Cleveland Way: Staithes to Whitby

Directions

This leg starts at the footbridge over Staithes Beck at NZ781188 in the little seaside village of Staithes.

Cross the footbridge over the beck and then follow a narrow house-lined road for a few yards until it ends at a T-junction with the High Street. Head straight on down the cobbled High Street; it soon curves to the left to reach a slipway. At the top of the slipway turn right to head past a pub on the left. Shortly afterwards turn right to head up Church Street; do not continue along High Street into a car park. Church Street climbs steeply uphill; when the road ends continue straight on along a stepped path. The path forks when the steps end; take the left-hand branch that slopes uphill towards a farm.

Pass a barn on the right and follow a path between fences. The fence on the right ends and the trail continues along a track for about a hundred yards to a field gate. The path skirts to the right of the gate and follows a fence on the left. At the end of the field, go through a pedestrian gate and turn slightly to the right to continue steeply uphill to reach a pedestrian gate in the top corner of the field. The cliffs are met on the other side; continue on with the cliffs on the left. After half a mile the path curves to the right to reach a field gate that leads onto a road beside houses in Port Mulgrave. Join the road and follow it south, initially passing houses on the right. After a couple of hundred yards the road curves to the right at NZ795174.

On the bend, turn left down another footpath. Take the footpath that continues along the top of the cliffs with a fence on the right, and not the one that plunges downhill towards the beach on the left. Go through a clapper gate and follow the path as it runs between fences, with houses away to the right. The fences end and the path continues between hedges. It curves to the left and starts falling downhill to enter a field, then descends down steps into a little dry valley and climbs up steps on the other side.

Follow the cliff edge around; 1.2 miles after the road in Port Mulgrave, the path curves to the right to head southwestwards inland, following a hedge on the left. Go through a clapper gate and continue along the path until it emerges into the car park of the Runswick Bay Hotel. Walk through the car park and pass the hotel on the right to reach a road at NZ806161. Carefully cross the road, turn left for a few yards and then right to follow another road signposted for Runswick Bay Beach. This road plunges downhill for a quarter of a mile until a roundabout is reached at NZ809159, just above the beach at Runswick Bay.

At the roundabout head straight on down a sloping road that curves to the right towards the beach. At the top of the slipway, turn right along a path that passes above some sea-defence rocks and descends to join the beach. The next stretch of the trail cannot be walked at high tides and care is needed. Follow the beach southeastwards for nearly half a mile until Hob Holes is reached on the right at NZ815154.

Turn right to head inland along a little streambed that squeezes between the cliffs at Hob Holes; the path heads up some steps with the stream on the left to reach a rock-cut platform. Ford the stream to reach some steps on the eastern side. A series of steps and slopes lead steeply up the cliffs. When the steps end, the path continues east along the cliff edge with a fence on the right. An old railway line approaches on the right; the path does not join this and instead angles away. The path reaches a pedestrian gate; go through this and follow a fence on the left.

At the corner of the field go through a second pedestrian gate and follow the edge of a field to a third pedestrian gate. The path slopes into a dip and climbs up steps on the other side. After a while, turn left across a stile beside a field gate to join a track that immediately curves to the left. As the track approaches Kettleness Farm, turn left along another track. Leave the track and keep a fence on the right. This path curves around the northern side of the farm before joining a track at the eastern side at NZ830156.

Turn left and follow the track past some cottages on the right; almost immediately turn left along another footpath. It goes through a gateway and follows a fence on the left. Cross a stile beside a field gate and continue following a fence on the left along the cliff edge. The old railway trackbed approaches from the right; cross a stile and climbs some steps, then continue climbing past a railway portal down to the right at NZ838154.

The path continues to climb as it follows the cliff edge. Cross a stile and continue uphill; eventually the path goes through a gap in a stone wall and continues with a stone wall on the right as it heads southeastwards inland. At the end of the field it drops down some steep steps (including step-ladders) through a wooded area to reach the old railway line near an old tunnel mouth at NZ854141, Turn left to follow the railway trackbed southeastwards and then south; the going is relatively level.

After 0.9 miles Sandsend is approached; when the end of the old station platform is visible on the right, and just before a fence blocks the trackbed ahead, turn left to follow a path that heads downhill along steps to reach a car park. Turn right through the car park, passing some sheds on the right to reach the A174 road. Turn left to follow the main road as it crosses a bridge over Sandsend Beck and heads southeastwards along the coast; the road soon curves to the right once more to reach a bridge over East Row Beck at NZ862125.

Cross the bridge and follow the road as it curves to the right to parallel the shore. It slowly starts to rise and head inland past a golf course on the left. After 1.2 miles at NZ878116 turn left down a surfaced path. This curves to the right and then the left, passing under an elegant wooden bridge that links two parts of the golf course. Immediately after the bridge, turn right up a surfaced path. This curves to the right and climbs uphill to reach the cliff top. From here continue straight on along the top of the cliffs, taking care not to take any paths leading down to the promenade below. Sometimes the surfaced path ends and you need to cut across grass; simply follow the cliff edge. A mile after joining the clifftop, the whale bone arch and statue of Captain Cook are reached at NZ897114.

From the whalebone arch, turn right to follow a path that runs alongside East Terrace on the right. As the road curves to the right, the official route carries straight on, soon curves sharply to the left and then right in two big hairpins, descending down to reach the harbourside. Continue south along this road; buildings on the left mostly hide the water. The road curves to the left and then right to run alongside the riverbank before a lift bridge over the river is reached in the centre of Whitby at NZ899110.

Places of interest

Transport

A bus stop on the A174, half a mile to the south of the coast from Staithes, is served by regular half-hourly services that run between Whitby and Loftus. The same service calls at Whitby, Runswick Bay, and Sandsend, as well as several villages a short way inland from the trail.

Whitby also has a railway station, as a terminus of the Esk Valley Line to Middlesborough (the same line also serves Kildale station on the trail). See the National railway enquiries website for more information.

There are also regular bus services to Scarborough from the bus station, which is right outside the railway station.

For more public transport information, see the Travelline website.

Map information

Landranger (1:50,000)		Explorer (1:25,000)
Landranger 94 (Whitby & Esk Dale, Robin Hood's Bay)	or