The PERFECT Day Exploring Robin Hood's Bay in England

I don’t even know where to begin to talk about the small town of Robin Hood’s Bay.

It’s a magical little gem on the North East coast of England located in Yorkshire, England’s largest county.

Just a few miles away from Whitby, it’s very underrated for tourists outside of the country, but very popular when it comes to the good ol’ English weekend getaway.

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Exploring Robin Hood’s Bay

Robin Hood’s Bay is on my ULTIMATE list of things to do in Yorkshire.

About Robin Hood’s Bay

We’ll start with the fact that back in the 1700s this bay was used by smugglers! How cool is that? The village with its twisting alleys, winding roads, and underground tunnels, made for the perfect getaway.

So what exactly were they smuggling? Alcohol, tea, and tobacco to be sold on the black market.

Exploring Robin Hood's Bay | The Crave Traveler

Robin Hood’s Bay is thriving during low tide with ice cream trucks, horses trotting around, and families setting up beach chairs with a cooler next to them.

This is clearly the only time you are able to enjoy the bay without using a boat because when high tide rolls in, the bay comes right up to the sea wall.

So what is there to do in Robin Hood’s Bay? Or “Baytown” as the locals call it?

Well, you can pop into a cute cafe and have a cup of tea or stop by a pub on the waterfront and enjoy a local brew while you watch the tide roll in, you can take the kids down to the bay at low tide to run around the sand and go rock pooling or you can do what I like to do…. walk around and explore!

How to Get to Robin Hood’s Bay

By Car: Seriously, this the easiest way to get to here. Renting a car and driving around Yorkshire is the best way to see this magical county in England.

There are two pay and display parking lots to choose from and they are both at the top of the hill, unfortunately, you can’t drive to the bottom so prepare yourself for a steep climb on the way back.

By Train: The closest train station is Whitby. From York, it takes about 3 hours with one change. From Manchester, a little over 4 hours with one change. From London, a little under 5 hours with two changes.

It is impossible to take a day trip here by train (from the larger cities), so you will need to spend the night.

Once you get to the train station you can either take a taxi or the bus that runs every hour. It takes about 20 minutes to get to the bay from the station.

By NYMR: Or North Yorkshire Moors Railway. This is a heritage railway that runs right into the main Whitby station. The coolest part? IT’S A STEAM TRAIN!! (…most of the time. They do have diesel engines that run occasionally… you can check the website for engine updates).

You can start as south as Pickering, which is only about 20 miles away from Whitby, but this is more for the experience than the convenience.

Related Post: Taking the Steam Train on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway

By Bus: The bus you need to take is the X93 bus. It runs from Middlesbrough to Scarborough but stops in Whitby and Robin Hoods Bay.

It’s a cheap and convenient option. Also if it’s easier for you to get to Middlesbrough or Scarborough, then this should be your number one choice!

Getting to the Bottom of the Robin Hoods Bay

Once you arrive (whether it’s by bus, taxi, or you drive yourself) you will arrive at the top of the hill.

You can walk down the street that’s on the right and that will lead straight to the bay at the bottom or you can walk down the dirt path on the left side, just after the fence. (You can’t miss it!).

This is my favorite option because then you can walk down the maze of tiny streets winding between the cute cottages and bungalows.

Don’t be afraid to get lost, as long as you are walking down you will get to bay. (Trust me!) Also, isn’t it fun to get a little bit lost sometimes?

You can also check out the museum and the old coastguard station, all of which have free entry and you can find out a little bit of history about the town, shipwrecks, and the smuggling that went on.

There’s so much to do when to bay is at low tide. *Make sure you check tide times, especially if your time is limited here* If it’s a nice day then there’s a least one ice cream truck that drives onto the bay making it easily accessible to get your sweet tooth on while you are sunbathing.

I enjoyed walking around all of the bay and admiring the views. If you perch yourself on one of the larger rocks with a picnic and just watch the sea crashing against the cliffs in the distance, you will feel like the only person there. Trust me. Just watch out for the puddles of water that collect in the rocks around the bay… if you are clumsy like me, then your shoes (and the bottom of your jeans) will be soaking wet!

It’s also a great family day out as kids (and adults) can enjoy rock pooling or a pony ride around the bay.

Once you’ve gotten lost in the streets, explored the bay, and had a pint at the pub that’s the end of the coast-to-coast walk it’s time to head back.

You can either walk up the main street to the top or walk up the stairs to the right of the old coastguard station and you’ll come to a viewing platform that has some benches and you hang out here and watch the tide rolling in.

It’s normally a quiet spot to get away from those busy summer days.

If you want to keep exploring then there are some (almost) hidden stairs right behind you that seem to disappear into the hill. Walk up the steps and you’ll get some great views of the bay and an alternative way to the main road.

Note: this only takes you so far up. Once you get to a road, you can walk to the right and it will bring you to the main road, or you can continue through the maze of houses.

Now you’re back at the top of the hill and ready to leave the quaint little town of Robin Hood’s Bay. If you want to spend more time exploring then you can always spend the night in one of the cute, vintage cottages or an AirBnb.

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If you’ve been to Robin Hood’s Bay, I would LOVE to hear about your experience or if you have any questions just drop me a comment below!