Seaton Hall - Seaton Mote

Staithes is a working fishing village on the North Yorkshire coast where narrow streets drop steeply to a harbour still busy with boats. The village has a handful of galleries, cafes and fish restaurants; Whitby is a short drive away. Seaton Hall, an ancient manor with documented history stretching back over a millennium, sits in private grounds here, and Seaton Mote—a substantial five-bedroom, five-bathroom house—occupies part of the estate. The property takes its name from the walled moat that once surrounded the hall and now forms part of the grounds; ducks nest in the reeds there.

The house holds ten guests across five bedrooms: two doubles on the ground floor, three further rooms (a double and two twin singles) upstairs, each with ensuite facilities. Downstairs, an open-plan kitchen and dining room sits alongside a separate living room with a 50" television; the kitchen is equipped for cooking proper meals rather than heating ready-made food. Parking for five cars is available on site. Oil heating, electricity, bed linen, towels and Wi-Fi are included; a travel cot and highchair are on hand for younger children. The grounds include a fenced pond ten yards from the house. No smoking is permitted inside.

The setting suits groups and large families planning to stay put for a week rather than use the house as a base for day trips, though the coast and Whitby are accessible by car. Staithes itself, with its steep cobbled lanes and fishing heritage, rewards a slow exploration on foot.