The North York Moors are a captivating landscape of breath-taking beauty and untamed wilderness. Nestled in the heart of North Yorkshire, this stunning national park offers a haven for nature enthusiasts, outdoor adventurers, or just day trippers seeking some quiet time in a beautiful location.
The North York Moors coastline is 26 miles of dramatic landscapes, towering cliffs, secluded villages, beautiful wildlife, picturesque fishing harbours and sweeping sandy beaches. Backed by vast swathes of heather moorland, the coast offers a surprise around every corner, from ancient abbeys and smugglers boltholes to the majestic whales and dolphins that grace our shoreline. All the while being home to the unforgettable Cleveland Way National Trail that hugs the cliffs and takes you on a journey along this awe-inspiring landscape.
Whitby is one of the most famous and popular seaside towns in Yorkshire. Made famous by Bram Stoker in his famous book Dracula who described it as below:
“This is a lovely place. The little River Esk runs through a deep valley which broadens out as it comes near the harbour… The houses of the old town are all red-roofed and seem piled up one after the other anyhow…Right over the town is the ruin of the Abbey, a noble ruin of immense size. Between it and the town is another church, the Parish one, round which is a big graveyard, all full of tombstones.”
Whitby’s earliest record of a permanent settlement is in 656 AD, when Oswy, the Christian king of Northumbria, founded the first abbey under the access Hilda. Unfortunately for Whitby it was in the firing line of marauding Vikings between 867 and 870, and the settlement was left desolate for 200 years until after the Norman Conquest of 1066. In 1078 AD another monastery was founded, and Whitby gained its current name, from “white settlement” in Old Norse. This monastery lasted until 1539 when Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries. At this time Whitby had between 20 and 30 houses and population of about 200.
Over the following years and centuries the town grew in size on the back of fishing, shipbuilding, whaling, trading in locally mined alum and the manufacture of Whitby jewellery. One of Whitby’s most famous residents was Captain James Cook who served his apprenticeship in the town. Tourism started in the Georgian period, and Whitby continues to be a strong magnet for visitors to this day due to its picturesque harbour, stunning cliff-top views, historic abbey ruins and beautiful beaches, surrounded by the attractions of the North York Moors national park.
6 miles south of Whitby lies one of Yorkshire’s small jewels, Robin Hood’s Bay. Robin Hood’s Bay is a pretty village meets incredible beach, set in a sheltered bay on the beautiful Yorkshire Coast. With its narrow cobbled streets, quaint cottages, and stunning sea views, Robin Hood’s Bay is the perfect place to escape the hustle and bustle of everyday life.
The true origin of the village’s name is lost in the mists of time, as there are no contemporary records of Robin Hood living in the vicinity, but in the period 1324–1346 there was an early reference to Robin Hood’s Bay when Louis I, Count of Flanders, wrote a letter to King Edward III in which he complained that Flemish fishermen together with their boats and catches were taken by force to “Robyn Oeds Bay.”
The village has a rich maritime heritage, with a history of fishing, smuggling, and shipbuilding, and was a more important port than Whitby in the 16th century. During the late 18th century smuggling was rife on the Yorkshire coast, and there is reputed to be a network of subterranean passageways in the village linking the houses. In 1773 two excise cutters, the Mermaid and the Eagle, were outgunned and chased out of the bay by three smuggling vessels, a schooner and two shallops. A pitched battle between smugglers and excise men took place in the dock over 200 casks of brandy and geneva (gin) and 15 bags of tea in 1779.
The main legitimate activity had always been fishing, but this started to decline in the late 19th century and these days most of the income comes from tourism. Robin Hood’s Bay is also known for the large number of fossils which may be found on its beach. The foreshore rocks on the north side of the bay, in particular, are a well known location for finding ammonites, especially after winter storms.