22 Nov 2022
On Being Pleasantly Surprised By The Yorkshire Coast
Reader: I was wrong.
We ended up heading up that way because my aunt has recently finished renovating a (now) beautiful house in Scarborough and we went to see family and have a week by the sea. We had such a good time that we stayed an extra night.
Sure, Scarborough does have bits that are exactly like I imagined. There’s a whole section of loud arcades, cheap donuts and donkey beach rides (and none of this in a cute ‘vintage’ way in my opinion) but if this isn’t your cup of tea, it can easily be avoided and instead you can find yourself walking along spectacular wild coastline, looking around a church decorated by William Morris, visiting Anne Brontë’s grave and eating in cute brunch spots.
A little down the road is Robin Hood’s Bay, a gorgeous smuggler’s village, set in the hill with a beautiful bay and photogenic little alleys. If you weren’t accompanied by a 9 month old, you could easily spend a lovely, slow day (or week) here, hopping between the sprawling, rocky bay, seaside pub, cute gift and chocolate shops and cosy little restaurants. As a tourist destination, there's not a lot to do but if you wanted to hide away from the world a while, it would be a great place to do so.
And then just a little more down the coastline is Whitby, perhaps the place that surprised me the most. With the gothic abbey on top of the cliff, sweeping beach, cobbled streets and stunning views at every turn, it was a million miles away from the unloved seaside town I'd been made to believe it could be.
My recommendations:
Scarborough - head to The Hideout for tasty brunch and quirky decor and to The Clock Cafe for cheap food and the best views of Scarborough.
Robin Hood's Bay - find the ice cream van on the beach, check out The Higgledy Pig for craft beer, local gin and eco-friendly candles that smell delightful.
Whitby - oh too many! Check out my blog post here for all my Whitby recommendations.
24 Oct 2022
How To Spend A Day In Whitby, Yorkshire
We were holidaying along the Yorkshire coast and headed to Whitby for a day out, and from the moment we arrived to the moment we left, it was all glorious.
Start in Sandsend for lunch - Sandsend is a small fishing village about a mile from Whitby and it is very beautiful. There is a cafe on the edge, overlooking the beach, with panoramic views from the terrace. The food is relatively basic but on a sunny day, it was a particularly gorgeous spot.
Walk along the spectacular beach to Whitby itself - a bit of a stomp, but it was totally worth it. You can walk the entire length of the sprawling beach, past pretty multi-coloured beach huts with the lighthouse and the abbey drawing closer and closer. The views on that beach are just gorgeous. Eventually, we turned a corner and Whitby revealed herself, nestled into the valley and looking every inch the kind of place a gothic novel would be set.
Stop at Sanders Yard for delicious tart - my aunt recommended this place in the old town for coffee and cake as it was slightly off the tourist track. And what a recommendation! Tucked down a little cobbled lane, with fairylights strewn above pretty tables, this place does an incredible range of delicious tarts - treacle & orange, curd, Mississippi mud pie, white chocolate, peanut butter, crunchie baked cheesecake… to name a few! The treacle & orange was the kind of food that you still remember months down the line, and we had a very pleasant time sitting in that little spot munching on pie.
Have a little nose around the old town - cobbled streets, cute shop, ye olde pubs. What’s not to like? If you’re a book lover, check out The Whitby Bookshop which is very cute with a big curving staircase, pretty decorations and about a hundred different editions of Dracula.
Climb the famous 199 steps to the abbey - because have you even been to Whitby if you've not climbed the steps?! Also, the views are spectacular so it's a must. You do have to pay to go into the abbey but if you don't want to (like us), you still get a good view of it from close up once you're up there.
Have a drink at Whitby Brewery - a tour bus drew up to the abbey with an advert for Whitby brewery on it and before anyone could say 'beer', my husband (with baby attached) and step-dad were hot-footing it off into the distance. So what choice did my mum and I have but to follow? Set in the shadow of the abbey with a very nice local gin on offer (if you're not a beer drinker), this is an excellent spot for a drink in the sunshine and I would highly recommend.
Walk along the East Pier - back at sea level, we walked along the east pier to check out the lighthouse and the views of Whitby. Admittedly, bits of this did feel a tad precarious - a bridge that creaked ominously and boardwalk that felt very, ahem, hole-y - but when I was on the more solid stone section, I loved the sweeping views.
Get fish & chips from The Magpie - another recommendation from my aunt. Pricey but delicious fish and chips that we ate on a bench on the west pier as the sun began to cast a golden glow across the town.
Walk back along the coast - don't forget to duck through the famous whalebone arch on your way out of town as you walk back to the car along the seafront. If you're lucky like we were, you'll be treated to the most gorgeous sunset over the dramatic coastline. I cannot tell you how beautiful it was.
Whitby, you were the most pleasant surprise.
Hey there!
