Road trip along the coast of the North York Moors (Route 1)
The North York Moors offer everything you could want from a holiday: great sandy beaches, old fishing villages, an abundance of nature, history and of course good food.
We present two car routes, each of which is suitable for an extended weekend with three or four nights. One leads along the coast, the other through the interior. Of course, both routes can also be linked together.
Our Route 1 starts in Hull, which also has direct links to Rotterdam, in the Netherlands, by ferry.
Day 1: Arrival in Hull
In Kingston upon Hull, or Hull for short, on the first day, you won’t have a lack of choice as to how to spend it. The medieval port city with around 260,000 inhabitants has a lot to offer. The Deep aquarium is architecturally spectacular, and the Maritime Museum and Streetlife Museum are worth a visit. A stroll through the old town centre with its historic buildings such as Hull Minster or Trinity House is also worthwhile. At Hotham’s Gin School & Distillery you can take a gin class, Ferens Art Gallery or Humber Street Gallery offer art and the Paragon Arcade with its owner-managed shops is particularly nice for shopping. You will have no trouble at all finding a cosy place to eat and drink in the old town: Lion & Key, for example, or Humber Fish Co, a first-class fish restaurant on the harbour.
Attractions and Sights in the North York Moors
Day 2: Hull to Scarborough
Today we continue towards North York Moors. On the way to Scarborough (around 70 kilometres and an hour’s drive), a stop at the Flamborough Outer Headland Nature Reserve is worthwhile. The steep, white cliffs of this chalky headland are up to 120 metres high. Don’t miss the sea views at Bempton, home to around half a million seabirds, including a rare gannet colony. Another highlight are the two lighthouses, the oldest of which dates back to 1806.
Continue to Scarborough, considered the world’s first seaside resort. A headland separates Scarborough in North Bay and South Bay. The bright sandy beach of the South Bay is sheltered, sun-drenched and the city centre is not far away. The North Bay beach is a bit quieter, has wonderfully clean water and also offers a fine sandy beach, alongside surfing or stand-up paddleboarding courses.
The market, which is sung about in the old folk song “Scarborough Fair” (and which was also covered by Simon & Garfunkel), can no longer be found, but there is the South Bay indoor market with many regional specialties.
The old harbour and the imposing Castle Headland are impressive, even if only ruins of the once mighty fortress remain today. It used to have to withstand attacks from Vikings or Tudor rebels. The paths around Scarborough Castle, perched high on the cliffs, offer panoramic views of the coastline as you walk through medieval ruins.
The Scarborough Maritime Heritage Centre
The Scarborough Maritime Heritage Centre is dedicated to the city’s maritime past and features exhibitions and interactive displays.
Accommodation in Scarborough
Wrea Head Hall
The Wrea Head Hall is a luxurious country house hotel with 32 elegantly furnished rooms.
Wellspring Farm Cottages
Vale Cottage Wellspring Farm offers three cottages on a large farm located near Dalby Forest and Scarborough.
Bike & Boot
Bike & Boot is a modern hotel that also welcomes surfers and cyclists.
Day 3: From Scarborough to Saltburn
Although the distance from Scarborough to Saltburn is only about 75 kilometres, you shouldn’t drive it all in one day, but rather make at least one overnight stop to enjoy the beautiful North Sea coast of North York Moors.
From Scarborough, continue north. In Cloughton, it’s worth making a detour (towards Ravenscar) to the Hayburn Wyke waterfalls, which can be reached via the coastal path through the forest. The two waterfalls plunge down from the forest on top of the pebble beach, a great natural spectacle. Visitors can bathe in the refreshing water, explore the caves and rock pools, or enjoy the tranquillity and relaxation. By the way: the Hayburn Wyke beach between the villages of Cloughton and Scalby is also beautiful.
The next stop on the route is Ravenscar, which has an industrial past with its old alum plants. Remains of quarries, slate heaps and factory buildings bear witness to this to this day. Be sure to explore the remains of the World War II radar station, which was part of a coastal defence system built in 1941.
If there is still time for a longer walk or a short hike: Fylingdales Moor, north of Ravenscar, is a nature reserve. This is a haven for wildlife, especially birds of prey such as the merlin, Britain’s smallest bird of prey, and is also home to Bronze Age archaeological remains.
From Ravenscar it is only about 20 minutes by car to Robin Hood’s Bay. The fishing and smuggling village on the edge of the North York Moors National Park has a turbulent past. In the 18th century, it was a perfect place for smuggling: the port was isolated, protected and bordered on three sides by marshland. Most likely, a large part of the population, whether fishermen, farmers, clergy or nobles, was involved in some form of smuggling of silk and other goods. Each house had secret hiding places and tunnels that connected apartments. You can learn more about the history of the village and what Robin Hood’s Bay has to do with Robin Hood at the Robin Hood’s Bay Museum. (Note that cars are not allowed in the lower, old part of the village and the path down from the upper part of the village is quite steep.)
Continue north to Whitby, a picturesque harbour town. Picturesque yet bustling, the harbour is home to carousels and casinos, and there’s almost always something happening on High Street. The medieval Whitby Abbey and St. Mary’s Church are both impressive. The scenery was just as beautiful when Bram Stoker came to Whitby in 1890 for a holiday. The city inspired him to write “Dracula”. In Whitby, he let the world-famous vampire jump ashore as a dog and run up the 199 steps to the abbey. Visitors can still do that today. From the top, you have a beautiful view of the city, which whaling once made prosperous.
If you’re into spooky things, then don’t forget to take in the Dracula Experience!
A museum in Whitby also commemorates the seafarer James Cook, who was apprenticed here. The Endeavour was also built in Whitby in 1764, the ship with which Cook undertook his first expedition. For several years, a replica, the HM Bark Endeavour, has been located as a museum in the port of Whitby and can be visited.
Accommodation in Whitby
The Inn on the Moor Hotel
The Inn on the Moor hotel has an open fireplace and home-baked specialities (among other things), located in the village of Goathland.
The Stables
A former 17th century farmhouse, The Stables is now a charming country hotel.
Summerfield Farm
Summerfield Farm offers three barrier-free cottages and an eleven-metre barrier-free cottage overlooking Whitby Abbey.
Day 4: Whitby to Saltburn-by-the-Sea
Just a little north of Whitby is Sandsend. The local beach is famous for fossils being found here on a regular basis. Why not start the day with a walk on the beach while keeping your eyes open?
Archaeologists and palaeontologists from all over the world regularly come here, and in addition to fossils, historical artifacts have also been found here. If you don’t want to go off on your own, you can also join a guided tour with professionals from Yorkshire Coast Rocks.
Winding cobblestone streets, charming 18th-century cottages: the seaside village of Staithes is definitely worth a visit. The name Staithes goes back to the Vikings and means “landing place”. This means that the Vikings probably already landed here with their ships to make raids. Later, Staithes was one of the largest fishing ports in the northeast, today it is quieter here. The young James Cook was apprenticed to William Sandersons in Staithes, and a plaque still remembers him today.
From Staithes, it’s 16-kilometre trip to the coastal town of Saltburn-by-the-Sea, which exudes a lot of Victorian charm. The Saltburn Cliff Tramway is the oldest water-guided funicular in the UK and the second oldest in the world. Visitors can still use it to travel to the beach. The pier is also worth a visit. It was opened in 1869 and is over 200 metres long. It’s the last remaining pier in Yorkshire. Surfing and stand-up paddling classes are offered on Saltburn’s sandy beach.