Sandsend

Sleights holiday 8

There is a two-mile long beach to the north side of Whitby, which ends in cliffs at the village of Sandsend (its name being a bit of a giveaway!) I arrived there soon after breakfast. There was already little space to park the car and people were beginning to set up camp for the day on the beach. The tide was at its lowest, so most folk were sensibly enough settling well above the high tide mark, to avoid having to move later on. 

I decided I'd explore the little village first. I've driven through it on the coast road before now, but never stopped to investigate. It turned out to be quite pretty, with cottages of stone, stucco and those lovely red clay pantiles, all arranged around a couple of becks that flow into the sea. I think most of the cottages are now holiday lets but were originally homes for fishermen, and workers at the nearby alum works and on the Mulgrave Estate, which still owns some of the land. There were once two villages, Sandsend and East Row but the two merged into one. There was a railway here between 1855 and 1958, originally presumably to facilitate the alum workings, but the easy access led to a growth in tourism

I was a little surprised to see a thatched cottage, next door to the pub. The quaint, two-bedroomed Hart Cottage is Grade II listed, built in the late 17th century - and you can rent it for your holidays, should you so wish.