Robin Hood's Bay

North Yorkshire

Robin Hood's Bay is a seaside village in the Scarborough former district of North Yorkshire.

This attractive fishing village with a history of smuggling clings to the cliffside about 5 miles south-west of Whitby and about 16 miles by road north-north-west of Scarborough.

Robin Hood's Bay has narrow streets and hidden alleyways between its houses and cottages of sandstone with red pantile roofs, many now providing hideaway accommodation for holidaymakers.

The village, within the North York Moors National Park, provides a place to pause on the Cleveland Way walking trail along this section of Heritage Coast and is the finishing point of Alfred Wainwright's famous Coast to Coast 192-mile walk from St Bees in Cumbria.

The slipway at Robin Hood's BayThe Cleveland Way at Robin Hood's BayThe lifeboat rescue plaque, Robin Hood's BayNew Road, Robin Hood's BayStation Road, Robin Hood's BayFormer station building, Robin Hood's BayRobin Hood's BayThe beach at Robin Hood's BayThere are also flatter walking and cycling routes, including along the route of the old railway which used to run between Scarborough and Whitby, known as the Cinder Track. The former railway station building still survives, used today as holiday accommodation. Its former goods yard is now the location of of Fylingdales Village Hall, serving Robin Hood's Bay, the neighbouring village of Fylingthorpe and other places in the wider parish of Fylingdales.

There is a very steep descent through the village towards the sea from the car parks and bus stops at the top of the cliff. The meadering route down its quaint main street eventually leads to the slipway to the beach, which has a Keep Britain Tidy Seaside Award.

At the top of the bank, a plaque records one of the greatest acts of lifeboat heroism when in January 1881 the sailing brig Visitor ran aground on the rocky coast of Robin Hood's Bay in a violent storm. The Whitby lifeboat was hauled by horses 6 miles over the hill to Robin Hood's Bay through snowdrifts up to 7 feet (over 2 metres) deep as 200 local people and lifeboatmen cleared the way to launch in the village and save the stricken crew.

Robin Hood's Bay Methodist ChurchOld St Stephen's Church, Robin Hood's BayAt the Old St Stephen's Church, high on the hill above the village, the graveyard provides a history of less-fortunate seafarers. The former parish church is a Grade I listed building now owned by the Churches Conservation Trust. The church is the 1821 rebuilding of an even older church on the site and is complete with late Georgian fittings. Its distinctive cupola is a landmark that can be spotted for miles around.

The present parish church of St Stephen, Flylingdales, dates from 1870 and is in Thorpe Road, near the edge of Robin Hood's Bay and Fylingthorpe.

The Methodist Church is another building of interest in the village, as in 1936 it moved from an old chapel in the lower village to the former Manor House of Robin Hood's Bay. More recently, upper rooms have been converted to Christian holiday flats.

Village features

Robin Hood's Bay has a beach.

Robin Hood's Bay is in the North York Moors National Park.

A section of the King Charles III England Coast Path runs through Robin Hood's Bay.

Robin Hood's Bay is on the Cleveland Way long-distance trail, a 110-mile waymarked hiking path around the edges of the North York Moors and North Yorkshire coast with Helmsley and Filey at its end points.

Robin Hood's Bay is on the Coast to Coast walk, a mostly unmarked 192-mile walk from St Bee's in Cumbria to Robin Hood's Bay in North Yorkshire, created from the guide book of renowned hill-walker Alfred Wainwright.

Robin Hood's Bay has a choice of pubs.

Cafe and pub food is available in Robin Hood's Bay.

Takeaway food outlets in the village include fish and chips.

Restaurant and bistro dining can be found in Robin Hood's Bay.

Robin Hood's Bay has a village store and local traders. Robin Hood's Bay offers gifts and other goods.

The village has a Post Office.

Places to stay in Robin Hood's Bay include hotel, guest house, holiday home, camping accommodation.

Robin Hood's Bay has a village hall - Fylingdales Village Hall.

There are public toilets in the village.
Locations of toilets and opening times can be found at this North Yorkshire Council - Public toilets web page.

Robin Hood's Bay has an old parish church - The old St Stephen's Church of 1822 is owned by the Churches Conservation Trust.

Place of worship: Anglican, Methodist.

A school is in the nearby neighbouring village of Fylingthorpe.

Travel

Bus travel

The village has buses to neighbouring towns and villages.

Road travel

Robin Hood's Bay can be reached via the B1447

Places to visit

Heritage coast

A stretch of 36 miles of coastline makes up the North Yorkshire and Cleveland Heritage Coast. This is Yorkshire's Jurassic Coast, where ammonites can easily be found and occasionally bones from marine reptiles and dinosaurs have been discovered. For more see our Heritage Coast page.

North York Moors National Park

The Moors National Park Centre, DanbyStretching inland from the coast between Whitby and Scarborough is the beautiful scenery of the North York Moors National Park, which covers 554 square miles (1,435 square kilometres). Within its area are moorland and coast, historic stateley homes, remains of castles and abbeys and attractive villages including Goathland, famous as the location for TV's Heartbeat, and Grosmont, location of the locomotive sheds of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. The Moors National Park Centre can be found near the village of Danby in the Esk Valley.

More information and links on our North York Moors page.

Goathland

North Yorkshire Moors Railway

GrosmontPickering to Goathland, Grosmont and Whitby
A heritage railway running for 18 miles through the beautiful scenery of the North York Moors National Park. The line runs from Pickering, through Goathland, one of Yorkshire's famous TV and film locations to Grosmont with some journeys extended over the Network Rail Esk Valley line to the picturesque seaside harbour town of Whitby. The 10,000-member charitable Trust behind the railway celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2017 and the line is celebrating the 50th anniversary of the restoration of passenger services in 2023. With more than 350,000 passengers a year the North Yorkshire Moors Railway is possibly the most popular heritage railway in the world.

For details see the

North Yorkshire Moors Railway website.

Whitby Abbey

Whitby Abbey illuminated at nightThe hilltop of the East Cliff at Whitby was first settled with a monastery in 657. It is of religious significance as the location of the Synod of Whitby of 664 where Christians in the then Kingdom of Northumbria adopted Roman rather than Ionian traditions as the norm when both had prevously been practised. The abbey church ruins exisiting today date from the 13th century. They are a significant landmark high above Whitby, which can be reached from the town via the flight of 199 steps. For the less energetic there is a bus service and a car park nearby. Though a substantial part of the abbey remains, it has over the years suffered the damage of storms and an attack on Whitby by the German navy in 1914. Fascinating finds are exhibited in the Abbey House, an extension of what was probably the abbot's house after the supression of the monastery. The abbey hosts events for wildlife spotters and for fans of Bram Stoker's Dracula. Whitby Abbey is managed by English Heritage.

More information at the

English Heritage - Whitby abbey website.

Find Whitby Abbey on map

Emergency services

North Yorkshire Police

North Yorkshire Police website.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service website.

Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust

Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust website.

HM Coastguard

Coastguard - Coastal safety webpage.

Local government

Civil parish council

Fylingdales Parish Council
Provides some local services in the area.
Link to council website:

Fylingdales Parish Council

Unitary authority

North Yorkshire Council

The North Yorkshire Council is a new unitary authority formed from the previous County Council from April 1, 2023. It covers the existing county duties including highways, schools, libraries and transport planning over an area of 3,109 square miles while also taking over the responsibilities of the seven huge district authorities also created in 1974 — Craven, Hambleton, Harrogate, Richmondshire, Ryedale, Scarborough and Selby — these including local planning, waste collection, street cleaning, parks and car parks, housing and markets serving a population of around 615,500*.

Councillors were elected to the County Council in 2022 and continue as councillors of the new North Yorkshire Council unitary authority. There have been a few by-elections to fill councillor vacancies since then.

Places in North Yorkshire

Link to council website: North Yorkshire Council

^ Area figure from ONS Standard Area Measurements 2022 (converted from hectares).
* Population figure from Census 2021 (combined total of former districts).
Contains public sector information licensed under the

Open Government Licence v3.0.

Political composition:

453CI 1311 NY Ind92 LC421

90 members

CI = Conservative & Independent NY Ind = North Yorkshire Independents group LC = Labour & Cooperative
Composition and groupings - source North Yorkshire Council (February 2024)

Strategic authority

York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority
The York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority was created in December 2023 combining the unitary authority of York and the unitary authority of North Yorkshire — that created in April 2023 after the abolition of the county authority and its seven district authorities. The combined authority will run some functions under the new mayor elected in May 2024 as part of the government's so-called "Devolution deal" which ties the availablity of funding to the new governance arrangements. As well as having powers over housing development, transport and boosting skills and education across the 3,214 square miles of York and North Yorkshire, the elected mayor also takes on the role and functions of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner across the area.

Elected mayor: ❚ David Skaith Labour & Cooperative

York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority website.

Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner

Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner North Yorkshire
Covers the county of North Yorkshire and City of York. This role is being transferred to the new elected mayor of York and North Yorkshire in 2024.

Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner North Yorkshire website.

Parliamentary constituency

Scarborough and Whitby
Elected MP: ❚ Alison Hume Labour

National government region

Yorkshire and the Humber

Ceremonial county

North Yorkshire

Historic

Scarborough district was one of seven large authorities abolished in 2023 as they were merged into a new North Yorkshire unitary authorityBefore 1974: Within the North Riding of Yorkshire.
1974 - 2023: In Scarborough district of new County of North Yorkshire.
2023: Scarborough district and the County of North Yorkshire were abolished as a new unitary authority of North Yorkshire was formed covering the county area and the seven large district authorities within it, including Scarborough district.

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