Things to Do
The Yorkshire coast
The Moors don't stop at the cliffs, they tumble straight into the North Sea along one of England's most dramatic coastlines. Between Saltburn and Scarborough, this designated Heritage Coast strings together historic harbour towns, red-roofed fishing villages, wide family beaches and cliffs packed with 200-million-year-old fossils. Most of it is within an hour of the southern moors.
Whitby
Whitby is pure atmosphere: a working harbour on the River Esk beneath the clifftop ruins of Whitby Abbey, the gothic silhouette that helped inspire Bram Stoker's Dracula, reached by the famous 199 steps up to St Mary's church. This is Captain Cook's town, where his ships were built; the home of black Whitby jet, of the whalebone arch on the West Cliff, and of some of the best fish and chips in England. Twice a year it fills with the spectacle of the Whitby Goth Weekend, and you can even arrive by steam. Read our full Whitby guide for parking, the 199 steps, the abbey and the harbour.
Scarborough
Britain's original seaside resort, a spa town since the 1660s, spreads across two great sandy bays split by a headland crowned with Scarborough Castle. Expect classic seaside on the South Bay, the quieter Blue Flag beach of the North Bay, the elegant Spa, Peasholm Park's boating lake and famous naval re-enactments, the Rotunda geology museum, and big-name concerts at the Open Air Theatre. An easy, full family day out.
Robin Hood's Bay
Tumbling down a ravine in a maze of cobbled alleys and red-tiled cottages, "Bay Town" is the coast's most photogenic village, and once its most notorious, a hotbed of smuggling riddled with secret passageways. Explore the shops and pubs, rock-pool at low tide, hunt fossils on the scars, and walk a mile south to Boggle Hole, a National Trust cove named for the goblins ("boggles") of local legend. It's the finish of Wainwright's Coast to Coast, but mind the tide, which floods right up to the village. Read our full Robin Hood's Bay guide for parking at the top, walking the bank, tide times and the pubs. Making a few days of it? See where to stay.
Staithes
One of the coast's loveliest villages: whitewashed, red-roofed cottages spilling down steep banks to a harbour wedged between towering cliffs. Once a busy fishing port, and where a young James Cook first worked before Whitby, Staithes now has a thriving artists' colony and a September arts festival. Superb for clifftop walks and fossils.
Runswick Bay & Sandsend
Just south, Runswick Bay clings to the cliffs. A sweep of red-roofed cottages, colourful boats and golden sand, its Jurassic shales rich in fossils and its pace utterly unhurried. A little nearer Whitby, Sandsend offers a long family beach loved by surfers and rock-poolers, with a couple of good pubs; at low tide you can walk the sands all the way to Whitby. For parking, tides, facilities and the seasonal dog rules on each of them, see our guide to the beaches.
Ravenscar, the town that never was
High on the cliffs between Whitby and Scarborough, Ravenscar was meant to become a resort to rival them both, until the developers went bust, leaving a wild, empty headland now in the care of the National Trust. Come for tremendous views, moorland and clifftop walks, a resident grey-seal colony (watch from a distance), and the Coastal Centre with its tearoom. Both the Cleveland Way and the Cinder Track pass through.
Fossils & the Dinosaur Coast
This stretch is world-class Jurassic geology, the "Dinosaur Coast," where you can find ammonites, belemnites, "devil's toenails" and even dinosaur footprints in the stone. Runswick Bay, Port Mulgrave, Saltwick Bay, Ravenscar and Robin Hood's Bay are all hotspots, and the safest hunting is on the foreshore once the tide has gone out. Look and photograph rather than hammering the cliffs, and always check the tide first. The Old Coastguard Station at Robin Hood's Bay (National Trust) hands out family fossil-tracker packs.
Getting around the coast
Two great traffic-free routes link it all: the 21-mile Cinder Track along the old Scarborough–Whitby railway, and the Cleveland Way clifftop trail. By car, the A171 and A169 connect the coast to the moors; steep, narrow lanes drop into villages like Staithes and Robin Hood's Bay, so park at the top and walk down. Our Coast & the Bay drive strings the highlights into one grand tour.
Opening times, tides, timetables and event dates all change, so check the official site before you set off. To make the most of it, base yourself within an hour of the sea: see where to stay.