A Yorkshire Seaside Day, with a Dog
Yorkshire seaside dog guide seemed like a great thing to put together. One of the great pleasures of living in Yorkshire is how quickly you can leave the city behind and find yourself by the sea. From North Leeds it takes little more than an hour to reach long, open beaches, small fishing villages and wide skies. With a dog, it becomes even better. The coast is generous in the way only places shaped by tide and weather can be.
There are many beaches to choose from, Scarborough, Whitby, Robin Hood’s Bay, Ravenscar, Runswick Bay, Staithes and Saltburn among them, but the joy is not only in where you go. It is in how you get there, the pauses along the way, the shifting light and the small, unplanned moments that turn a simple drive into a day out. This is a simple guide to a day out at the coast with your dog. We have avoided the big seaside towns for secret little places of discovery.
Setting off from Leeds
An easy route from Leeds takes you north on the A1, turning off at the A19 towards Thirsk. Then take the A174. Just after the A172 turning you will pass a BP garage. Pull in here. This is a good place for a cup of tea, and a short stretch of the legs for both you and the dog before the last part of the journey.
Back on the road, follow signs for the A174 towards Redcar. Turn right and head for Marske-by the sea. The road brings you to the coast and then runs alongside it, the air changing almost as soon as the sea comes into view. If you didn’t stop before check out Kirkleatham walled garden (dog friendly) or save it for your return trip if you don’t go on to Whitby.
Marske-by-the-Sea
Take the second car park you come to along the coastal road. It is simple and unpretentious, with basic toilets and, on good days, a small van selling coffee. From here the beach opens out in a long, generous crescent, running from Redcar with its giant wind turbines at one end to Saltburn, and its pier, at the other.
Marske is a dog owner’s paradise. There is space here, space to walk, to run, to throw sticks into the surf and to watch your dog move with the simple happiness that only a wide beach can give. It is open to dogs all year (and horses).
The sand is firm underfoot and, depending on the tide, stretches far into the distance. It is worth checking tide times before you go. At low tide the beach seems to go on forever, and the patterns left by the retreating water are beautiful in their quiet, temporary geometry.
This stretch of coast is also rich in fossils. If you look down as you walk, you will often see what locals call dragon’s claws, properly known as bivalves, along with the curved traces of ammonites. They are reminders that this place has been many things before it was a beach for dogs and walkers.
We even once came across an ancient shipwreck that the storms brought in. You could still see all the wooden nails. wooden planks held together by solid wooden pegs. Many believe it to be the remains of the Whitby whaler, The Esk, which sank off the rocky coast of Marske in September 1826
There is little in the way of facilities here, and that is part of its charm. A toilet block, sometimes a coffee van, and the wide, open shore. It is a place for being rather than consuming.
Saltburn
Is the best place to stop off after your walk along the beach. If we are feeling fit and the weather and tide are with us then we walk all the way along the coast. The advantage to this is that parking in Saltburn can be limited the disadvantage is that it seems twice as far walking back. We love to get Fish and Chips from Seaview and eat them on the pier. You can eat inside and they even have a wonderful terrace which is dog friendly.
On to Staithes
From Marske it is a short and beautiful drive south along the coast to Staithes, one of the prettiest villages in North Yorkshire. The houses tumble down the hillside towards the harbour, their red roofs and pale walls stacked together as if drawn by a careful hand.
On one visit we arrived to find an RNLI fundraiser in full swing, complete with ferret racing and pirates, which felt exactly right for a place like this.
There is a steep walk down to the harbour and an equally steep climb back up, so good shoes are sensible. At the bottom you will find a tea room where you can rest (which you probably will as it is a steep climb back up), have a drink , catch your breath and watch the light change on the water.
Whitby and Beyond
From Staithes you can continue on to Whitby if you wish, or turn inland towards Robin Hood’s Bay or Runswick Bay. Each has its own character, from Whitby’s busy harbour and abbey to the steep streets and hidden coves of the smaller villages.
Whitby is such a magical place, it is not the best place for beaches (though lots of people love Sandsend) but it is such a busy bustling place. They have many Goth weekends, the shops are all independent, and there are so many good fish and chip shops, Magpie is a perennial favourite but also love Trenchers so if the queue is too big at Magpies just go to Trenchers. Other favourites in Whitby (I mean it deserves its own post) are Fortune’s Kippers, and Bothams (skinner street is my top pick) for their Whitby lemon buns.
Dogs are welcome on many stretches of beach, especially outside the summer season, and even where restrictions apply there is usually somewhere nearby where paws can still meet sand.
What matters most is not ticking off places but letting the day unfold. A walk. A pause. A view you had not planned to see. A dog, tired and happy, curled up in the back of the car on the way home, and if you pick the longer way home via the North Yorkshire National park, you can stop for a stretch of legs and an ice cream and look at the Hole of Horcum (there is a long walk but we just get an ice cream and look at the view).
Yorkshire’s coast offers all of this generously, as long as you are willing to take the slower road and look. Hope you enjoyed this North Yorkshire Seaside dog guide.
