Fylingthorpe

Fylingthorpe and its surrounding villages offer a good spread of places to stay for anyone wanting to explore this stretch of the North Yorkshire coast without the crowds of nearby Whitby or Scarborough. Traditional bed and breakfasts and stone-built guesthouses are dotted through the village and along the lanes towards Robin Hood's Bay, many run by locals who know the coastal walks and moorland paths well. Self-catering cottages, often converted farm buildings or fishermen's houses, are popular with families and groups wanting a base for a week of walking, fossil hunting and exploring the wider North York Moors National Park.

For those who prefer to stay closer to the sea, Robin Hood's Bay itself, a short walk downhill from Fylingthorpe, has a concentration of small hotels and guesthouses tucked into its cobbled streets, though parking there can be difficult and rooms book up quickly in summer. Fylingthorpe makes a practical alternative, with easier access by car and usually better value, while still being close enough to walk down to the bay for dinner or a pint. Further along the coast, Ravenscar and Whitby add more choice, from clifftop hotels with sea views to budget-friendly guesthouses near Whitby's harbour and abbey.

Whichever village is chosen as a base, this part of the coast rewards those who book ahead, particularly in summer and around school holidays, when accommodation across the whole Robin Hood's Bay area fills quickly. Autumn and winter stays tend to be quieter and often cheaper, ideal for those chasing bracing coastal walks and heather-clad moorland views without the crowds.

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.

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.

Fylingthorpe and the surrounding North York Moors National Park offer some of the most dramatic camping country on the Yorkshire coast, with sites making the most of clifftop views, moorland skies and easy access to Robin Hood's Bay. As with the rest of England, wild camping on this land is illegal without the landowner's permission, whether that land is farmland, moorland or National Trust property along the coast; campers should always use a licensed site or seek permission in advance, particularly given the fragile heather moorland and ground-nesting birds found across Fylingdales Moor.

The terrain here is a mix of exposed clifftop and rolling inland moor, so weather can change quickly even in summer, and sites tend to be more sheltered a little inland around Fylingthorpe and the neighbouring villages than right on the coast path itself. Camping and touring parks in the area range from simple, quiet fields with basic facilities to larger holiday parks with full hookups, shops and play areas, many within walking distance of the Cleveland Way and the beach at Robin Hood's Bay.

The best camping weather runs from late spring to early autumn, when longer days suit walking the coast path or exploring the moors, and the heather is at its most spectacular through August and into September. Summer holidays bring the busiest period, so booking ahead is worthwhile for the more popular sites near the bay. For those wanting more comfort without giving up the setting, glamping options in the area include shepherd's huts, pods and yurts, often on working farms with views out towards the sea or across the moor, giving a softer introduction to this stretch of coast for those not keen on canvas.