Saltburn-by-the-Sea

Where it is, and getting there

Saltburn stands on the cliff at the northern end of the Yorkshire coast, in Redcar and Cleveland, just outside the national park boundary but firmly part of any moors trip: the Cleveland Way reaches the sea here after fifty miles of moorland, and turns south for Staithes and Whitby.

There is a railway station in the centre of town, five minutes from the clifftop, with services from Middlesbrough and Darlington. By car it is off the A174, about half an hour from Middlesbrough and an hour and a quarter from York. Clifftop and seafront car parks are pay-and-display and fill on warm weekends.

The cliff lift

Saltburn's cliff lift opened on 28 June 1884 and is the oldest surviving water-balanced cliff lift in Britain. Two cars on parallel tracks are joined by a cable; water is run into a tank beneath the upper car until it outweighs the lower one, and gravity does the rest. It climbs about 200 feet in a few sedate seconds, in varnished wood and stained glass, and it is worth the fare for the mechanism alone.

It runs seasonally and closes for maintenance and bad weather, check before you plan a day around it. The stepped path and the road down are the alternatives, and both are a good deal less romantic.

The pier and the beach

The pier of 1869 is the only surviving pleasure pier on the Yorkshire coast, much shortened by a century and a half of storms but still running out over the water. Below it, a broad sandy beach stretches north towards Redcar, and this is the north-east's surf capital: schools, hire, a year-round crowd in neoprene and a break that works on most swells.

Cold water, no permanent lifeguards outside organised sessions and rips near the pier structure mean a lesson is the sensible way in. Families get firm sand, rock pools at the Huntcliff end and one of the better beach-day options within reach of the moors, see our guide with kids.

Valley Gardens and the town

Behind the seafront the wooded Valley Gardens run inland along Skelton Beck, with the miniature railway operating in season, an Italian Gardens and paths under the great Victorian rail viaduct. The town above is a piece of planned Victorian ambition, the Jewel Streets, laid out by the Quaker ironmaster Henry Pease from 1861, named for precious stones, and the independent shops along Milton Street and Station Square are better than most seaside high streets manage.

Walks from Saltburn

Huntcliff and Skinningrove (about 5 miles). South on the Cleveland Way over Huntcliff, past the site of a Roman signal station, dropping to the old ironstone village of Skinningrove and its mining museum. Big cliffs, big views.

Boulby (about 9 miles). Further south to the highest cliffs on England's east coast, with the bus back from Staithes. A serious and spectacular day.

Valley Gardens and Rushpool (about 3 miles). Inland along the beck through the woods and back on the clifftop. Easy, sheltered and good in poor weather. More routes in our walks section.

Saltburn FAQs

Is Saltburn in the North York Moors National Park?

Not quite. Saltburn sits just outside the northern boundary, in Redcar and Cleveland, but it is the northern end of the Cleveland Way and the gateway to the park's coastal half. Skelton, Brotton and the Boulby cliffs south of town take you straight into it.

What is Saltburn's cliff lift?

A Victorian funicular linking the town on the clifftop to the pier and beach below. Opened on 28 June 1884, it works on the water-balance principle. Water is pumped into a tank under the upper car until it outweighs the lower one, and it is the oldest surviving water-balanced cliff lift in Britain. It runs seasonally; check before relying on it.

Is Saltburn good for surfing?

It is the best-known surf beach in the north-east, with a consistent beach break, surf schools and hire on the seafront, and a community of year-round surfers. The water is cold in every month, there is no permanent lifeguard cover outside organised sessions, and rips run near the pier. Take a lesson if you are new.

Where do you park in Saltburn?

There is pay-and-display parking on the clifftop near the lift and the Valley Gardens, and a seafront car park by the pier that fills first on warm days. The town has a railway station a few minutes' walk from the centre, which is much the easier arrival in summer.

What is there to do in Saltburn besides the beach?

Walk the pier, the last surviving pleasure pier on the Yorkshire coast. Ride the cliff lift, follow the wooded Valley Gardens inland, take the miniature railway in season, browse the independent shops on Milton Street, and walk south on the Cleveland Way towards Skinningrove and the Boulby cliffs.