Where to stay in Staithes: holiday cottages, inns and practical tips

Which part of Staithes to stay in

Staithes falls into two quite different halves. The old village sits at the bottom, packed around the harbour on Staithes Beck, with cottages built close on top of one another and narrow snickets such as Gun Gutter, Slippery Hill and Dog Loup, which the National Park describes as the narrowest street in the North of England at 45 cm wide. There is no access by car down into the old village, so anything you stay in down here is reached on foot.

High Street runs along the beck to the harbour, and staying on or just off it puts you closest to the water, the museum, the pubs and the galleries. The Cleveland Way runs along the clifftops from the village for about a mile to Port Mulgrave and on to Runswick Bay, so walkers can start from the door.

Across the beck lies Cowbar, the cluster of houses on Cowbar Bank below the headland of Cowbar Nab. It looks back across the harbour to the main village and is reached over the footbridge.

The top of the village, around Bank Top car park and Staithes Lane, is the newer part. Staithes Lane runs from Bank Top down towards the beck, and several of the B&Bs and the Captain Cook Inn are up here. You lose the harbour outlook, but you gain easier parking and the bus stops on the coast road, with the harbour a downhill walk away.

Kinds of accommodation in Staithes

Most Staithes accommodation is self catering: fishermen's cottages in the old village and a smaller number of houses and lodges at the top. Staithes holiday lets are offered both by individual owners with their own websites and by national letting agencies.

There are also bed and breakfasts on Staithes Lane, a restaurant with rooms on the High Street and inns with rooms, including the Royal George on the High Street and the Captain Cook Inn at the top of the village. Cottages to let in Staithes are limited in number, so many visitors also look at Whitby, Runswick Bay, Sandsend or the Esk Valley villages and come into Staithes for the day.

Holiday cottages in Staithes: what to check before you book

Parking is the first question for any of the Staithes cottages in the old village. Visitors cannot drive down to the harbour, and there is no visitor parking in the lower part of the village, so check whether a cottage comes with a parking space or a permit for the top car park, and how far it is from the car to the door. Bank Top car park on Staithes Lane (TS13 5AD) is pay and display, and North Yorkshire Council sells a Bank Top summer permit for 1 March to 31 October; some cottage owners include a permit with the stay, so ask.

Luggage is the second. The walk back up from the harbour is steep, the lanes are narrow and many cottages have steps to the door. Pack in bags you can carry rather than large wheeled cases, and ask the owner about steps and stairs inside if anyone in your group is less mobile. There are no accessible parking spaces within the old village.

Some Staithes holiday cottages and lodges accept dogs and others do not, so check each listing and ask how many dogs are allowed. Many cottages in the old village look over the harbour or the beck; ask whether a particular cottage has a sea view rather than assuming it.

If you plan to walk on the beach or along the shore towards Port Mulgrave, check the tide times first. Cottages close to the pubs on the High Street can be livelier on summer evenings and festival weekends than those further from the harbour.

When to book

Staithes Festival of Arts and Heritage takes over the village each September; in 2026 the preview evening was Friday 11 September, and the 2027 dates had not been published when this page was checked. Lifeboat Weekend, in August, is another busy weekend. Both, along with the school summer holidays, are when Staithes cottages are hardest to find, so book early if you want those dates.

During the festival, the organisers use a field at the end of Cowbar Lane for parking and run a free weekend shuttle to the top of the village, and they ask visitors not to drive down Staithes Bank. If you are staying in the village that weekend, ask your host how arrival and parking will work.

Staying in Staithes without a car

Arriva's X4 and X4A buses run along the coast road between Whitby, Saltburn and Middlesbrough and stop near Bank Top. There is no railway station in Staithes; the nearest are Whitby and Saltburn. With the bus and the Cleveland Way you can walk to Runswick Bay or Saltburn and ride back. See our page on getting around without a car before you travel, and check the operator's timetable for the season.

Places to stay in Staithes: what each publishes

• The Captain Cook Inn

  Type:

  Inn with B&B rooms (9 en suite rooms)

  Where:

  60 Staithes Lane, top of the village

  Sleeps:

  6 double rooms and 3 family rooms

  Dogs:

  Allowed in a couple of rooms; check before booking

  Parking:

  Not published on the accommodation page

  Booking:

  Phone, email or online booking on its website

  Checked:

  October 2026

• Roraima House

  Type:

  Bed and breakfast with a self catering option

  Where:

  40 Staithes Lane, top end of the village

  Sleeps:

  4 rooms

  Dogs:

  No pets

  Parking:

  Free parking at the rear of the house

  Booking:

  Phone or email via its website

  Checked:

  October 2026

• Keel Lodges and letting rooms

  Type:

  4 self catering lodges, plus 5 en suite B&B rooms

  Where:

  Staithes, with views over the Boulby cliffs (street address not published)

  Sleeps:

  Lodges sleep 2 to 12

  Dogs:

  Well behaved pets allowed in the lodges

  Parking:

  Free on site parking

  Booking:

  By phone (numbers on its website)

  Checked:

  October 2026

• Ardbank Cottage

  Type:

  Self catering cottage (3 bedrooms)

  Where:

  Close to the old village (street address not published)

  Sleeps:

  Not published

  Dogs:

  Described as dog friendly; no details published

  Parking:

  One on site space plus a Bank Top car park permit

  Booking:

  Enquiry form on its website

  Checked:

  October 2026

Details are what each business publishes on its own website, checked October 2026. We have no connection with any of them and receive nothing for listing them.

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