Walking The Cleveland Way: Three Glorious Days On The Yorkshire Coast

I recently did a fabulous three-day hike along a section of the Cleveland Way in North Yorkshire. I’d tried to find a place that would be wild and beautiful because I really needed some headspace and the Cleveland Way along the coast proved to be absolutely perfect.

I did ask ChatGPT for some help choosing a walking location. At first it came up with Norfolk but I thought no, I need something a bit wilder. So on a Tuesday morning at 7 o’clock, I got a train from King’s Cross all the way up to Saltburn. It took me five hours but the time passed pretty quickly.

I arrived in Saltburn and the weather was glorious. Saltburn is a seaside town where the Cleveland Way which has previously traversed the North York Moors, comes out onto the coast and then turns south, following the sea all the way to Scarborough.

I wasn’t planning to go all the way to Scarborough, but I did want to reach Robin Hood’s Bay. I’d long ago heard that was a magical place. I booked my accommodation in advance before setting off, so I had some set distances to cover and I did find that the first two days were really covering too much distance. I should have planned that a bit better. But more on that later.

Here’s Saltburn railway station, the pier and the funicular lift that goes from the cliff top down to the sea.

Unfortunately, the lift wasn’t working, so I had to walk down but that was fine.

I made the mistake of not picking up food supplies as soon as I left the station. I headed straight for the sea, thinking there’d be places to buy food along the front, but there wasn’t anything there at all. So I had to double back to the big Sainsbury’s right next to the station. So if you chose to do this walk, make sure to pick up supplies before you leave the station area.

This added an extra kilometre or so right at the beginning of my walk which really wasn’t a very good idea given the distances I was about to cover! I picked up some sausage rolls, an apple and a protein bar and then I headed off at 1pm.

I found the entrance to the Cleveland Way at the southern end of the beach and here’s a picture of the starting point.

Then I started my climb up onto the cliffs which became a real feature of the walk. I was constantly climbing high up and then back down again, and the cliffs at Saltburn were amongst some of the highest. But it was a good way to start.

Here I have to give my first shout-out to my walking poles. These poles travelled with me to the Himalayas when I went trekking in Ladakh and I wouldn’t now do a long walk without them, especially with a backpack. It wasn’t that heavy, but it was heavy enough and I tell you what I packed at the bottom. Going up a very steep cliff with a backpack on and no handrail, having the poles helped me keep my balance and made such a difference to my confidence.

When I got to the top, it was just glorious. The views were spectacular, the flowers were gorgeous and it was such a delight.

I soon discovered that this was a mining area, something I hadn’t realised before. Not for coal but for alum and other minerals used in various industrial processes, particularly in fixing dyes. The mining has really impacted the landscape along the coast, not in a bad way necessarily, but making it quite unusual in places. At one stage, I came across this wonderful installation about a mine that’s still operating today and has miles of tunnels below the surface. I thought this was a wonderful way to show people what life is actually like underground for the miners. I enjoyed having a little sit down next to my miner friend here.

My first destination was the village of Staithes, which was spectacular. I’d seen pictures of it online but I hadn’t realised it was going to be quite as beautiful as it was. The only problem was that I also didn’t have any internet connection as I approached Staithes and I hadn’t marked my hotel on the map, which, in fact, ChatGPT had suggested I do. I had downloaded an offline map of the area but not marked my hotels. Good tips!

So I was trying to find the hotel and I knew it was on the other side of the waterway you can see in the photo below, heading down towards the sea. But there were limited bridges across and I really didn’t know how to get there.

I was exhausted by this stage and had a little meltdown. I’d done 23 kilometres, even though the official walking distance is much shorter. I did find this – that I consistently covered much longer distances, according to my Fitbit, than it said on the signposts! Eventually I pulled myself together, found the footbridge you can also see in the photo and crossed over to the Royal George pub, where I was staying the night.

When I got internet connection again, I asked ChatGPT what I really shouldn’t miss in Staithes, even though I was absolutely exhausted. It told me to go down to the harbour, so I did. I walked past the easily accessible section, following a runner who climbed up a wall and along a cliff edge to reach the promontory. It was quite difficult climbing around this section and I didn’t have my poles and needed both hands to hold onto the safety barriers they’d put in place.

They obviously didn’t really want to encourage people going round there, but I was so glad I did because I discovered an entire cliff face covered in kittiwake nests, with the birds flying in and out at their busiest time of day, just before dusk.

I took some video, which you can see here. I felt like David Attenborough – it was just the most beautiful sight.

The sun was going down and I got a lovely shot of the sunset and of the light catching the cliffs on the opposite side of the harbour.

Staithes was a really pretty fishing village and I thoroughly enjoyed my night there. Dinner at the Royal George wasn’t brilliant – I always think fish and chips is going to be great next to the sea… and sometimes it isn’t. But they more than made up for it with an excellent breakfast the following day. For once I could indulge in a full English because I knew I’d need it to sustain me.

I set off early and climbed up onto the cliffs again. From there I was heading towards Runswick Bay first and then on to Sandsend and finally Whitby. I’d already decided that I wasn’t going to walk all the way to Robin Hood’s Bay that day, even though my hotel was booked there. I knew I’d simply be too exhausted.

So I decided I’d walk to Whitby, get the bus to Robin Hood’s Bay and then the following day walk back from Robin Hood’s Bay to Whitby, where I needed to catch my train on Friday morning. That way I would still complete all of the sections of the Cleveland Way between Saltburn and Robin Hood’s Bay, just not in the usual order! This is exactly what I did and it worked out really well.

However, walking to Whitby was still another 23 kilometres. By the time I’d wandered around Robin Hood’s Bay that evening, I’d probably done another three kilometres, making it around 26 kilometres in total. I was shattered.

But the walk first to Runswick Bay, through Sandsend and then on to Whitby was, once again, spectacular.

I got a yummy icecream at the start of Runswick Bay at the Tides Cafe on the beach. There’s a very useful loo there too. A lovely couple down from Scotland who I’d met earlier in the day and were walking the whole Cleveland Way, told me about a great sandwich shop at Sandsend, so I decided to have lunch there.

Then, I had a bit of a problem finding the Cleveland Way again. You have to walk right along the beach until you reach a building on the right that says, “Entrance to the Cleveland Way in the next gully.” I thought that was a fabulous bit of signposting but you have to go a surprisingly long way before you reach it and I was getting a bit nervous that I’d missed the route back up onto the cliffs.

So I carried on to the gully and then walked alongside a stream climbing very steeply back onto the cliffs. I was very pleased to make it to the top again. Then came another stretch of glorious views.

I saw a kestrel sitting on top of a signpost and it somehow seemed to cheering me on.

I eventually made it to Sandsend which was again further than expected. I found Mary’s Sandwich Shop on the seafront, which was really good, althought the sarnies seemed a bit heavy for such a hot day! Better when not so hot I reckon. It had an exotic menu and I plumped for the Korean inspired Obi-Wan.

Then I carried on to Whitby where I was planning to get the bus for my last leg that day. The Cleveland Way from Sandsend to Whitby is first along the road which was a bit disappointing. I though I’d got it wrong at first but eventually there was a signpost off to the right which confirmed I hadn’t gone wrong after all. I walked along the cliffs again into Whitby where I didn’t spend long, just walking from the end of the Cleveland Way to the bus station, where I caught the X92 to Robin Hood’s Bay. It took less than half an hour on the bus!

I’d heard lots about Robin Hood’s Bay and I’m still not sure why it’s called Robin Hood’s Bay but it is the most beautiful fishing village. Again, just absolutely spectacular.

Tiny streets, beautiful fishermen’s cottages and a fascinating history of smuggling. I also noticed signs for a ghost tour.

I stayed at the Bay Hotel right on the water. I’d splashed out a bit for this stay and I’m so glad I did because it was wonderful being right beside the sea.

I’d planned to go swimming at Robin Hood’s Bay but it isn’t really the right place. When the tide is in, you can’t see what’s beneath the water and I didn’t dare venture out very far. I did paddle up to my knees from the beach though, which felt wonderful on my aching legs.

When the tide went out later that evening, it revealed a huge expanse of rock pools to explore.

I didn’t venture across them because I’d only brought flip-flops rather than proper water shoes. There were so many children exploring the rock pools though and it seemed like the perfect place for a family holiday.

When I retired to bed, I was about to close the curtains overlooking the sea when I was greeted by the most spectacular sight of a full moon rising over the water. I even took a photograph of it shining through my bedroom window.

Needless to say, I didn’t close the curtains but lay in bed bathed in moonlight!

The next morning, after another excellent breakfast, I had a little wander around the village before setting off. I explored some of the beautiful little lanes and admired the quaint and quirky architecture.

Again, it was spectacular and such a surprise to discover somewhere so beautiful that I’d previously known so little about.

Then I set off back towards Whitby, so this time the sea was on my right instead of my left.

Here I am looking very pleased with myself, roughly halfway between Robin Hood’s Bay and Whitby. Again my Fitbit told me I’d walked much further than the 7 miles the sign says!

I found another cliff face covered in kittiwakes. This one seemed to have even more birds and the light was much better. I sat opposite them for about half an hour just watching – it was gorgeous.

At one point I passed a couple of fields full of beautiful purple flowers and later asked ChatGPT what they were and why farmers devoted whole fields to them.

It explained that they were phacelia (purple tansy) grown because they’re excellent for pollinators, help protect the soil and reduce erosion, so they’re often planted after the main crop has been harvested. Seemed like a very good idea to me.

Eventually I reached Whitby and my first stop was the abbey, which was rather fabulous.

I then climbed doen the famous 199 steps down the old town. When I’d passed through Whitby the previous day, I hadn’t been that impressed. I think I’d only seen the more modern, slightly scruffier part of town.

The old town was very busy with tourists but it was really pretty and I decided I liked Whitby rather a lot. There was loads to do there and I thought of it very much as the Brighton of the North East.

I also discovered that Yorkshire seems to have an extraordinary love affair with sweet shops. There were lots of them, not just in Whitby but elsewhere along the route too.

On my final evening I decided to treat myself and went to the Magpie Café, where I had Whitby crab and chips and it was heavenly. I also ordered their selection of homemade coleslaws for just £2.50. There were five different ones, although one was really potato salad. They were all delicious – it was the perfect end to the perfect trip.

This final day ended up being only 17km which felt almost leisurely. Over the three days I walked 63 km in total, averaging 21 kilometres a day!

On my final night I stayed at the simple but perfectly comfortable Silver Street Holiday Accommodation. I had a single room with an ensuite and a little balcony, and it was ideal. Best of all, it was very near the station so I could catch my 7.20 train the following morning.

I was heading back to visit my mum in Birmingham and it took me longer to get from Whitby to Birmingham than it had taken me to travel from London to Saltburn! Seven hours later I finally arrived.

The whole trip was incredible and I can’t recommend the Cleveland Way more highly. Below you’ll find everything I packed. It was so liberating carrying everything I needed on my back. I was super minimalist and quite brutal about what I took. My 22 litre Osprey Tempest pack turned out to be absolutely perfect for a trip of this length. I’ll be doing another 2/3 night away hike soon.

Now I’ve also started wondering… when shall I do the Camino?

What I Took On This Hike:

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In terms of clothing, I took a light fleece (which was good on the air-conditioned train), a waterproof jacket (which I didn’t use), two pairs of walking trousers (wearing one and carrying the other), three long sleeved collared shirts (to protect from sun and rucksack strap rubbing), 3 pairs of knickers, 2 pairs of socks, a tankini that could double as knickers and a vest top, and shortie pajamas because one night I didn’t have an en suite.

I took a micro towel and a buff – this was useful on the train and I wore it as a hat first thing. You must take a hat for sun protection and it must have a strap because it’s very windy beside the sea! My shoes were the same as carried me through the Himalayas. I also took my Havaianas for evenings and paddling.

I took very basic toiletries decanted into the smallest containers (in part of my toiletry bag below) and highly reduced makeup because I’m never seen in public without some!

Instead of a water bladder I took my 2 trusty Hydramate bottles. I also took a waterproof cover for my rucksack which I didn’t need.