Cleveland Way - Whitby to Saltburn (★★★★★)

Living up in the North East - up between Darlington and Middlesbrough - one of my local stomping grounds over the years has been the North Yorkshire Moors - which offers a fairly quiet and peaceful place to go walk in pretty countryside, away from the crowds who generally tend to head west to visit the lakes.

While out walking on the North Yorkshire Moors, most of my walking tends to at some point follow the Cleveland Way - but despite having been very regularly out on this trail, I have at no point really attempted to try and complete the trail in it's entirety.

That is until this summer, when I am out on a bit of a mission to tick off the remaining sections of the path that I haven't naturally completed over the years. Prior to this year the remaining stretch has been the coastal section from Filey round to Saltburn. But by this point in the year, I have already completed the section from Filey up to Whitby via Scarborough - and so today I am heading out on the early train to Whitby, with a route heading northwards up the coast to Saltburn to complete the final missing section of the Cleveland Way.

Click on the link to see the writeup for the prior section from Scarborough round to Whitby. Alternatively click for a writeup for a walk from Commondale to Whitby along the River Esk.

Starting out so early it is a very quiet walk around Whitby with no one around, which turns it from a very busy touristy town, back into the traditional seaside fishing town that it once was.

All quiet at Whitby in the early morning

At this time of day the tide was sufficiently out to ignore the official route and to head out along the more attractive alternative option along the beach. 

On these coastal stretches, the path will always run inland to ensure that the route is always safe to walk along, but as soon as you get a beach section below that is walkable and that won't get you stuck - it is time to head down to the beach for a more enjoyable walk. The OS Maps will show a high tide mark and this combined with the tide times and shape of the beach will tell you what is - and isn't - going to be walkable.

Who are you looking at?

Looking back towards the harbor

The tide is up fairly close to the top of the beach and so I do briefly have to move back up onto the main path along the top of the beach, but it isn't very long before the stretch of walkable beach opens up again so once again I'm back down following the beach out from Whitby.

Despite it being reasonably early in the morning the beach is fairly busy with people out for a stroll or out for a dog walk, but it is a very pleasant stroll along the beach before it is time to head back up to the official route - as from Sandsend it is time to go up via the cliffs.

The next section of the route from Sandsend follows the path of the old train line, from the days when a line ran from Whitby (still operating trains to Teesside via the Esk Valley) to Saltburn (still operating trains heading northwards to Teesside via the coastal route to the north - plus some freight services down to Bolby).

The route initially heads north, but then bends round to the north-west - and it is here where it is time to leave the old route of the train line, as that route used to head on into a tunnel (which can still be seen but not accessed - for obvious reasons), and since the footpath can't go under the hill it must go over it.

This means climbing a fairly steep set of steps that aren't in amazing shape (UPDATE - these steps have been upgraded), but after a bit of a climb the path pops out in fields, well above the train line. 

From here the path heads north-west to rejoin with the coast line, which is then followed - with the original route of the train line clear to see in the landscape of the fields. 

Passing through the small village of Kettleness there is a parallel route option to follow the old train line which can be followed round to Runswick Bank Top. That said that route doesn't look particularly exciting to walk along from what I can see of it.

Instead the Cleveland Way route follows the prettier route along the cliffs, and at Kettleness there is a general uptick in the number of fellow walkers, following a quieter stretch to this point.

Then, not too far beyond Kettleness, the path starts its descent down towards Runswick Sands and having descended down to sea level there is the chance to swap to walking along the beach and take in the cove and Runswick Bay ahead.

Looking back towards Kettle Ness (with a space the rocks on the far left rather than the town)

Looking forwards towards Runswick Bay

The beach is both reasonably quiet for a busy beach on an August day and reasonably busy for an out the way coastal beach - and has strong traditional English seaside beach town - a classic beach to take kids to really.

Having reached Runswick Bay it is time to start to begin the climb up, back onto the cliffs above with a little pause having reached the life boat station, to take in the town for the last time.

A last look at Runswick Bay

The next bit of the climb up is a pretty steep section with a 25% gradient at the steepest section - which is steep in anyone's book.

But eventually you make it up to Runswick Bank Top, which is a slightly larger collection of houses safely up above the sea below - but also a very steep climb back up to when returning from the beach!

Here there are facilities on offer if required - but my journey heads on out over the fields to return to a clifftop route heading out along Lingrow Cliffs. Having cleared the minor peak on the route at High Lingrow, you reach Longrow Howe, with Port Mulgrave in the distance ahead.

Port Mulgrave ahead

Historically this was an ironstone exporting port, but these days it is more a collection of sheds down on the beach - more substantial houses sit on the cliffs above. It seems a bit nuts that this was a site used to ship iron out from, but tunnels used to run eastwards from the direction of Easington to Port Mulgrave - coming out I believe around the wooded area just above the shacks.

Staying up on the cliff top route and heading round past Port Mulgrave, the path heads past the small collection of houses up at the top of the cliffs and back into more rugged countryside.

Looking back from past Port Mulgrave

From here it isn't a long stretch before once again walkers become more common and as agriculture becomes more visible, with the path heading past some cows, who popped over to say a quick hello and give me a quick lick.

From here the path dips down into the small seaside town of Staithes and here once again there are facilities and refreshments on offer with quite a crowd out and about in Staithes for the day.

Heading through Staithes

Heading up out of Staithes

Having given up a lot of height on the way down into Staithes, it is now necessary to regain that height on the way back up.

Back up at the top, the route of the path follows some diversions where large sections of the cliffs - and substantial sections of both footpath and cycle path - have fallen into the sea. However, the top of the cliffs is a wide expanse and so the diversion passes by comfortably far away from the former path. This now takes you up to Boulby where a final look back at Staithes can be taken.

Final look towards Staithes (slightly off the path I think - for a better photo 😇)

There is a certain amount of height that has to be gained on the next section but continuing on it is not long until the path starts to descend once again - as the path readies to descend down to the very pretty - and often largely deserted - beach at Skinningsgrove.

Photo from just up the road from where the path pops out (the things I do for better photos!)

Once you drop down to the small town at Skinningsgrove, it is a short walk along the recently improved path along the harbor - before passing through onto the beach (Cattersty Sands) on the other side.

On a prior trip I have already walked from Saltburn to Skinningsgrove and so this is a very nice spot in which to realise that I have now walked (over multiple trips) the length of the Cleveland Way - and what a pretty spot to complete the walk at.

At some point along this beach it is time to head up inland and join up with the path - which starts climbing back up towards to top of the cliffs on the far side.

The beach from the far side (barely a soul in sight)

From here the path continues on along the cliffs heading north-west before a section where the (operational) train line passes close by the edge of the path at Hunt Cliff. 

The cliffs here are on an (albeit very slow) retreat inland so it is best not to go too close to the edge and next the path heads in a more westerly direction as the final walk into Saltburn begins. 

And so, it is not long before Saltburn fully comes into view and this is a much larger town on the route - which allows for a wander along the beach, stopping to enjoy some fish and chips. From here the train takes me on to head home.

Looking back towards the cliffs coming in from Skinningsgrove

From slightly higher up - the red shed is the top of the Cliff Tramway

Enjoyment Rating : ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ / 5

Click here to see a writeup covering the next section of the Cleveland Way, with a walk from Kildale to Saltburn.

Disclaimer: This writeup provides a narrative of what to expect rather than a route guide to follow. The route is covered by the 94 OS Landranger map - while there is also a Cleveland Way guidebook and an Yorkshire Coast Path guide book (covers Redcar to Humber Estuary) which includes OS mapping (links redirect to Amazon). The route is in general well way-marked.