Whitby Beach
NEED TO KNOW
Type of beach
Dogs
Dogs are not allowed on the beach betwen the 1st May and the 30th September. They are welcome on the beach at all other times, but must be kept under effective control.
Lifeguard
RNLI Lifeguard Patrol
Weekends and Bank Holidays Only
29 April-21 May
Daily 27 May-03 September
Patrol times 10am-6pm
Beach cleaning
Parking
Nearest town
Postcode
OS grid reference
What3words
ABOUT
Whitby’s main beach, also known as West Cliff beach, lies to the west of the mouth of the River Esk and is 3 miles of flat sand with a few rocks that offers everything you need for a traditional ‘bucket and spade’ day out.
Families and friends will enjoy building sandcastles, flying a kite, playing beach games, or simply relaxing in the sun with a good book. Pack a picnic or bring a disposable barbecue, but please ensure you clean up and take any rubbish home with you. At low tide rock pools are exposed which children will have fun exploring.
On calm days, Whitby beach is suitable for paddling and swimming, and during the summer, RNLI lifeguards patrol the beach. Look out for their red and yellow flags and always keep between them.
Surfing and paddleboarding are also popular with an exposed beach and pier break that has consistent, clean surf. Whitby Surf School located on the promenade offers lessons and group activities, as well as equipment hire and a small shop selling beach essentials.
Amongst the rocks and washed up on the shore, fossils can sometimes be found, in particular, ammonites and belemnites, as well as shells, plants, and bivalves. The area is also famous for Whitby jet, fossilised tree wood from the Jurassic period that has undergone over 100 million years of compression to form organic gemstones commonly used to make jewellery.
A row of colourful beach huts runs along the beach which can be hired annually, seasonally, and occasionally by the day from the council, although they are very popular and need to be booked in advance.
The estuary of the River Esk forms a natural harbour which has been developed over the centuries. Records date back to the 1300s when merchants from Northern Europe traded goods such as wine imports and salt herring exports with Whitby Abbey. Coal, whaling, fishing, and boat building were also important industries for Whitby, but today only a small fleet of fishing vessels remain, alongside yachts and pleasure boats.
Various companies offer angling and sightseeing trips that depart from the harbour, where you’ll have the opportunity to spot a wide variety of seabirds, as well as seals, porpoises, dolphins, and whales.
STAR SPECIES
A reminder of Whitby’s history as a whaling town is the Whalebone Arch which stands on a hill overlooking the beach. The original arch made from a set of jaw bones was erected in 1853 but was replaced once in 1963 with a replica presented to Whitby by Norway, and again in 2003 which came from a Bowhead whale killed by Alaskan Inuits. The original is kept in the Whitby Archives & Heritage Centre.
Next to the arch is a statue of Captain James Cook, who moved to the town when he was 17 to take on a merchant navy apprenticeship. His most famous ship, The Endeavour of the type known locally as a Whitby Cat, was commanded by Cook on his voyage of discovery to Tahiti, New Zealand, and Australia.
Today, a replica of the ship, the Bark Endeavour Whitby makes daily sailings throughout spring and summer, accompanied by commentary and traditional sea shanties to sing along to.
Walk along the stone West Pier that runs the length of the harbour to visit the 73 feet high lighthouse constructed in 1831 out of local sandstone. On the way you’ll pass the capstans and mooring posts before climbing to the top via 81 steps that circle a central column to be rewarded with spectacular views across the harbour.
Near the top of the pier is the RNLI museum housed in an historic Victorian boathouse which celebrates Whitby’s award-winning lifeboat history with a collection of paintings, medals, photographs, and mementos from famous wrecks and rescues. Today the RNLI lifeboat station is located on the opposite side of the River Esk on the smaller Tate Hill Sands beach.
At this end of Whitby beach, you’ll also find a bandstand, which hosts visiting musicians and performers throughout the summer, amusements arcades, fairground rides, mini bowling, and children can enjoy donkey rides across the sand when the tide is out. By the slipway, deckchairs, windbreaks, and parasols can be rented for a small fee.
If you want some time away from the beach itself there is an outdoor paddling pool, skateboard area, crazy golf, pitch and putt, trampolines, go-karting, and bumper boats situated just behind Whitby Pavilion that overlooks the beach.
Whitby is famous for its fish and chips, with The Magpie Café, arguably the most famous of its many fish restaurants, just a short walk from the beach. The distinctive black and white building was built in 1750 as a merchant’s house before becoming a shipping office and finally a café in 1939. It’s said to be haunted by a ghost called Albert but don’t let that put you off sampling the menu which, as well as traditional fish and chips with mushy peas, pickled eggs, and all the sides, includes a variety of seafood dishes such as dressed crab, prawn cocktail, lobster thermidor, and fish pie.
The menu at North Beach Café located on the beach has a range of takeaway breakfast, lunches, and snacks including toasted crumpets, sandwiches and rolls, jacket potatoes, homemade pizzas, hot dogs, cakes, and hot and cold drinks.
For ice cream, head to Trillo’s which has been making ice cream in Whitby for over a century. They source fresh milk and cream from local North Yorkshire farms to produce award-winning ice cream in a fantastic range of flavours such as cookies & cream, rhubarb crumble, banoffee, and blackcurrant and liquorice, as well as classic vanilla.
A first aid point, lost child centre, and public toilets with accessible facilities can all be found on the beach. There are also toilets in the town centre as well plenty of shops, cafes, restaurants, and pubs.
There are three large car parks on the top of the cliffs that run behind the beach as well as on-street parking and further car parks nearby. Access to the beach is via long access ramps from the cliffs and in the summer a lift operates from North Terrace to the sands below. All-terrain wheelchairs can be hired from the surf school.
AMENITIES
