Photo of Runswick Bay, a village in the North York Moors, North Yorkshire, northern England.

© mattbuck / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0

Runswick Bay

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Runswick Bay was the Sunday Times’ Beach of the Year in 2020, and it’s easy to see why — a curve of golden sand under a huddle of red-roofed cottages clinging to the cliff. It’s a lovely spot for a swim, a paddle or a fossil hunt, though parking is limited and the village lanes are steep. Staithes is the next cove up the coast to the north.

More places to visit near Runswick Bay

Photo of the North York Moors, a National Park in North Yorkshire, northern England.

North York Moors

You’re inside itNational Park near Rosedale Abbey

The largest heather moorland in England, purple in late summer, edged by a fine coast.

Photo of Saltburn Pier, a landmark near Staithes in the North York Moors, North Yorkshire, northern England.

Saltburn Pier

Landmark near Staithes

The last surviving pier on the Yorkshire coast, a slender Victorian iron walkway over the surf.

3.7 km NW

Photo of Staithes, a village in the North York Moors, North Yorkshire, northern England.

Staithes

A former fishing port squeezed into a cleft between high cliffs, its cottages painted and Cook once apprenticed here.

4 km NW · North Yorkshire

Photo of Saltburn Cliff Lift, a landmark near Staithes in the North York Moors, North Yorkshire, northern England.

Saltburn Cliff Lift

Landmark near Staithes

A working Victorian water-balance funicular carrying visitors between town and pier.

4 km NW

Photo of Whitby, a swimming spot near Sandsend, North Yorkshire, northern England.

Whitby

Designated bathing water near Sandsend

Harbour town, 199 steps and Dracula lore.

9.3 km SE

Photo of Screaming Tunnel, a landmark near Whitby, North Yorkshire, northern England.

Screaming Tunnel

Landmark near Whitby

A keyhole-shaped stone passage off Whitby's Khyber Pass, beloved of Dracula fans and of anyone who wants to hear their own scream come back at them.

10 km SE