Fylingthorpe

Fylingthorpe sits just inland from the cliffs of Robin Hood's Bay, a village of stone cottages and narrow lanes spread across the parish of Fylingdales in the North York Moors National Park. Where its more famous coastal neighbour draws the crowds down to the harbour, Fylingthorpe keeps a quieter, more workaday character: a farming and fishing community turned holiday base, with a primary school, a village hall and a scattering of pubs and shops that serve locals as much as visitors. The name is thought to derive from the Old English for marshy ground, a nod to the boggy land that once separated the settlement from the sea.

The village looks out over some of the most dramatic scenery on the Yorkshire coast. To the east, the land drops away sharply to Robin Hood's Bay and the North Sea; to the south and west rises Fylingdales Moor, open heather moorland crossed by ancient trackways and dotted with Bronze Age burial mounds known locally as Robin Hood's Butts. On clear days the moor is dominated by the distinctive pyramid radar structure of RAF Fylingdales, a working early-warning station that has stood on this high ground, in one form or another, since the 1960s. Between moor and sea, Fylingthorpe makes an excellent, less crowded alternative base for exploring one of England's finest stretches of coast.

Top things to do in Fylingthorpe

Fylingthorpe rewards walkers and anyone happy to trade souvenir shops for open skies, though Robin Hood's Bay's cobbled charm is only a short stroll away. Highlights nearby include:

• Robin Hood's Bay — the tightly packed fishing village of red-roofed cottages and smugglers' passageways tumbling down to the sea, a ten-minute walk from Fylingthorpe and one of the most photographed spots on the Yorkshire coast.
• The Cleveland Way — the long-distance national trail runs along the clifftop right past the village, giving spectacular walking in both directions along the Heritage Coast towards Ravenscar or Whitby.
• Fylingdales Moor — open heather moorland rising south of the village, criss-crossed with footpaths and bridleways and home to Bronze Age burial mounds and standing stones.
• Robin Hood's Bay Museum — a small volunteer-run museum in the old village telling the story of its smuggling past, fishing heritage and shipwrecks.
• Ravenscar and the old spa — a short walk or drive south along the coast, where the remains of a Victorian resort look out from high cliffs over the bay, with National Trust displays on the area's geology and history.
• North York Moors National Park — Fylingthorpe sits within the national park boundary, giving easy access to miles of heather moorland, forest and dale on top of the coastal scenery.
• Fossil hunting on the beach — the shoreline below Robin Hood's Bay is a well-known spot for finding ammonites and other fossils in the rock pools and scree at low tide.

Getting to Fylingthorpe

Fylingthorpe lies just off the B1447, about six miles south of Whitby and a similar distance north of Scarborough, both reached via the A171 coast road. The nearest mainline railway station is Whitby, connected by bus to Scarborough, from where regular trains run to York, Leeds and beyond; there is no railway station in the village itself. Local buses link Fylingthorpe and Robin Hood's Bay with Whitby and Scarborough, useful for those visiting without a car, though a car makes exploring the wider moors and coast considerably easier. Parking in the village is limited, and Robin Hood's Bay's own steep, narrow streets are best avoided by car altogether — most visitors park at the top of the bay and walk down.

Best time to visit Fylingthorpe

Late spring through early autumn brings the best of the weather for coastal walking and beachcombing, with long daylight hours for tackling stretches of the Cleveland Way. Summer is busiest, particularly in Robin Hood's Bay itself, so those wanting quieter lanes and easier parking may prefer May, June or September. Autumn brings the moors above the village into a haze of purple heather through August and early September, while winter offers a wilder, emptier version of the same coastline, popular with walkers who don't mind bracing weather and shorter days.

Where to stay in Fylingthorpe

Accommodation in and around Fylingthorpe ranges from bed and breakfasts and self-catering cottages in the village itself to holiday parks and campsites on its outskirts, many making the most of the moor and sea views. Robin Hood's Bay, a short walk away, adds a further concentration of cottages and small guesthouses converted from old fishermen's houses. Staying in Fylingthorpe rather than the bay itself tends to mean easier parking and a quieter night, while remaining within easy walking distance of the coast path and the bay's pubs and galleries.

Food and drink in Fylingthorpe

The village has a handful of pubs serving the local community and visiting walkers, while Robin Hood's Bay nearby has a good spread of cafes, seafood spots and traditional pubs, including the well-known Bay Hotel at the bottom of the bay, a popular finishing point for those completing the Coast to Coast walk. Fish and chip shops and tearooms in the bay make the most of the daily catch landed along this stretch of coast, and further afield in Whitby there is a much wider choice of restaurants, including some of the region's best-regarded fish and chip establishments.