Picturesque Robin Hood’s Bay (www.robin-hoods-bay.co.uk) is the end point of the Coast to Coast Walk. It has nothing to do with the hero of Sherwood Forest – the origin of its name is a mystery, and the locals call it Bay Town or just Bay. But there’s no denying that this fishing village is one of the prettiest spots on the Yorkshire coast.
Leave your car at the parking area in the upper village (£3.50 for four hours), where 19th-century ships’ captains built comfortable Victorian villas, and walk downhill to Old Bay, the oldest part of the village (don’t even think about driving down). This maze of narrow lanes and passages is dotted with tearooms, pubs, craft shops and artists’ studios (there’s even a tiny cinema) and at low tide you can go down onto the beach and fossick around in the rock pools.
The NT-listed Old Coastguard Station houses an exhibition about local geology and natural history. There are several pubs and cafes. The best pub for ambience and real ale is Ye Dolphin (King St; h11.30am-11pm), while the Swell Cafe does great coffee and has a terrace with a view over the beach.
Robin Hood’s Bay is 6 miles southeast of Whitby. You can walk here along the coastal path in two or three hours, or bike to it along the cycle trail in 40 minutes. Bus 93 runs hourly between Whitby and Scarborough via Robin Hood’s Bay – the bus stop is at the top of the hill, in the new part of town.