Staithes Holiday Cottage, Staithes, North Yorkshire, The North York Moors, England - Sleeps 6

About Staithes Holiday Cottage

Family, child and baby-friendly character cottage in a lovely location in the heart of Staithes. Perfect for walkers, couples on a romantic break, or for a family seaside holiday. Superb traditional features in this Grade II listed self-catering cottage, including oak beams and woodburning stove, as well as all modern equipment and facilities. Close to beach, shops, real ale pubs and spectacular scenery in this unspoilt, picturesque village. Good value all-inclusive rates.

Staithes is the place for a wonderfully relaxing and restoring holiday or short break. Situated on the North Yorkshire Heritage Coast, this Olde Worlde fishing village, sheltered by its rugged cliffs, retains all its traditional character and its measured pace of life. Take a break, step back in time and enjoy the peace and pleasure of bygone days as you explore the ancient cobbled streets, the secret twisting alleys, traditional shops, old-fashioned pubs, rock pools on the sandy beach and the real fisherman’s harbour. You will hear the ‘call of the sea.’

The cottage is two minute’s walk from:

• the harbour and beaches
• pubs serving excellent food at good value prices
• shops, bistros, cafes, tea rooms, antiques gallery, gift and jewellery shops
• the Captain Cook Museum and Heritage Centre
• Staithes Artists’ Galleries

Walking

There are plenty of great walks in and around Staithes and through the North York Moors National Park. The village is on the Cleveland Way – a walk through beautiful moorland and coastal scenery. There are many other delightful walks both along the coast and also inland through moorland villages. Guided walks are also available.

Fishing

Try your hand at a little sea-fishing. You can fish and use crablines from the harbour, or venture a bit further out for a real sea-fishing boat trip.

The Beach

The sandy beach, sheltered by the main harbour, also contains numerous rockpools with a rich variety of marine life. Children love searching the pools for crabs and other sea creatures.

Fossil-Hunting

This Jurassic “Dinosaur Coast” is famous for its range of fascinating fossils, which are found easily. Look for Ammonites and Dinosaur footprints!

Maritime History

Staithes is famously associated with Captain Cook and his amazing voyages. Learn all about Cook’s adventures, and life in 18th Century Staithes, at the Heritage Centre and Museum in the centre of the village.

Staithes Artists

The village has long had an artist community, attracted by the quality of light in Staithes. You can see examples of their work at the Artists’ Gallery.

Eating and Drinking

Good, really old-fashioned pubs are another delight in Staithes and nearby. Choose from a great selection of real ales at the Royal George or try the freshest of fish at the Cod and Lobster. As well as good traditional pub food you can also eat in the bistros, cafes and tearooms on the seafront or in the village. If you need a takeaway, these can be ordered by phone and will be delivered. The Captain Cook Inn, above the old village, has been included in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide for eleven years. This is a pub where children are welcome and can enjoy the games room. The Inn hosts a Sea Shanty Festival, a traditional jazz festival and a festival of acoustic music.

Days out

Although there’s no shortage of things to do and to see in the village, the surrounding area offers numerous opportunities for some wonderful days out to suit all tastes and all budgets.

Whitby (nine miles)

Whitby is a beautiful seaside town and fishing port offering traditional family seaside pursuits, sea angling and fishing trips, interesting shops (some selling artefacts and jewellery made from Whitby Jet) and lots, lots more. Enjoy the beautiful coastline and golden beaches. Visit the famous ancient abbey on the East cliff top. Or try the Dracula museum. (Whitby was the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s famous novel.) You could also try one of the Whitby Goths Festivals. Whitby also has some great restaurants and, some say, the best fish and chips in the country. Or you could visit the Captain Cook Museum or take an exhilarating trip around town on the “Elizabeth”. This is a steam passenger bus – the only one of its kind in the world.

The Cleveland Way

Short walks or long walks – take your pick. Passing through Staithes, the Cleveland Way offers northern and southern routes along the beautiful clifftops. Try a visit to lovely Runswick Bay (two miles) to see its attractive houses and golden sandy beaches. Or Sandsend (six miles) south of Staithes – a picturesque village with great beaches and breakers attractive to surfers.

The National Park

The North Yorkshire Moors National Park, stretches across five hundred and fifty square miles of unique coastal and moorland scenery from Scarborough, Whitby, Staithes and Saltburn on the coast, to the lovely towns of Helmsley, Thirsk and Pickering further inland. Great choice of activities and places to visit. Walking, cycling, riding, canoeing, castles, stately homes, adventure centres.

The North York Moors Railway (nineteen miles)

Take a step back in time by travelling on a real steam train. See the magnificent engines, experience the lovely rural railway stations and travel through truly beautiful scenery from Grosmont to Pickering. Authentic, preserved engines and wood-panelled carriages. The railway passes through, or close to, a great variety of fascinating villages and towns.

• Goathland is a charming village (otherwise known as ‘Aidensfield’ in the TV programme Heartbeat, and also as ‘Hogsmeade’ from the famous Harry Potter film. At the station there is a tearoom in the style of 1922. Amongst the attractions nearby are: Mallyan Spout waterfall, Wheeldale Valley and the village of Beck Hole.
• Grosmont is a small village in the lovely Esk Valley. Here, the steam railway, with its 1952 recreated railway station and traditional tearoom, forms a junction with the modern rail network. Here you will find the locomotives engine shed where restoration work takes place.
• Beck Hole is a small hamlet where the houses are clustered in a valley around an old ford on Eller Beck, which flows into the river Esk and then into the sea at Whitby. Great village pub!
• Pickering is the main gateway to the North York Moors National Park. It is an attractive market town with a great selection of restaurants, pubs and cafes. You could also try Pickering Market Place for interesting shopping. The 1930s style station here is an ideal starting point for an adventure steam trip across the moors.

Robin Hood's Bay

Five miles South of Whitby, Robin Hood’s Bay is a quaint fishing village. It has loads of interesting shops, art gallery, three traditional pubs and a bistro. Lovely beach, rockpools, fossils. Try the beautiful clifftop walk from here to Whitby.

Scarborough

Golden sandy beaches and traditional seaside fun. Amusement arcades, Scarborough Castle, Sea Life Marine Sanctuary, Open Air Theatre, Art Gallery, parks and gardens, Rotunda Museum, Seafest festival and Scarborough Fayre.

Beaches

Staithes has its own lovely beach, but you can find larger beaches nearby at Runswick Bay, Sandsend (where you can try surfing), Whitby and Scarborough.