Staithes - a Charming Yorkshire Fishing Village

If you're looking for a great day out along the picturesque Yorkshire coastline, look no further than the tiny fishing village of Staithes. With a small beach and an even smaller selection of shops, you might only spend a few hours exploring Staithes, but what this village doesn't have in size it sure makes up for in beauty and charm. Staithes has been on my bucket list for a while now, so I was so excited to visit one sunny Sunday in June.

Getting to Staithes from York should have been relatively easy, however I did find that Google Maps took us down a B-Road that I know now definitely wasn't the easiest way to get there. On the bright side, I did get to drive around the North York Moors and even, by complete surprise and coincidence, pulled into the pretty village of Grosmont at the exact time the North Yorkshire Moors Steam Railway was pulling out of the station, which was a real treat for my dad who is a huge train enthusiast. The roads towards Staithes are very narrow, not unlike other country roads in Yorkshire, so if you do find that you end up on this route and you're not used to driving on these types of roads, do just be cautious and courteous to farm traffic and other vehicles. Alternatively, you can take the A64 and the A169 which will get you there in much less time and with much more ease. 

Arriving in Staithes, there is a public car park where you can purchase relatively cheap pay and display parking tickets. There is also a public convenience and a café too. Unfortunately, this is the only car park in the village and parking in the lower part of the village is neither encouraged nor permitted. For those with mobility issues, there are a few spaces in the lower village that you can park in if you are a blue-badge holder, but otherwise it is not a very accessible place. This of course is subject to availability too, and this little village can get quite busy! The hill between the car park and the village is steep, so for those who have limited mobility, I would suggest perhaps renting a mobility scooter or having someone who is able to do so, drop you off close to the village, before parking in the car park and walking down the hill. The village was built before the invention of cars, which of course is one negative but also what owes to its' quaintness.

As you arrive into the village of Staithes, you'll want to take a few moments out of your day to head up to the best spot for taking an Instagram-worthy photo like the one above, before heading off to explore the rest of the village. As you head down into the village, turn left just before the Cobbles Cafe, cross the bridge, then head right on up to the top of the hill, where you'll find a staircase that will take you up the best photography spot in the village. 

Once you've taken photos of this iconic view, you'll then want to head down into the village. 

Our first stop was of course the beach. The main area of the beach that can be accessed from the high street is not particularly large but makes for a good short walk with some great views looking over the sea and the beautiful fishing boats that come in and out of the bay. 

Once we'd walked round the beach, we headed up to the benches overlooking the sea front and had a coffee while people-watching. I must admit that it was nice after so many months of being cooped up, just to watch people having a good time on such a lovely day.

Despite the fact we had an early start and the coffee was very much needed, it was definitely more of an ice cream day, so we headed over to the Cobbles Cafe where I got a Salted Caramel ice cream, and my dad got a Clotted Cream one. We then headed back over the bridge, towards the Lifeboats Centre, where you can access a separate area of the beach which is home to lots of beautiful rock pools. 

I must admit that I began writing this post in June, the day that we returned from Staithes, but at the time of writing now it is December. Unfortunately, our dog's health had began to decline some weeks before we visited Staithes and we had a feeling this may have been his last visit to the beach, so we were determined to make a it a memorable one for him. Sadly, we were right and our beautiful boy had to be put to sleep just over a month after our trip to Staithes. 

Staithes certainly helped to bring out the best in Harvey and he really came alive while we were walking round the rock pools. Looking back on him on the beach, you would not know what was to come in just over a month's time, as he was like a puppy again! We had a lovely time walking round the rock pools and Harvey even got to finish my dad's Clotted Cream ice cream.

We even found a casualty case - a crab that had been swiped at by a seagull, that could not flip itself back round again. My dad of course intervened and used some rocks to flip the crab back onto its' legs again, before it scurried away. 

After we'd walked round the rock pools and after Harvey had decided to disappear into a cave, we decided to call it a day. We bought Harvey a Frozzy from the Cobbles Cafe and headed back up the hill to the car. We filled his water bowl and let him have a drink before then heading home.

Our day in Staithes was short and we easily covered the village in just a few hours, but I'm sure you could even spend a full weekend here, if you took everything at a leisurely pace. There are some beautiful Bed and Breakfasts and Holiday Cottages, both in Staithes and the surrounding areas, which make this an ideal spot for a relaxing break in a quaint Yorkshire fishing village. 

For more information on Staithes and to help plan your visit, visit Staithes - Yorkshire Coast | Welcome to Yorkshire

Afternote -

Well I must admit I never thought I would finish this post, even if it was a short one, because the idea of writing about my little dog in the past tense has just felt a bit too much. I do however look back on the day we had in Staithes as one of the best days of my life and I was so glad Harvey was able to see the beach one last time before he passed. Harvey was a rescue dog that we adopted from the RSPCA in 2010, despite the fact that we were initially told he would never be rehomed due to his behavioural and health issues which owed to him being born in a puppy mill. The idea that my boy would never have known what it was like to run on a beach is awful, but to know that was one of the last things he did makes my memories of Staithes even more precious. Staithes will always hold a very special place in my heart and I'm honoured it was one of the last places my boy got to visit.

Harvey 2008 - 2021