ROBIN HOOD’S BAY

Robin Hood’s Bay is a pretty village of pantiled cottages tumbling down the steep hillside towards the North Sea. Its quaint cobbled pathways and…….

Read it all before? A million words have been written about Robin Hood’s Bay, all pretty much the same and all of them falling way short of capturing its real charm. Not because the writers are inadequate but because this tiny village has a truly unique way of getting into your soul and then making you believe that you’re the only person who feels that way about it.

As a young teenager in the early 1970s, my parents took me to Bay for the first time, having been told that it was a must-see place. At that time, the sea wall was under construction. We stood at the top of the bank and looked down on a dirty village, full of machinery and looking like a nightmare holiday destination. Nevertheless, having come a long way, it was only fair to walk down and see it close up. It didn’t look much better. But somehow we felt compelled to stay. None of us could explain the hold that the village had on us but we all felt it. Thus began a lifetime of yearning to return and we did, as often as our lives would allow. Bay always felt more like home to me; more so than my real home town and the many other towns in which I have lived.

For those of you who can empathise with this, I’m obviously trying to preach to the converted. For those of you who have never been (and I can’t believe there are many of you out there), try it out. Not everyone likes Bay but the chances are that it will become your place too.

Parking in Bay

Fisherhead Car Park – turn right through the gateway just after passing Muir Lea Stores and the bridge over the beck in the lower village. Passes are available from The Old Drapery opposite the Laurel Inn and are sold on a first-come, first-served basis. They cannot be ordered in advance. Passes are available for any number of days but are few in number and are quickly sold out at busy times. Some properties have their own parking passes for Fisherhead. These must be returned to the cottage when you vacate.

Parking in the top village

The car park opposite the Victoria Hotel at the top of the bank is a Scarborough Borough Council car park and charges apply (except in the winter months when the Council covers the pay meters). You can purchase a pass from Station Road Post Office (100 metres further up the road). The pass does not guarantee you a space but does allow you to park free of charge in other SBC car parks in the borough and is useful, therefore, if you intend to visit other places during your stay.

At busy times, the much larger SBC Station Car Park is situated further still up the village. Street parking is available on Mount Pleasant North, South and East. Please be careful not to block anyone’s driveway. During the winter months, parking is allowed on double yellow lines in the TOP VILLAGE ONLY. Please see the official signs for exact dates. On no account must you park (except for loading and unloading) in the lower village.

Services and Eating Out.

The Old Bakery Tea Rooms. Bob and Olga Bainbridge 01947 880709.
Serves lunches and fabulous homemade cakes. Try a fluffy coffee. It’s great.

Swell Café Bar. Jason and Jane Brine 01947 880180.
Contemporary and sleek. A bit more expensive but worth the treat. Gift shop full of things you’d sell your Granny for.

The Bramblewick Restaurant for breakfasts, lunches, afternoon tea and dinner. 01947 880960.

The Wayfarer Bistro, Station Road, RHBay, 01947 880240.

Great food in a relaxing atmosphere.  Open from 6pm Tues to Sun.  Sundays are steak-n-bake nights.  Grill menu plus bottle of wine, £30 per couple.

Muir Lea Stores for general groceries and greengrocery, speciality wines and mead, fresh bread, coal, stamps, confectionery and more. Chris and Tony Frankland 01947 880316.

Station Road Post Office, Newsagent, General Store and Off Licence. Brenda and Steve Smith 01947 880202.

Maryondale Fish and Chip Shop. Sue and James Verrill 01947 880426.

The Book Shop, Chapel St. for a good selection of bestselling titles, autobiographies and Penguin classics.

Ashley’s Gifts, Chapel St. Lovely greetings cards and inexpensive, unusual gifts.

Also in old Bay:

• An old-fashioned sweet shop where you can still buy pineapple chunks, rhubarb and custard and sweet peanuts.
• A good selection of book and gift shops, galleries and cafes.
• The National Trust’s Old Coastguard Station visitor centre.
• Neil, the ice cream man.
• 3 pubs, two of which serve food all day.
• A chocolate fountain.