popular as ever.

The resort offers first class attractions such as the award winning Sea Life Marine Sanctuary, Scarborough Open Air Theatre, Scarborough Art Gallery and the refurbished Rotunda Museum, along with many festivals, including Seafest, Jazz, Bike Week, Scarborough Fayre and the Scarborough Cricket Festival, providing you with year round events.

Visit the imposing ruins of Scarborough Castle, guarding both North and South bays, and learn more of its 2500yr history.

By night you will be spoilt for choice with four great theatres, each offering something different. The most famous is the Stephen Joseph Theatre, home of playwright Sir Alan Ayckbourn. Music lovers can visit Scarborough Spa Complex, home of the only remaining seaside orchestra, or Peasholm Park, which offers open air concerts and a variety of family activities.

 

Scarborough boasts many quality restaurants, each serving a variety of fresh local produce. The restaurants cater for all tastes with everything from seafood and a la carte establishments to Italian, Greek, Indian, Chinese and Thai cuisine.

Visit the peaceful North Bay and take a journey beneath the waves to discover the creatures of our seas at Scarborough Sea Life and Marine Sanctuary. Learn more about the work being done to preserve the wildlife habitat and also to protect local marine life. Visit the Seal Rescue Centre and meet some of the rescued seal pups from around the Yorkshire coast…

For the golfer on holiday Scarborough offers two excellent and contrasting courses, imaginatively called North Cliff Golf Club, and South Cliff Golf Club.

Filey

Filey is a quaint Edwardian seaside resort boasting a 5 mile stretch of clean, sandy, award winning beaches. The town retains an elegant feel, full of old world charm with many attractive award winning parks and gardens, and offers many appealing tea rooms and restaurants.

The northern end of the bay is protected by the huge rocky out crop known as Filey Brigg, with it’s fascinating nature trail.  Surfing, fishing, yachting, golf, walking and bird watching are just a few of the activities available in the area.

Filey has a great range of events taking place throughout the year, from summertime brass band concerts to major town festivals. A firm favourite with visitors is the annual Filey Edwardian Festival, a week long look at life in bygone days. Strawberry teas served by ladies in period costume, Punch and Judy shows, barrel organs, brass bands and processions – the summer holidays of your grandparents…