The section of the Yorkshire Coast known as the ‘Dinosaur Coast’ is littered with fossils and picturesque fishing villages. Staithes is the epitome of the charming coastal hamlet, and visitors flock to the village in their thousands every summer – therefore, we’d put off visiting until winter! With sunshine forecast and temperatures very mild, we set off for the coast bright and early last weekend, arriving in the car park overlooking the harbour just as it was starting to fill up.
We followed a circular route of around 4 miles which we found on the OS maps app – there’s a similar route on the Happy Hiker website. Car parking is above the harbour before you get to the village, as the narrow cobbled streets aren’t set up for the volume of traffic the area attracts. The one we parked in was a cash or parking app only pay& display, no card machine facilities, so come prepared!
Setting off down the hill into the village, I was very relieved we’d come in winter and had it mostly to ourselves – I expect in summer it’s absolutely rammed. By the water there is a short stretch of beach where there were a few early morning dog walkers, so rather than taking the dogs down there we picked up the Cleveland Way and started the climb up out of the village. It’s a short but steep climb and I was soon regretting my down jacket!
We detoured away from the Cleveland Way to get the iconic view down over Staithes, continuing along the rather hilly England Coast Path to join back up with the Cleveland Way. The walk along the coast was straight forward, although I feel like the spectacular coastal scenery we’ve seen in Cornwall and Pembrokeshire makes the Yorkshire coast seem a little tame in comparison!
After a short walk along the quiet road into Port Mulgrave, we picked up a public footpath running along field tracks, before dropping down to cross the A174 and enter Oakridge nature reserve. The path into the woods was a bit tricky to find as it didn’t quite line up with the OS maps app and we thought we’d missed it, but rest assured it is there and is marked by a finger post. I wasn’t massively blown away by the views on this walk, but that might have a lot to do with the fact that it’s February and most greenery is still asleep.
Dog friendly rating -2.5/5. Leads will be needed for most of this walk, with the outward leg walking along cliffs and the return passing through fields which may have livestock in. There are two stiles to navigate, but both of these had gaps more than big enough for our two to wriggle through.
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