Staithes, North Yorkshire: Capture the charm of this photogenic seaside town

There’s a sort of unreality to Staithes – it’s as if it were someone’s dream of a fishing village.

Red-roofed cottages tumble down to the harbour and to broad Staithes Beck as it forces its way around imposing cliffs and out to sea.

One sinuous line of old dwellings seems so irretrievably trapped between the river and a headland that they begin desperately climbing the cliffs looking for a way of escape.

And rather than making do with one seaward landing place, or ‘staithe’, Staithes has two, hence the name.

Where is Staithes?

The seaside town of Staithes is in North Yorkshire, between Boulby and Port Mulgrave. And only 10 miles from Whitby, if you find yourself visiting the atmospheric location of Bram Stoker's Gothic novel, Dracula.

What to see and do in Staithes

There’s so much to photograph in such a compact space that it’s difficult to know where to begin.

Down at the harbour, perhaps, where fishing boats still seek shelter from the vicissitudes of the North Sea? On the slender cobbled streets flanked with colourful terraced houses? Or on the path near Cowbar Bank, whose view down onto old Staithes is frequently sited as one of the finest in England?

If only all dilemmas were as pleasurable.

Housed in a former Methodist chapel, Staithes Heritage Centre brings the history of the village to life and tells the story of Captain Cook, who served his apprenticeship there.

Runswick Bay - a short walk from Staithes

Wander along the coast path to sheltered Runswick Bay – a photogenic half-moon of cliffs, expansive, wide beach with rockpools at low tide and eponymous fishing village.

Runswick Bay has so many second homes and holiday lets that most of the year its picturesque narrow streets and vertiginous steps take on the feel of an abandoned film set.