Coastal villages

Look at a map of the National Park coastline and you will see only a handful of villages marked. Look at the contours of the land and the reason may become apparent – cliffs! This is a generally rocky, cliffed coastline where there are only a few points at which it is possible to reach the shore. When early man settled on this coastline centuries ago he looked not only for easy access but also for shelter from the north east winds. Look again at a map and you will see that with only one exception, Ravenscar, all the villages lie in the lee of a protective headland.

At first glance all three principal villages look the same, stone built cottages with red pantile roofs clustered higgledy piggledy on the cliff side. In fact, each has its own particular character.
Runswick Bay with its many white walled houses and lovely gardens is reminiscent of villages in the south west.
Staithes (Steers to a local!) has many slate roofed buildings, a relict of the railway age.
Robin Hoods Bay is, in many ways, a subtle blend of its northern neighbours.

And what about the odd one out? - Ravenscar, the ‘town that never was’ to be built atop a 200 metre cliff by the Victorians as a new spa town. Plans were made, roads were laid but it was not to be. The new town was never built but remains a fascinating legacy of a Victorian dream.