Runswick Bay is a perfect crescent of sand and rock pools protected from the north by the headland, with the old fishing village clinging to the cliff at one end. It is a family beach: gently shelving, sheltered, with rock pools full of crabs at low tide and fossils (and occasionally jet) along the tideline towards Kettleness. Dogs are allowed all year.
The village itself is all steep alleys, cottages and gardens, with a pub, a café and a thatched former coastguard cottage. The Cleveland Way runs along the shore to Kettleness and on to Sandsend, one of the best stretches of the coastal path.
Getting there
Off the A174 between Whitby and Staithes. The lower car park by the beach fills early in summer; the larger pay-and-display car park at the top of the bank has a steep ten-minute walk down. Toilets in the lower village. The bank is 1-in-4, so not for large vehicles.
🌊 Coast
🌊 Coast
🌊 Coast