
Sidenote: In England, what is summer actually??? I’ve been here since mid-June and it’s rare that it’s over 70 F LOL. #summerinengland
Well, I’ve got ya covered, babe (or dude or unicorn or whatever ya identify as)!
After spending all of July in northern England, I’m convinced that this region has some of the most beautiful seaside towns in the UK!


**Be aware that the weather in each of these small coastal towns can be foggy and cold, even during summer! So bring all your layers and probably a raincoat because it will most likely rain at least once during your visit even if the forecast says it won’t. #whatisthismadness



But without further ado, here’s what I deem the top Yorkshire coastal towns to visit:
SALTBURN-BY-THE-SEA

BEST THINGS TO DO IN SALTBURN-BY-THE-SEA:
- Ride the Saltburn Cliff Tramway because it’s super cool and super old (and only £1.10 each way)
- Skip along the Saltburn Pier because it’s England’s northernmost pier (!!!!!!!)
- Play games at the Pier Amusements, an amusement arcade
- Stare at the ocean of course (Although it was never really warm enough for me to actually swim in it LOL)
- Walk through the Saltburn Woods on the Cleveland Way; you can stop by the Saltburn Valley Gardens and see a miniature railway, tea room, and more!
- Eat at a restaurant with #views (I ate at The Spa Hotel which was delish, but The Seaview Restaurant also looked nice and overlooked the beach)
- Amble along the cliffs to get your sweat on (although it’s usually so windy your sweat will be pretty much nonexistant)


I spent the most time here – a little over a month! I was actually staying in the next town over, Skelton-in-Cleveland, but Saltburn was just a 15 minute bus ride or 40 minute walk away (and let’s be honest, my lazy ass took the bus more often than not LOL.)
STAITHES

BEST THINGS TO DO IN STAITHES:
- Wander the narrow streets
- Traipse up the road for a view (head down into town, walk across the bridge, then up the road on the other side)
- Hike along the cliffs and the Cleveland Way for more views
- Hang out at the beach and get your tan on (weather permitting LOL)
- Pop in the shops – lots of artist and craft shops here
I literally just went to Staithes for a couple hours – you don’t need a TON of time there as it’s a pretty small village, but it’s 10000% still worth a stop because it is SO FREAKING CUTE.
My favorite parts, of course, were the amazing views and narrow streets. I’d also recommend you spend time at the beach and walk along the cliffs above the town. There are also a ton of village stores to wander through, restaurants, and teahouses (of course – Dotty’s Vintage Tearoom seems to be the popular choice, but it was unfortunately closed the day I visited.)



So if you stay IN the town, you should be fine if birds aren’t your thing (although I got to see their chicks in the nest and it was SO FREAKING CUTE.)
WHITBY

BEST THINGS TO DO IN WHITBY:
- Saunter up the 199 Steps to St. Mary’s Church and Whitby Abbey
- Stroll over to the West Cliffs for a view
- Eat Lemon Top ice cream!
- Check out one of the many museums
- See the North Yorkshire Moors Railway’s old steam trains


And it’s easy to see why – the town definitely has that whole creepy vampire vibe going on. Like if The Drac himself popped out while I was walking down the street I wouldn’t have batted (this one wasn’t even on purpose) an eye.

You do have to pay to go inside the Abbey, but you can find the view in the photo above for free! You’ll find it in the garden of the YHA Abbey Hostel nearby.

The church seems to be open at varied times (although 10AM-4PM seems to be the general consensus), so you may want to check this website or call them before visiting if you want to go inside. However, you can walk around outside of it at any time!



ROBIN HOOD’S BAY

BEST THINGS TO DO IN ROBIN HOOD’S BAY:
- Look for fossils on the beach (although I actually found one in Saltburn!)
- Meander through the picture perfect streets
- Eat ice cream on the beach (!!!)
- Walk along the Cleveland Way
- Visit the Old Coastguard Station for some history (£1 entry fee) or the Robin Hood’s Bay Museum for more history, with a focus on smugglers (free, but donations encouraged)
- Go tide pooling during low tide (although be careful – the tide comes in quick, like within 2 hours, so be aware!)

First of all, it’s a GREAT place to find fossils due to the differing layers in the rock.
Second of all, IT IS SO PRETTY AND HAS AMAZING VIEWS.

Fourth of all, this village was (maybe still is????) a smuggler’s haven back in the day. Due to the narrow, winding streets, isolation of the town surrounded by marshland, and hidden compartments in houses Robin Hood’s Bay became a smuggler’s paradise during the 18th century.
It’s said that an object could start at the bottom of the town and travel all the way through without seeing any daylight! You can read more here and here.

I went to a couple museums, and they were okkkkk, but what I enjoyed the most was walking along the beach, the walk along the Cleveland Way (I wish I’d gotten to do the whole thing, but I didn’t have time) for fantastic views – especially since you pass through a town called “Boggle Hole” and that’s worth it enough in my book.

So you’re basically bound to encounter something exciting in Robin Hood’s Bay, whether it’s a fossil, boggle, or smuggler!
SCARBOROUGH

TO DO LIST:
- Explore the Scarborough Castle
- Ride them rides, bb!!!
- Chill at the beach
- Peek into St. Mary’s Church
- Ride one of Scarborough’s two currently operating funiculars, the Central Tramway or the South Cliff Lift




Scarborough is just an all-around super cute town. Plus it’s in that super famous song, Scarborough Fair. And any town that has a song named after it is worth visiting, in my opinion.
HOW TO GET TO YORKSHIRE’S SMALL COASTAL TOWNS

If you’re feeling REAL feisty, you can actually WALK between all of these seaside towns along the Cleveland Way. It’s about 40 miles (or 64 kilometers) but I believe in you!!
If a long walk isn’t your style, you’ve got some other options: you CAN take the train, but I’d highly recommend the bus as it’s way cheaper. The trains don’t go to Staithes or Robin Hood’s Bay either, so you’d only be able to hit Saltburn-by-the-Sea, Whitby, and Scarborough going this route. And you want to see ALL of them, don’t you??? (Answer: YES, yes you do.)

I pretty much just used Google Maps for everything and didn’t have any issues, but you can also use the Arriva Bus Journey Planner online!
The bus system is pretty easy to navigate, the drivers carry change, and they take contactless card and cash. Simply just tell the bus driver where you need to go, and they will tell you the cost. You can purchase a one-way ticket, round-trip ticket, or a day pass for a certain region either online beforehand or directly on the bus (I just made all my purchases directly on the bus as it was easier.)

Be early, though, as I’ve had numerous occasions where the drivers showed up (and then promptly left) a minute or two before the scheduled time.

So I showed up to yoga 10 minutes after class started, sweating, with no mat (I’d borrowed one last time from the instructor), breathing like a train wreck and trying to sneak in as quietly as possible.
You can imagine how well that went.

Plus, I love the English coast and am already plotting my return…
LOVE IT? PIN IT!

All these towns are so charming and what a gorgeous coastline too! That’s so interesting on the difference between a town and village, I never knew that!
Yes it’s such a pretty part of the world (at least I think so haha.) And I know! I always just used to say them interchangeably haha
This coast reminds me a bit of Dorset, it is really lovely! I really need to explore my home country way more! Thanks for sharing!
I’ve heard so many good things about Dorset! And yes, there’s SO MUCH of England to explore (especially if you have a car – need to rent one next time). Wish I was staying longer!
These towns are all beautiful! I love England but haven’t been to Yorkshire yet. I hope to return soon!
I hope you get to – Yorkshire is the best! In my totally unbiased opinion of course 😉
This is part of the world I definitely want to see. My hubby spent some time here in his youth adult life and has very fond memories!
Oh wow that’s so cool! Yes haha I think I’ll always have a place in my heart for Yorkshire since it was the first place I went when I first left the US!
Wow, these towns all look so charming! I haven’t traveled too much in the UK, mostly just the typical big cities, but it can be so wonderful to get out of the cities and into more quaint towns. Especially with those sea views… love it. Thanks for all of this info, will have to keep in mind for the next time I’m in England 🙂
Yes I’m such a quaint town lover haha! Like I’m the person that would rather spend a day in the city and then 3 days in the small town where there’s absolutely nothing to do LOL. And yes, sea views are so soothing.
Thanks for reading! 🙂
Anne Bronte died in Scarborough, so that’s reason to visit!
Haha yes, this is very true! The other cool things to do are just a bonus 😉
Hey Kersey, I’m sat in my camper van in Boggle hole and came across your review. Many thanks. I went to Scarborough and whitby yesterday and would agree they are great places to visit. I’m a little concerned by the extremely steep roads out and pray it doesn’t rain before I leave. Many thanks again.
I’m happy you’re enjoying it there! 🙂 Such a lovely area to visit. And yes, some are quite steep! I took the bus so I didn’t have to deal with driving there, but I hope the weather holds out for you. Thanks for commenting, and enjoy the rest of your time there!
Kelsey, my phone auto ‘corrected’ your name to Kersey for some reason!? My apologies for not noticing before I posted.
No worries at all 🙂
Hi, I’m from quite near to the area and we love it. It’s a great set of reviews you posted as well. Staithes is my absolute favourite place, but Robin Hood’s Bay comes close. The two of them have their own magic!
I’m glad you visited our part of the world 🙂
It really is such a great region! And yes they’re both such pretty places – I’d happily visit again. 🙂