Our Whitby home

Coast and Camplight is located in the North York Moors National Park high up above Whitby with panoramic views of Whitby Abbey and the sea beyond. We’re perfectly located for visiting this dramatic and beautiful part of the country being equidistant from Whitby and Robin Hoods Bay, both being about 3.5 miles from us. Below we have listed some suggestions of things you might want to do while you stay with us. Of course you might just want to lie in your hammock, listen to the birds sing and read a book, and that’s perfectly OK too.

If you’ve never visited Whitby before you’re in for a treat! With its Blue Flag beaches, traditional seaside attractions, and ancient cobbled streets, it’s the perfect base for a family glamping holiday. But there’s so much more to discover from the brooding ruin of Whitby Abbey, the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula, which in turn has inspired the now bi-annual Goth festival, to the regular ghost walks round the narrow back lanes – this is no ordinary seaside town, there is always something going on! There are lots of great websites to keep you informed on what’s going on in Whitby – The Visit Whitby website is perfect for keeping you informed and covers Robin Hoods Bay and Sandsend as well.

Beaches

There are two beaches in Whitby itself either side of the Esk – the big main one has 2 miles of beautiful sandy beach, perfect for kids, buckets and spades and sandcastle building. Lifeguards are available in the summer months, so perfect if you’re after a safe swim. The part closest to town is not dog friendly in summer though (May-Sept), so keep that in mind if you have the pooches with you. The other smaller one, Tate Hill Sands is dog friendly all year, and is also where Dracula’s ship the Demeter was supposed to have been shipwrecked! It’s also just above here that you can climb the 199 steps up to Whitby Abbey and where Dracula’s black dog is supposed to have escaped! So definitely worth a visit.

We like Sandsend, which is very close to Whitby and can be a bit quieter – there are lifeguards on duty in particular areas set out for swimming and areas of the beach which are dog friendly so look out for the signs. If fossil hunting is your thing then you need to head to Robin Hoods Bay, which is famous for fossils, and has a picturesque street of cottages, shops and cafes leading down to the beach. Ed claims Robin Hood’s Bay is best seen in a thrashing gale with the sea lashing at the shore where you can imagine the smugglers struggling to get their goods ashore – it’s certainly something to behold!

About 9 miles to the North of Whitby is Runswick Bay, which is said to be one of the most beautiful beaches on the Yorkshire coast! Definitely worth a visit, more fossils to be found and dog friendly all year round.

If you fancy being a bit more adventurous on the beach while you’re here why not get the adrenalin pumping and throw yourself headlong into the North Sea and learn to surf with Whitby Surf School! They have everything you need from fully qualified instructors, to all the surf equipment you could need.

If you’re more working on your inner calm, the lovely Helen at Happy Seal Yoga does regular yoga by the sea classes at both Whitby and Sandsend. It’s absolutely worth getting yourself out of bed for the 7.15am session at Sandsend if you’re here for a mid-week break – yoga as the sun rises over the sea is a magical experience! Also, look out for her sessions on yoga and wild swimming and SUP yoga as well. Helen also offers private outdoor yoga sessions at our site subject to her availability – get in touch if you think that sounds like heaven to you!

Dark skies

We are very lucky to be part of the North York Moors International Dark Skies Reserve, which means this area is officially recognised as one of the best places in the country to see stars! Although as you arrive at our site you can see the lights of Whitby as you walk down to your camp you lose this light and it becomes very dark indeed – perfect for star gazing!

If you want to find out more about the dark skies the North York Moors provide lots of information about being a dark skies area, what it means, and links to events. The two National Park Centres at Sutton Bank and Danby, plus Dalby Observatories in Dalby Forest are Dark Sky Discovery Sites. Dark Sky Discovery is a network of organisations that helps people to enjoy the night sky.

Walking

We love walking, and are never happier than when we’re out with the dogs exploring the beautiful surrounding countryside of the North York Moors. All of our tents have Ordnance Survey maps (the old fashioned paper kind) to help you plan your walks. We love a natter about walking and are more than happy to share our favourite routes – catch us in the car park to for ideas for short local walks, which will no doubt involve a lot of arm waving and pointing. All times given are how long it takes us to walk – we’re 40 something with no kids in tow and nice walk to the pub fit rather than running fit – compare yourself to that appropriately! If you’d like a more reliable guide to your walks we can recommend some of these proper trails which run close to the farm:

Wainwright’s famous 190 mile Coast to Coast walk goes right past the end of our driveway, and we’re only 3.5 miles from its end point at Robin Hood’s Bay. If you follow the route in the other direction away from the coast it takes you up onto the moors (about 10 minutes walk), with amazing views and a real feeling of the wild.
The Cinder Track follows the route of the old Scarborough-Whitby railway line, (closed in 1965) and provides 21.5 miles of stunning coast and countryside to explore by bike, on foot or on horseback, all the way from Whitby to Scarborough. A map is available here and you can join the track about a mile from the farm (on the map we’re close to Hawsker), and this is a great way of walking into Whitby from here.
The Cinder Track actually runs parallel with the Cleveland Way coastal path, which gives you breath-taking cliffs and sea views, and also means there are a number of options of circular routes using the Cleveland Way one way and the Cinder Track the other.
You can walk into Whitby in about 1hr 15 mins – the easiest route is to walk out of our drive to the Windmill Inn where the Cinder Track joins the road and then follow it into town. There’s another lovely route which is beautiful but currently involves talking to us in the car park and arm waving (we will get a map of it one of these days!).

Walks to food and drink

If there’s anything we like more than walking it’s walking to somewhere that serves nice food and drink. Preferably both. Here are some of our favourites in the local area:

Within about a mile and half of the site there are two pubs; the Hare and Hounds at Hawsker: good food, big beer garden, Moretti behind the bar, dog friendly outside and in the small bar area only, and The Windmill Inn: home cooked food, Gamma Ray from Beavertown on tap, dog friendly in a larger bar area and nice beer garden round the back. You can quite easily do a circular walk that takes in a drink in both and then back to the farm. If you’re really in the mood a longer walk can take in the Wilson Arms as well (see below).
Beacon Farm Ice Cream do just the best ice cream, loads of flavours (try the cinder toffee!), lovely spot to go and sit and eat them, playground for kids, dog friendly outside. About a 50 minute walk from the farm through lovely woods.
Next door to Beacon Farm is the Wilson Arms, very handy if one of you wants ice cream and the other one is more up for a pint. Dog friendly and locally sourced, home cooked food. Make sure you check opening times as we have walked there before and been caught out by them being closed in an afternoon!
Falling Foss Tea Gardens is one of our favourite places in all the world – think big walks through the woods, followed by tea and cake in a beautiful setting by a waterfall. Technically walking distance from the farm along the Coast to Coast but it’s a big hike. We’d recommend parking up near them (10 mins drive) going for a walk through their beautiful woods (check out the hermits cave!) and then going for tea and cake.
The Penny Hedge is located just near Sainsbury’s about 2 miles from the site – I’d probably recommend driving as it’s not a particularly pretty walk. Step above the usual Marston’s pubs and would recommend if you’ve got small kids – super friendly welcoming place, dogs, kids etc all welcomed. Good food, and they usually have some kind of nice lager on (currently Camden Hells).

Fish and chips

Fish and chips, well it is Whitby, you’ve got to have fish and chips at least once while you’re here, so it deserves a section all to itself. If you’re from Whitby choosing a chippie is like choosing a football team, you’re loyal for life – so these are our recommendations only, and any other Whitby local will give you entirely different advice!

The Railway Chippy: here’s a great thing – the Railway will deliver out to the site (meet them in the car park) so you can have fish and chips sat by your campfire. Our camps have salt, pepper and vinegar provided for exactly this reason! Great traditional fish and chips, cash only! Literally on our speed dial.
Trenchers award winning family treat chippy, where Ed went for birthday parties and it hasn’t much changed.
Mister Chips – I mention this one specifically because you can get gluten free fish and chips which will make the gluten intolerant among you very happy!

Eating out

Why not treat yourself while you’re here? There are some amazing places to eat and drink in Whitby! This is by no means supposed to be an exhaustive list, despite our best attempts we haven’t been everywhere and there are lots of other sites you can use to find good places, these are just some of our favourites!

The Fisherman’s Wife has great seafood and the most amazing view over the sea – go as the sun sets and eat the best seafood linguine I’ve ever had as you watch the sun set over the ocean. Doesn’t take bookings in high season, just walk ins – make of that what you will. No dogs.
Fish Cottage at Sandsend does fabulous seafood in a sit down restaurant inside (no dogs), but we like it for the beautiful outside area (dog friendly) where you can have fish tacos and a beer straight from the beach
Fancy some delicious late breakfast and can’t be bothered to cook? Jet Black Jewel has delicious brunch options until 2pm, you can even get a Bloody Mary if you tried our pub selection the night before. Serves until 2pm, dog friendly.
The other option for late breakfast/brunch/lunches is Rusty Shears – worth looking for as it’s a bit of a hidden gem – beautiful courtyard area to sit in, homemade cakes, craft beers, huge gin selection, dog friendly. What’s not to like?
For veggie, vegan and gluten free options Cranberry Swamp has a great selection in a cool little cafe (no dogs).
If you fancy something a bit less traditional and a bit more 21st century, Pizza West on West Cliff has a cool modern feel and great pizzas.

Beer

I don’t know if you’ve gathered by now, but we do like a nice beer. Craft ale is our thing, so take these recommendations with that in mind, there are lots of other places to try but these are our favourites:

We love Whitby Brewery – delicious local ale brewed in a converted barn in the shadow of Whitby Abbey. Actually one of the best places to view the Abbey so you can pretend you’re being cultured sitting in their great beer garden eating their delicious pizza. Terrific. Dog friendly.
The Green Dragon is a teeny, tiny bottle shop and bar on Grape Lane. It has an amazing selection of beers to drink in and takeaway. Lurk in their doorway until a space opens up in the postage stamp sized bar (it’s worth it), or buy a couple of cold ones and take them to the beach with your fish and chips. Dog friendly (although they need to be friendly to fit in the tiny bar with the 3 other dogs that are already in there).
The Moon and Sixpence, craft ale and cocktails, nice food and a great view over the harbour. Don’t take dogs, but there’s a small outside seating area that does.
The Black Horse – tiny, traditional pub with good beer, always Tiny Rebel on tap, a great gin selection and Yorkshire Tapas for nibbles. Squash yourself into the old fashioned front bar and listen to the banter while you sup your pint (dog friendly).