Staithes with its hotchpotch of higgeldy-piggledy cottages, colourful roofscapes and quaint fishing harbor is one of the most charming settlements on the Yorkshire coast. Even on a cold blustery day in November the village has a magical aura about it.
We ambled round the cobbled streets and took in the gorgeous vistas which have attracted numerous artists to the area. Indeed Staithes is sometimes known as ‘The St Ives of the North’ such is its inspiration to various painters and sculpturers. Staithes is steeped in history too. As a lad,farmer’s son James Cook ( later to become Captain James Cook!) lived and worked here briefly. Staithes must have been his introduction to the sea…
I was thrilled to discover a really cute little tea room/vintage shop on the High Street. In Dotty’s the tables are adorned with pretty table cloths,the ceiling is brimming with oversized lampshades and delicious homemade cheese and chutney scones are served on mismatched vintage crockery. A little piece of heaven. Even Hugo was treated to a selection of dog biscuits on a china saucer. 🙂
The shop is packed full of vintage treasures and curios. Its a lovely place to browse. Dotty’s has even started renting two B&B rooms. Maybe i should hint to the other half for next year’s birthday!
Most of the gift shops and the gallery were closed on our visit but it was still fun to enjoy the Yorkshire Sea Air and a pint in the Cod and Lobster. Speaking of Lobsters, there’s something about Staithes that makes you want to sing a certain B52’s song. ;0)
So continuing my exploration of the Yorkshire Coast. Robin Hoods Bay is five miles south of Whitby. Houses tumble down the cliffs and the sound of Sea Gulls punchuate the peace on a Wednesday afternoon in November. We decide on a brisk walk on the beach, a wander round the village and a strong black coffee in a tiny tea room called Tea, Toast and Post.
This picturesque fishing village was once the busiest smuggling community on the Yorkshire Coast. In the Eighteenth Century the Bay’s women folk were apparently known to have thrown scorching water over excise men from their bedroom windows in the narrow cobbled alleyways. Visitors today are more likely to be donning walking boots than catching smugglers. The ‘Cleveland Way’ and the ‘Coast to Coast’ pass through the village.
It is not clear about why the settlement is called ‘Robin Hood’s Bay’ as there is no evidence to suggest that Robin and his band of merry men ever resided here. More likely the name came from local legends. An ancient forest sprite was also called Robin hood , so maybe the name does derive from forest folklore.
We enjoy walking on the beach. Hugo finds a friend! The coastline here is full of wildlife. It is a wee bit to cold to linger round the rock pools ( should have worn my new winter coat!) or hunt for fossils. We need to return someday and scour the sand for fossilized monkey puzzle tree….or Whitby Jet to you and me.
Thank goodness for this cute little cafe , Tea, Toast and Post which proves a great little place for a snack. Like its name suggests, hot and cold drinks,toasties and a host of pillar box paraphernalia. Hugo is even given a couple of biscuits by the friendly owner.
Thanks for joining me on my whistle stop tour of the Yorkshire coast.
My Photo Scavenger Hunt photos have a rather Nautical theme this month. We spent a week in Whitby on the Yorkshire Coast and visited other coastal towns and villages in the area. So my pictures are all from my holiday. Enjoy!
A Stranger. I am no longer a stranger to Scarborough’s North Shore. Look at the brightly coloured Beach Huts.
Looking Down. A walk along the beach at Robin Hood’s Bay where we came across this poor dead crab. Quite a big one too.
Popular Culture. Whitby is famous for its connections with everyone’s favourite toothy Count, Draculaaaah. I didn’t get chance to go in and experience a one to one with him happily!
The Weather. We were pretty lucky with the weather but visiting the Victorian town of Saltburn-On-Sea proved a wash out. 😦
Big. A surprisingly large Lobster in Staithes.
Sign. I love the names of cottages by the sea. This is one of the more unusual ones.
Bottle. A bottle of wine to celebrate my birthday , which just happened to be when I was away.
Out and About. On the beach at Robin Hoods Bay.
Hat. The seaside in November gets a bit chilly.
Hole. Whitby’s Whale Jaw Bone Arch up on the West Cliff. It cleverly frames the Abbey opposite. The original Whale Bone was given to the town in the 1800’s. This replica was donated by Alaska in 2003.
One. Boat in a field!
Whatever you want. A couple of Cormorants on a cabin roof in Whitby.
The Yorkshire seaside town of Whitby is a great place to visit all year round, and we found that to be true , even out of season in mid November. We rented a dog friendly terraced house on Elgin Street ( there are plentiful pet friendly properties in Whitby) and spent the week mostly eating,drinking and walking with our labrador Hugo. Whitby really does love our four legged friends! There are an abundance of cafes,tea rooms and pubs that welcomes both man and dog.Here is just a small selection that we visited on our trip.
Sherlock’s on Flowergate is a cosy and quirky tea rooms with you’ve guessed it, a slight Sherlock Holmes theme. The decor does resemble what you would imagine 221b Baker Street to look like. Upstairs is Dr Watson’s Parlour and it wouldn’t have surprised me to have witnessed the deerstalker wearing detective himself enjoying a cuppa. Not that Whitby has any connection to the author….except a very slight one. Sir Arthur was friendly with one Bram Stoker. The cobbled streets ,picturesque harbor and ancient abbey were his inspiration for the gothic masterpiece ‘Dracula’. Try the ‘Draculas Delight’ ice cream sundae or warm up with a coffee and enomas slice of cake.
Rusty Shears is a little treasure of a tea rooms tucked up a side street, not far from the West Cliffs. As soon as you see the cute courtyard garden with its teacup graveyard , you know you’ve discovered somewhere special. Lampshade lights and taxidermy animals decorate the interior.We visited twice, once for tea and cake ( try the delicious Guiness Cake or Kiwi and Lime Cheesecake) and once for a cheeseboard lunch.There’s an interesting looking Gin Menu and dogs can have a complimentary Doggychino.:)
Humble Pie ‘N’Mash is a family business that serves their tasty homemade pies and only pies with mash,gravy and garden peas. There are several different pies to choose from including Yorkshire Sausage and Black pudding, Haggis and Neep and Steak and Stout. And if your still hungry after your pie , there is always Jam Roly Poly and Custard for pudding. This pie parlour has lots of character as the building on Church Street dates back to before the 1600s and the decor is inspired by the generations that have lived and worked there. It might be best to tackle those 199 steps up to the Abbey before you tuck into your lunch or tea here. 🙂
White Hose and Griffin ,not far from the Abbey.
Whitby’s Dog Friendly Pubs. Not all the pubs in Whitby are dog friendly but most of them are. Lots are old and quirky such as one of our favourites,the White Horse and Griffin above. Here is a list of pubs that welcome dogs. There are probably lots more…but even we couldn’t try them all. 😉
White Horse and Griffin.
Black Horse.
The Dolphin.
First In Last Out.
Station Inn.
Golden Lion.
Buck Inn.
Little Angel.
Endeavor.
The Fleece.
The Granby.
The Elsinore.
Whitby Walks. Between November and April Whitby’s beach is popular with dog walkers. The two mile walk along the shoreline to Sandsend is well worth it as the pretty little village has a couple of cafes and pubs. We tried out the very dog friendly ‘Harte Inn’ which specializes in fresh seafood and found it very good indeed. Alternatively you can walk along the Monks Trod to Ruswarp , lunch at the Bridge Pub and walk back along the river Esk. Oh and if you want to discover more about the area’s spooky history, why not try a ghost walk. These start at the Whale bone arch on Whitby’s West Cliff at 7-30pm most evenings. I’m afraid I never got to do one this time…but hopefully one day.
Hope you enjoyed Hugo’s haunts and feel free to add any recommendations in the comments. 🙂
Goodness I’ve only been away for a couple of weeks and the whole posting format has changed! Anyway where was I? After a few days of non blogging and becoming gripped by season one of Ray Donovan , we headed for a cottage in the seaside town of Whitby. Famed for its smokey kippers, semi precious ‘Jet’ gemstones and its connections with ‘Bram Stoker’s Dracula’, Whitby really is the perfect place to take in some rather bracing November Sea Air.
The Steps up to the Abbey, there are 199 of them.
Mostly we just spent our week eating yummy food , drinking lots of booze and discovering many a beautiful beach. Luckily from November until the end of April most of the beaches in the area are dog friendly so our labrador Hugo was in his element. Happily he seems to have gotten out of the habit of surreptitiously sipping sea water when he thinks we’re not looking. 🙂
I will leave you with a few pictures from my trip and blog in a little more detail soon……
Hugo on the beach at Whitby.The ancient Abbey.Dracula’s bride perhaps…..
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