Robin Hood’s Bay - Spectacular beach meets picturesque village

One of Yorkshire’s true jewels, Robin Hood’s Bay is a pretty village meets incredible beach, set in a sheltered bay on the beautiful Yorkshire Coast. You simply must visit, and it’s highly recommended to stay for more than a short while.

Discover Robin Hood’s Bay

Robin Hood’s Bay is a true gem of the Yorkshire Coastline. Brooding cliffs tower over a village of quaint charming cottages which spill right down to the edge of the sea. This picturesque destination is perfect for a cosy getaway where you can embrace the village’s unusual architecture and uncover the fascinating smugglers secrets of the bay.

Accommodation in Robin Hood’s Bay

There’s many places to stay in the immediate area, which is very popular with visitors. Also check out our dedicate hotels in Robin Hood’s Bay page.

Attractions in Robin Hood’s Bay

There’s plenty of things to do in the immediate area, including, of course, many hours of fun playing on or strolling along the beautiful beach.

Once you’ve enjoyed the sights and sounds, there’s plenty more to the North and South.

About Robin Hood’s Bay

Robin Hood’s Bay is a small fishing village and a bay located in the North York Moors National Park, 6 miles south of Whitby and 15 miles north of Scarborough on the coast of North Yorkshire.

Bay Town, its local name, is in the ancient chapelry of Fylingdales in the wapentake of Whitby Strand.

Explore on Foot

Robin Hood’s Bay is the perfect destination for a relaxing weekend break. After leaving your car on the cliff top, begin your descent through the twisting village on foot. Explore all the little cobbled alleyways and picturesque dwellings steeped in so much history of the village’s smuggling past.

History & Heritage

Discover the fascinating history of the fishing village and wander through the narrow winding streets where smugglers would slip through in the 18^th century with their illicit trade. Follow the Smugglers Route through the network of passageways where items such as tea, silk and tobacco were passed through.

Robin Hood’s Bay is one of the best spots for fossil hunting in the UK with some incredible discoveries across the years across the golden sands. You can learn more about the incredible fossil finds and the geology of Robin Hood’s Bay at the Old Coastguard Station & Visitor Centre.

The North York Moors

For sheer beauty, there is nowhere that can compare with Robin Hood’s Bay which sits on the edge of the stunning North York Moors National Park. Where else can you experience a landscape where stunning moorland, ancient abbeys and picturesque villages live side by side in such perfect harmony?

The surrounding area of Robin Hood’s Bay offers a multitude of beauty spots to explore. Head inland to the beautiful Sneaton Forest and its famous Falling Foss Waterfall or if you are feeling particularly adventurous check the tide timetable and take on the 3 mile walk along the beach to Ravenscar.

Discover more: Robin Hood’s Bay & Yorkshire Coast.

Start / End of Coast to Coast

Robin Hood’s Bay is the end point of Wainwright’s Coast to Coast route.

It is also on the Cleveland Way national trail.

Origin of the Name

With such an evocative name, you would think it would be obvious where the name was given… but not so!The origin of the name is uncertain, and it is doubtful, that (legendary – and not certain to have existed) Robin Hood was ever in the vicinity of the village.

An English ballad and legend tell a story of Robin Hood encountering French pirates who came to pillage the fishermen’s boats and the northeast coast. The pirates surrendered and Robin Hood returned the loot to the poor people in the village that is now called Robin Hood’s Bay… or so the story goes.

What is certain, is the village now bears the name.

Robin Hood’s Bay on the map

Where next?

See more Yorkshire Coast resorts here.