There is nothing better on the Yorkshire Coast than a walk round Runswick Bay. In times past it was a smugglers village and the bay provided a perfect, secretive landing spot. Fortunately the village itself is still a delight.
I find a walk around Runswick Bay a lovely place to potter. In fact it is probably my favourite section of the Yorkshire Coast. I can justifiably recommend a walk along the sands and rocks to Kettleness with a return via the Cleveland Way (or reverse it and return via the sands). There is a path that picks its way along the rocks under Kettleness which can provide an alternative but it is really little more than a awkward exploration of the rock pools!
The village itself was once a busy fishing port. The sandy section of the beach near the village home to many brightly coloured fishing vessels. The bay itself provide a perfect shelter from the rough weather. Now the village is more of an attraction for tourists, the re roofed, tightly packed buildings making it a real pleasure to explore.
Picking your way along the sea front, exploring the rock pools and watching for the lifeboat brought back pleasant memories of childhood holidays of St Abbs (80 miles up the east coast). Only the seagulls interrupt the tranquillity of the area. There is nothing of note at Kettleness so take a snack and move closer to the cliffs for one of the best views in Yorkshire.
A walk round Runswick Bay must include sitting on the benches outside the cafe whilst waiting for the few remaining fishing boats to return. It is an excellent way to wile away the time.
There is an alternative route from Kettleness dropping more directly to the western end of Runswick Bay.
Disappointed by this walk. The exit from the beach was slippery and fairly treacherous for 40 yards. Wanting to avoid this on the return we returned by the old railway which was a sunken track with very few views
Runswick Bay is certainly a lovely spot – but worth saying that this walk doesn’t work at high tide, as there isn’t a path inland at the Runswick end (well, we couldn’t find one anyway……).
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