Staithes

This walk from the picture postcard fishing village of Staithes, follows the Cleveland Way, with epic views of the coastline and cliffs, and then ends up with  some woodland walking.

 Staithes

 Route of the Staithes Walk

Getting ThereFrom Middlesbrough, follow the A174 coastal route via Loftus Bank, the Staithes turn off is a left turning after you pass through Easington.The WalkParking can be found at the top of Staithes on your right. The road into Staithes is very steep and parking at the top avoids driving your car down the bank on the narrow road into Staithes.From the car park turn right and follow the bank down into Staithes admiring the fishing villages cobbled streets and quaint buildings. There's a nice pub on the sea front which you can return to after the walk if your thirsty for a drink!You can also explore the village a bit before your walk and have a bite to eat. Staithes is a unique village and merits extra time to explore!

Leave the village by a narrow street to the right of the Cod and Lobster pub. You should pass the house where Captain James Cook once lived and follow the coastal path up a series of steps. This is the climbing part of the walk, and at least you get it out of the way at the beginning. The climb is a gradual one. Go past the farm and out onto open fields.

                                           Cleveland Way signOnce you reach the top of the gradual climb you will be rewarded with stunning coastal views.

  

 Follow the Cleveland Way towards Port Mulgrave. On reaching Port Mulgrave, following the road away from the sea, you should reach an old style telephone box. Turn right opposite the phone box into a lane between two large houses.  Keep left beyond the houses and cross three fields until you reach the A174 road. Cross  the A174 to reach the slip road opposite and then down some steps. Follow the path down into the woodland valley.  Cross Dales Beck over a footbridge, then follow the path uphill and to the left. 

 

Footbridge over Dales Beck 

 

Turn right at the junction of paths and walk to a gate at the end of the wood. Walk along the long narrow field and go through a short belt of trees. The track now descends steeply towards a wooden bridge by the caravan site.

Cross the bridge and follow the caravan access lane as far as the road.Turn right at the road and follow it as far as the A174. Cross over and turn left back into Staithes. Now where was that pub again?StaithesStaithes has a sheltered harbour, bounded by high cliffs and two long breakwaters. A mile to the west is Boulby Cliff where, for a brief period, alum, a mineral used to improve the strength and permanency of colour when dying cloth, was mined. The mining operation ended when a cheaper chemical method was developed. The ruined remnants of the mines can be seen from the cliff top when walking the Cleveland Way between Staithes and Skinningrove.Staithes is a destination for geologists researching the Jurassic (Lias), strata in the cliffs surrounding the village. In the early 1990s, a rare fossil of a seagoing dinosaur was discovered after a rockfall between Staithes and Port Mulgrave to the south. This fossil has been the focus of an ongoing project to remove the ancient bones of the creature. Port Mulgrave remains one of the best places on the northern coast to find fossils of ammonites and many visitors spend hours cracking open the shaly rocks on the shoreline in the hope of finding a perfect specimen.The permanent population of the village has dwindled due to more than half of the houses being second homes owned by outsiders from cities such as Leeds and York and further afield. Even though fewer than half of the houses in the village are occupied by local people, the traditions of the village have not yet died; many of the local women still wear Staithes bonnets, and the Staithes Fisher Men's Choir is still going strong. There is active local participation in the local RNLI Lifeboat crew.The CBeebies series Old Jack's Boat, starring Bernard Cribbins, is set in and filmed in Staithes, with Old Jack's house located at 4 Cowbar Bank in the town.There is a local pub crawl known as the "Roxby Run". This starts at the "Fox and Hounds" in the nearby village of Dalehouse then goes to Staithes

Athletic Club, the "Captain Cook Inn", the "Black Lion" (now closed) the "Royal George" before finishing at the "Cod and Lobster" on the harbour.