A picturesque village in North Yorkshire known for its charming cobbled streets has been praised for its beautiful bay, which has been named one of the UK’s best winter beach destinations. Robin Hood’s Bay has a sandy beach with rock pools and fossils to explore, as well as a range of cafes and restaurants for visitors to enjoy. The village is popular during the summer months, but it has a lot to offer during the colder season, too. 

In fact, Robin Hood’s Bay has been dubbed the UK’s top winter beach location by Holiday Cottages, which said the destination was the perfect spot for a coastal stroll. The beach also offers space for dogs to “run wild” and there are also “plenty of rock pools to explore”.

The Robin Hood’s Bay and Fylingdales Museum in the heart of the village offers visitors the chance to explore collections and displays of local interest. A mile south of Robin Hood’s Bay is Boggle Hole, a small cove which has been worn away by the North Sea. 

Boggle Hole can be reached by the Cleveland Way footpath, which offers breathtaking views of the bay. This site is popular with fossil hunters and is also dog-friendly. One visitor said of Boggle Hole: “It is a lovely little walk from the village, fantastic views, and the added bonus of fossil hunting along the way.”

Another wrote on TripAdvisor that it had been “recommended as a good place to find fossils and not too crowded”, adding: “Much to my son’s delight we found five fossils quite quickly and had a lovely time skimming stones.”

For those wanting to know more about the local history, the Old Coastguard Station is a National Trust centre at the edge of the village. Visitors can learn about the area’s geology, the impact of climate change on the coast, and the local wildlife on offer. You can even grab a sandwich, pasty, hot drink or ice cream from the cafe, and there is a collection of second-hand books to peruse. 

One visitor of the beach wrote on TripAdvisor: “Fabulous historic village where every step and corner reveals another fantastic view and makes you fall in love with this gorgeous place again.”

Another commented on the “thrilling drive down” to the beach and explained that they enjoyed the walks around the “amazing location”. Meanwhile, a third said: “The whole area is stunning. Beautiful cliffs, great walking paths, and the town itself. Heaving in summer but better in other months.”

Someone else pointed out: “The views around are outstanding. It’s really so very pretty down there I can’t recommend highly enough.”