After months of not travelling anywhere (except work), I and the family spent a lovely weekend exploring the Yorkshire Coast. See how I spent the mini-getaway and gain some insight into the beautiful Yorkshire coast.
At the start of 2020 I had many travel plans for the year, but ‘Rona put an end to all that. This post should have really been all about my trip to Kefalonia, but that trip has been postponed until next year.
So, in a bid to still have some form of travel, we ventured on an adventure of the Yorkshire Coast. The travel restrictions have sort of lifted, so we booked an Airbnb and decided on a UK staycation.
Now, I am a proud Yorkshire gal, and there are some amazing places to visit within Yorkshire. Knaresborough, Skipton and Bridlington to name a few. There are so many beautiful places along the Yorkshire coast, that are only a few hours drive away from Leeds. This makes it a perfect way to explore ‘God’s own Country’. However, we didn’t want to be driving every day for our adventure, so chose to have a base in Whitby and explore the coast from there.
Let me take you on our trip away!
Jump to the travel vlog to watch what my travel antics.
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Yorkshire Coast – Staithes
I have visited Staithes before, and what a beautiful village this is!
A small fishing village just up the coast from Whitby, it definitely has that ‘old world’ charm to it. Cottages lining the street with a grand view from the hill of the bay below.
There is also a small beach, perfect for skimming rocks, or taking a paddle. Finishing off of course in one of the few pubs that are along the street. Try the Cod & Lobster or The Royal George* for a bite to eat. If it’s a sweet treat you are after, try Dotty’s Tea room.
We found that all establishments were following the new social distancing rules, and we felt completely safe dining there. Dotty’s tea room is outdoor seating or take away only at the moment, but the treats are still as delicious!
Yorkshire Coast – Whitby
Whitby is a seaside town on the North Yorkshire coastline, just down the coast from Staithes and part of the Scarborough district. There’s a beach and, a working harbour, where you can see fishermen coming in with their daily catch. Not only that but there are small boat trips, whether that is on a traditional day trip type of boat or the big pirate ship. These take you out of the bay and back again.
Not only does Whitby have the seafront, but it is best known for the large abbey overlooking the bay from the top of the hill. This is probably best known from the story of Dracula, where the book is based on. Because of this, there is an abundance of ‘goth’ shops around Whitby to get your Dracula fix. Alongside these shops are a few more quirky shops, as well as a plethora of vintage shops. My vintage shopping heart loved this part of Whitby. In one shop there was a vintage Singer sewing machine in the original case for £40! I didn’t indulge in buying it, but I sort of wish I had now!
Whitby is also known for Whitby jet. A black gemstone that is formed from fossilised wood, and is lightweight to wear in a jewellery piece. Queen Victoria was also a fan and at one point this was the only piece of jewellery that could be worn in court. Fun fact for you! You will find lots of jewellery shops all over Whitby.
Food
We didn’t eat out that much in Whitby, but there are some wonderful places to try. It is not the seaside if you haven’t indulged in a portion of fish and chips, is it? We headed to Silver Street Fisheries*, and whilst pricier than our local fish shop, they were super yummy. The queuing system was great as well, even when the place was super busy (all the time). This is just down the road from our Airbnb.
If you are looking for a sit-down meal, then there are plenty of pubs and restaurants. On our final night, we decided to try out The Four Seasons Restaurant*, as it has lots of Mediterranean cuisines (mainly Turkish) on the Menu. As this was a trip in place of our Greek trip, we thought it was somewhat fitting. The food here was delicious, the staff were very friendly and the service second to none! I would highly recommend this place.
If you are after more of a sweet treat, then again there are loads of options to choose from. Along the front, you will find ice-cream shops, doughnut and waffle shops and lots of seaside rock. We opted to head into a diner-style place called Emma’s Diner, where you feel like you are back in a 1950’s diner. The place is decorated out well, and the staff wear beautiful 1950’s style dresses.
Now, you can order lots of savoury dishes here, like the classic burgers and hot dogs, but we went in for the desserts. Sundaes were the only option for us, and my word they were amazing! You have to try one if you visit Whitby! I highly recommend the ‘Lemony’ – lemon curd and meringue.
Where we stayed:
As I mentioned at the start, we chose to stay in an Airbnb. One for the ease of having a home away from home and two for the fact that we knew it would be clean. Yes, we took extra cleaning wipes, you can’t be too careful!
Our house of choice was Huxley House, on Silver Street. This was a perfect base for our stay, and the home has lots of history to it. The owners have stripped back a lot of the plaster to reveal some of the original features. There is even a signature in one of the panes of glass in the living room by a captain. Going up the stairs to the second floor is a beautiful stain glass window, that is actually part of one of the bedrooms.
There are three bedrooms, one off the living/dining area, one on the second floor and a final on the top floor. The bedroom off the living room has its own en-suite shower room, as well as a dressing nook. The bedroom on the second floor has a double bed, and a bunk bed so can sleep up to 4 easily. I forgot to get a picture of this, but you can see it in the video below. The final bedroom (my room) has a double bed too.
The main bathroom is just beautiful too, with a stain glass window and a fabulous roll-top bath. It got the seal of approval from my niece anyway!
A perfect base for exploring the Yorkshire Coast!
There are many places to stay* in Whitby, so check out which would be best for you and your travel needs.
Yorkshire Coast – Sandsend
One of the days, we ventured up the coast slightly to Sandsend. Sandsend is a lovely long sandy beach and practically runs along the coastline from Whitby. Its is only a short drive away, and any avid walker would do it in no time too.
We spent the day on the beach, and unluckily for us, it was a bit chilly, but we still had fun. My niece was the bravest out of us and went straight into the water. I don’t know how she managed it, the sea was freezing!
Be careful on this beach, as there can be quite a few jellyfish in the water and along the shoreline.
There are a few cafes dotted along the front, and some beautiful cottages overlooking the sea. We didn’t venture far into Sandsend itself, but I have read that there are some nice tearooms and a fancy hotel.
Yorkshire Coast – Filey
On our final day, we followed the coast down towards Filey. Filey is another seaside town along the Yorkshire coast and is again in the Scarborough district.
This town has a very long and beautiful sandy beach. I must say that I prefer this beach to the one in Sandsend, purely because of how big and sandy it is. The good thing about this is social distancing on this beach is easy because of how big it is!
The weather brightened up this day, and the sea felt marginally warmer. Again, we spent the day on the beach and exploring the front. There is a children’s amusements part with rides and a bouncy castle. Not forgetting the large water fountain sundial and statue along this way. Plenty of beach huts too, which you can rent for the day, or a week, at a reasonable price.
The trip couldn’t end without another seaside ice cream and waffle either!
So there is my weekend away at the Yorkshire coast, and what a fabulous weekend it was. The weather wasn’t all bad considering, but it would have been nice to have a bit more of the summer sun.
Check out my Instagram for more pics too!
Have you visited any of these places along the Yorkshire Coast?
A Weekend by The Yorkshire Coast – Vlog:
Here is a video of what we got up to along the Yorkshire Coast. If you like the video, don’t forget to give it a thumbs up and subscribe to my YouTube channel!
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Sounds like you had a lovely time away! Fish and chips by the seaside sounds great and all of those ice creams also look so delicious! The Airbnb looks lovely too, I think I often forget how nice it is to go on a staycation. I’m off on a staycation next weekend and I am super excited! xx
Ooo, hope you have a fab time! Are you going anywhere nice?
Fish and chips followed by ice cream just has to be down when at the seaside, doesn’t it? Not the sunny Greek holiday planned, but lovely none the less!
Thanks for commenting 🙂
Aimsy xoxo
I completely agree, there are so many great places in Yorkshire. I literally got back from there yesterday and visited each coastal place that you mentioned too, as well as Scarborough itself.
So many lovely places to see along the coast. Scarborough is just fab, we only drove through to get to Filey. Hope you had a lovely trip!
Thanks for commenting 🙂
Aimsy xoxo
It looks like you had a great time. You have taken some great photographs! Those ice creams look so yummy! That lemon sundae one looks so delicious, I am now even more hungry ha ha! It’s great you were able to have a fun time and still feel safe doing so.
Thank you for sharing.
Lauren | http://www.bournemouthgirl.com
It was nice to just getaway. You should see how many photos I actually took The lemon ice cream was definitely a highlight…so yummy!
Glad you liked and thanks for commenting!
Aimsy xoxo
Yorkshire is honestly so beautiful! I really hope to visit one day!
Love, Amie ❤
The Curvaceous Vegan
Oh, so many quaint places as well. I am sure you will love it if you ever visit.
Thanks for commenting 🙂
Aimsy xoxo
These are lovely pictures from your weekend in Yorkshire lovely! That ice cream looks delicious! x
Lucy | http://www.lucymary.co.uk
I loved snapping away. I got some great shots of my niece, definitely, memories to cherish later down the line!
The ice cream was delicious, I could just eat it all over again!
Thanks for commenting 🙂
Aimsy xoxo
This looks like such a wonderful weekend! The Lemony ice cream looks amazing. The house you stayed in looks so cozy, too. I miss the beach!
Oh, it was a lovely getaway, just what we needed. The lemon ice cream was just delicious! It was a great find, near the centre of the town too!
Yes, the beach is something I could get used to walking on every day…maybe one day will have to move to the coast!
Thanks for commenting 🙂
Aimsy xoxo
Wow, the Yorkshire coast looks like a beautiful place to visit! Nothing beats a weekend by the beach. 🙂
Oh, it is such a lovely place to visit! Couldn’t agree more, the beach does wonder for the soul!
Thanks for commenting 🙂
Aimsy xoxo
What an absolutely wonderful way to spend the weekend! Also all that yummy food!
Oh, definitely a great way to spend the weekend. The food is one thing I love about getaways
Thanks for commenting 🙂
Aimsy xoxo
It looks lovely! I hope we will be able to visit the beautiful Yorkshire coast soon… We were meant to visit UK but now that we need to get quarantine this will be delay to next year!
Hopefully, you get a chance to in the future. You will not be disappointed! It is frustrating with all the changes, but I guess it is better to be safe than sorry!
Thanks for commenting 🙂
Aimsy xoxo
Ahh it looks lovely there! I am from Devon so I have never been to Yorkshire before!
https://www.emilyclareskinner.com
I bet Devon is equally as beautiful! It is somewhere I would love to visit.
Thanks for commenting 🙂
Aimsy xoxo
It looks really nice there from your pictures and you got to do some nice stuff 🙂 I have never been to Yorkshire but would love to go now!
Yeah, we managed to pack a bit into the weekend. My niece was so excited to be going to the seaside! Glad you like!
Aimsy xoxo
This is a breathtaking view of the beaches and coasts I have always wanted to travel along, paired with the most delicious looking ice cream and coffee! I love that stained glass window; the prettiest and most intricate I have ever seen, and vintage shops are the place to find me simply reveling in hints of stories past. 🙂
Oh, it is just beautiful Jaya (albeit not the tropics or Mediterranean sea). The ice cream and coffee were delicious and the stain glass windows were my favourite part of the home. Very pretty indeed!
Glad you liked!
Aimsy xoxo
I loved all of the amazing photos you shared from your time on the Yorkshire coast. Everything looked so beautiful and picturesque. It’s a really good thing I am about to have dinner, because all those photos of the decadent treats you enjoyed made me so hungry!
I’m really glad you like all the photos. There were so many taken it was hard to choose which ones to post! There are some pretty amazing places to be found on the Yorkshire coast. Oh, and yes, the ice-cream was so delicious!
Thanks for commenting 🙂
Aimsy xoxo
This place looks amazing! Your photos are so pretty and it sounds like you had a fun time! I’ve never been to Yorkshire but I think I’ll have to visit soon 🙂
Oh, there are so many places to see along this coastline. We had a great time, sometimes it’s just nice to get away somewhere, isn’t it?
Thanks for commenting 🙂
Aimsy xoxo
looks so charming though the photos are a bit dark.
Love the boats and the arch made of playing cards..
Yeah, it is such a charming place. I may have added too much contrast to the pictures , but Whitby is a bit of a dark place so thought it fit in (it was also quite overcast). The arch is great, isn’t it?!
Thanks for commenting 🙂
Aimsy xoxo
Really nice post, seems like a very relaxing trip. I’ve never been in Yorkshire but it’s on my list for sure, been living in the UK for long time but haven’t explore much around.
Glad you like it! It was a great trip, just to get away for a little bit. I think this year has given us a great opportunity to explore where we live, hasn’t it? Hopefully, you can visit Yorkshire one day!
Thanks for commenting 🙂
Aimsy xoxo
Your photography is so gorgeous!! Especially those food pics i love going on holiday to other places in england. There are so many beautiful places to go within our country . I love travelling abroad too but there are so many great spots here!!! Xxx
Aww thank you! I love taking photos so happy that you like them! There are definitely some beautiful places to explore in the UK. I think staycations are not promoted enough (even though I love a good jolly hol abroad).
Thanks for commenting!
Aimsy xoxo
So nice to spend a weekend on the coast! I love all the ice cream and that Airbnb looks so cute!
Oh it is lovely to spend the weekend by the coast, isn’t it? The ice cream was delicious and the Airbnb so charming!
Thanks for commenting 🙂
Aimsy xoxo
The Yorkshire Coast looks so beautiful. I would to visit it. I love the pictures of the boats on the water. The strawberry cream waffle looks really good too.
Oh, it is such a beautiful part of the UK. here are so many beautiful places though! Staithes is a beautiful little town, where the boat picture is. Oh, the waffle was delicious!
Thanks for commenting 🙂
Aimsy xoxo
I live in Texas now but my mum’s from Filey and we spent our summers on that beach! Loved it…your little trip brought back many memories…the last time we were there, a sea feet came in and we were disappointed…now I’m anxiously awaiting a hurricane to come in so I guess a sea fret wasn’t so bad after all!
Oh, Filey has such a beautiful beach! Glad it brought back some memories, although I bet the seafront has changed a lot. Yes, a sea fret is nothing in comparison to a hurricane. Hope you are safe, I can’t imagine preparing for a storm like that!
Aimsy xoxo
Looks like a charming place to visit. Coastal towns are the best! Thank you for sharing!
Such a charming place! You can’t beat a coastal town at all!
Thanks for commenting 🙂
Aimsy xoxo
I’ve never been to Yorkshire but wow you have some beautiful coastlines around Whitby. I know what you mean about the water being freezing though, it was the same in Cornwall this summer, I think Flora has ice in her veins! Bookmarking this post for a future staycation, I think it’s time we explored your part of the world! x
Oh, there definitely is some beautiful coastlines up here. The weather further South is definitely better though I think! I wouldn’t have thought the water would be cold in Cornwall. How do kids do it?!
I would love to visit other places in the UK, Cornwall being one of them!
Glad you liked the post. Let me know if you need any pointers if you do come up to this neck of the woods!
Thanks for commenting 🙂
Aimsy xoxo
I’m glad you enjoyed your little break. It was interesting to read about these places as a staycation spot because I’m only 20-30 minutes up the coast from places like Staithes and Whitby so it’s more of an afternoon out to get a little change of scenery for us. Your Airbnb looks really nice and cosy! All of your photos look great too x
Sophie
How lucky that you are so close! We could probably do day trips, but it’s near enough a 2-hour drive, so would have to set off really early to make the most of it! I would love o go further up the coast to Tynemouth or Whitley Bay. They look like lovely places to visit.
Oh couldn’t fault the Airbnb, the style and location were great!
Thanks for commenting 🙂
Aimsy xoxo
This sounds like such a great trip! It sounds like you had a lot of fun! I have never been to Yorkshire before but I will definitely need to visit at some point it looks beautiful and the ice creams look utterly delicious!
Oh, it was a great little family trip, not Greece trip planned but still a great trip none the less! There are so many beautiful places to visit in the UK, its hard to be able to see them all!
The ice cream was delicious…I could just eat one of them now!
Thanks for commenting 🙂
Aimsy xoxo
What a wonderful post! Thanks for taking me on vacation! I loved the Alice in Wonderland arch!
Glad you like it! the arch is fabulous, isn’t it? Great view of the Abbey in the distance.
Thanks for commenting 🙂
Aimsy xoxo
Glad you like it! The arch is fabulous, isn’t it? Great views of the abbey in the distance.
Thanks for commenting 🙂
Aimsy xoxo
Amazing adventures, I absolutely love exploring Yorkshire’s coast, it has so many amazing sights and such variety too. I love how fun this trip looks, and I’m so jealous of the ice cream!
Anika | chaptersofmay.com
So many amazing places to visit. It was actually quite a fun trip, my niece really enjoyed herself! I still can’t believe she just ploughed straight into the sea…it was freezing. Oh, and the ice creams were delicious!
Thanks for commenting 🙂
Aimsy xoxo
Thank you for your wonderful post. The pictures are beautiful and your writing descriptive. I learned a lot reading your post. My wife and I had plans to visit your beautiful country next month but also got put on hold by ‘rona. I really enjoyed reading. Take care.
Glad you like the post! I really enjoyed trying to capture the beautiful places. Oh, it is such a shame for all the disruption this pandemic has and is causing. But I guess it is better to be safe than sorry and hope you will be able to visit when it is safer to do so!
Take care too, and thanks for commenting 🙂
Aimsy xoxo
What a lovely post!!! It seems like you have enjoyed your trip alot. Wish if I could go outside ,again state has announced lockdown here in India. But it’s so good to feel the trip through your post and pictures are very beautiful as well
Aww, glad you like it! We really did enjoy our trip, it was just nice to get away for a few days. Oh no! I guess it is all part of the plan to keep safe though. Hopefully, you will get a little more freedom to travel about soon! Keep safe!
Thanks for commenting 🙂
Aimsy xoxo
Lovely photos! That Alice in Wonderland arch is so cute! Can imagine getting some amazing Insta shots in front of that!
Thanks, Jenny! I loved taking photos…I have so many on the memory card because I couldn’t stop snapping haha! It’s great the arch, isn’t it? I wish I could have got a few shots in front of it, but there were always loads of people milling around in the background haha
Thanks for commenting 🙂
Aimsy xoxo
Oh wow! What a lovely weekend! Your pictures look so beautiful. That sounds like a wonderful place to visit for sure! Thanks so much for sharing all about it.
Thank you, I loved aking snaps all over. It was a great weekend trip!
Thanks for commenting 🙂
Aimsy xoxo
What a beautiful place to visit, I’d love to go one day. We’ve driven through Yorkshire, but never looked around so thank you for sharing your weekend away!
Em x
Oh, so many beautiful parts to Yorkshire. The drive-through is stunning as well, especially if going through the dales and cute villages.
Thanks for commenting 🙂
Aimsy xoxo