One of the things I love most about living in Yorkshire are the outdoor opportunities everywhere you look. It is so easy to find beautiful hiking trails! I’m trying to make an effort to share more of my hiking adventures on the blog, as it has become such a passion of mine.

Starting the Hike in Whitby

I walked the coastal path from Whitby to Robin Hood’s Bay along the seaside. It’s one of my favorites, I think! I absolutely adore Whitby. This trail is part of the Cleveland Way, which stretches all over the North York Moors and the coast for 109 miles. For this hike, you’ll need OS Map OL27: North York Moors (Eastern Area). Nowadays, I actually use the OS Maps app for most of my hikes in the UK. This is definitely one of my top hikes in the North York Moors!

I did the hike from north to south (from Whitby to Robin Hood’s Bay), but it’s just as easy to go the opposite way (starting in Robin Hood’s Bay and walking to Whitby). The walk is about 6-7 miles one-way.

This part of the trail starts behind Whitby Abbey. It starts off by going through a rather unappealing caravan park, but it gets so much better!

Hiking to Robin Hood’s Bay

The scenery of the rocky cliff edge, the sea, and the coast, is just stunning. I felt like every time we rounded the next bend, there was a whole new view of the rocks to discover.

The biggest challenge I faced on this walk was the mud. I did this hike in mid-January, and felt like I was simply slogging through it at times. It was also very windy at some points—you’re literally right next to the sea! Make sure you have appropriate gear before you set off (check out my outdoor gear guide for all my recommendations!).

A few times on the journey, the path leads you down, over the stream, and into a kind of grotto. The rest of the time, you’re hiking along the coast to the sound of waves crashing into land.

One of my favorite views was this view of Robin Hood’s Bay, with the snowy moors behind it, as we were coming into town.

I did this walk in about 3.5 hours, including lots of stops to take photos and strategically avoid giant mud clumps. It’s very well-signposted—on summer weekends, my guess is that you’ll just follow the crowds.

Exploring Robin Hood’s Bay

After finishing the walk, we headed down into Robin Hood’s Bay. This is one of my new favorite spots in Yorkshire—it is just so charming and quaint!

The town (village?) is full of narrow streets and winding alleyways, and has beautiful views of the coast. Robin Hood’s Bay is divided into two levels, and it’s a steep hike between the two. Its claim to fame was as a haven for smugglers in the 18^th-century. Virtually everyone in the village was involved in the smuggling industry, which included tea, gin, rum, brandy, and tobacco.

Robin Hood’s Bay is quite famous for serious hikers. It’s the end point (or occasionally the starting point) of the Coast to Coast walk. The Coast to Coast starts in Cumbria in the Lake District, and continues across the north of England for 192 miles until it ends at the water of Robin Hood’s Bay.

I had a delicious pub lunch and a rewarding pint at the Bay Hotel. This pub is also famous as it’s the end point for the Coast to Coast, so those who finish the walk generally get a pint here at the end!

I didn’t have all that much time in Robin Hood’s Bay. All too soon, the time came to get the bus back to Whitby. For this hike, I parked in Whitby (free parking during the winter!), walked to Robin Hood’s Bay, and took the bus back. Part of the reason why this walk is so popular is because it’s so convenient to do it one-way with the bus times!

Planning Your Trip

Bus X93 runs at least every hour between Scarborough and Middlesborough, including from Robin Hood’s Bay and Whitby. Even in the winter, and even on weekends! In the summer, I believe it runs every half hour. The journey costs £4.50 one-way and takes about 20 minutes. The bus stop in Robin Hood’s Bay is on Thorpe Lane. For updated bus information, go here.

There is also free parking in Robin Hood’s Bay during the winter as well! Bus X93 has a similar timetable (every hour in winter, more frequent in summer) from Whitby back to Robin Hood’s Bay if you choose to do the hike in reverse.

This part of the Cleveland Way is well sign-posted and it’s easy to continue on further in either direction. You can go to Ravenscar and Scarborough in the south, and to Staithes in the north.

The walk is pretty easy if you live in the area and have a car. If you’re relying on public transportation to get to the starting point, Whitby has limited train services on the Esk Valley Railway. I always use Trainline to find the best deals on train tickets! If you don’t have your own transport, I really recommend staying overnight in either Whitby or Robin Hood’s Bay and making a weekend of it! You can look for hostels here, and check out hotels here. You can also sign up to and search Airbnb for accommodation in the area here! Considering travel insurance for your trip? World Nomads offers coverage for more than 150 adventure activities as well as emergency medical, lost luggage, trip cancellation and more. Looking for tours to Whitby and the North York Moors? Check out these tours!

This was one of my favorite hikes in Yorkshire to date. I loved walking along the coast, and the scenery was just spectacular! Better yet, it included visits to two of my favorite places along the North Yorkshire coast: Whitby and Robin Hood’s Bay. I can’t recommend this walk enough!

You might like my other posts:

21 Of The BEST Places To Visit In The North York Moors

Happy Yorkshire Day: 31 Places To Visit In Yorkshire

A Perfect Day In Whitby

Hiking The Hole Of Horcum In The North York Moors

Thornton-le-Dale: Why You Need To Visit This Charming Yorkshire Village

My Outdoor Gear Guide For Hiking And Camping In The UK

Have you done the Whitby-Robin Hood’s Bay walk?! Do you like hiking?

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