FAQ
& more photos
The general questions are useful for for anyone new to Staithes.
What and where is Staithes?
Staithes is a village in North Yorkshire, a natural harbour where Roxby Beck meets the sea, surrounded by breathtaking coastal scenery. It's on the Cleveland Way with delightful walks both along the clifftops and inland. There's a sandy beach, a stony shore and piers for fishing.
A visit Staithes is like stepping back in time. Picturesque, higgledy-piggledy cottages with red pantiled and grey slate roofs are grouped around tiny yards, up steps, down winding cobbled streets or through a maze of alleyways - all steeped in history.
Staithes is perfect for an unforgettable family holiday or a romantic getaway for a couple.
What is there to do in Staithes?
Exploring Staithes is an adventure, with it's nooks and crannies, the beach, mysterious paths, stepping stones over the Beck, rural walks, a mindbogglingly narrow street, quirky shops, fishing, the museum, unexpected views and timeless appeal.
(I'll put my health and safety hat on now). If you go crabbing on the rocks at Staithes, have fun but take care - the tide comes in twice a day and the sea completely covers the rocks, so be aware of the changing cycle of the tide, don't go alone, make sure someone knows where you are and when to expect you back, keep away from the cliffs and don't stray too far up or down the coast from the village.
Staithes is a great base to explore the North Yorkshire Coast and the North Yorkshire Moors National Park. There's lots to do, such as:
Are there any pubs in Staithes?
Yes - three - and all do great food. The George on the High Street, The Cod & Lobster overlooking the beach and the Captain Cook at the top of the village.
Where else can we eat out locally?
There are cafes and a bistro in Staithes village as well as plenty of good pubs and restaurants in nearby villages and towns. The Fox and Hounds (TS13 5DT) at Dalehouse is a short walk from Staithes but take care as there is no footpath on the narrow road. Hinderwell and Runswick Bay are less than 3 miles away. The Ellerby Inn is 4 miles from Staithes (TS13 5LP) to the south. Going further afield, there are plenty of eating options in the Victorian market towns of Saltburn to the north and Whitby to the south.
Where is the fish 'n' chip shop?
Excelsior, 4 Staithes Lane - up up up the hill (not Cowbar Bank - the other hill) and keep going - it's on your left.
Where are the nearest shops and supermarkets?
The Co-op general store on Whitby Road at the top of Staithes village, open until 10pm. Further afield, down the coast there are two large supermarkets in Whitby, about 12 miles from Staithes - a Co-op by the railway station (YO21 1YW) and a Sainsburys Superstore on the outskirts of town (YO22 4NL.) The large Asda at Skelton (TS12 2ZL) is next to a large Aldi, 9 miles from Staithes. A small Co-op (TS13 4HA) may be found at Loftus, 4 miles from Staithes and there's a Sainburys by the railway station in Saltburn (TS12 1DG) which is 9 miles up the coast. And if you can't do without your Marksies trifles, it's 15 miles to M&S at Guisborough (TS14 7DL)
Staithes also has a scattering of small independent shops to explore in the old village itself. Art galleries, crafts, boutiques, a delicatessen, a sweet shop and even a museum. Everything from logs for the wood-burning stove to a bucket-and-spade for the kids to take to the beach is around. And please buy something from the Lifeboats shop, to support the RNLI.
Yes. Check that these programmes are up-to-date before you set off.
Where are the closest petrol stations to Staithes?
Why can't I get a phone signal?
How do we get to Staithes?
- If you are coming by car to Sea Haven, you don't need to worry about parking. We have a (free) parking space for you, right next to the cottage.
- If you are coming by car to Staithes but staying somewhere other than Sea Haven, check whether a parking solution is provided. Finding parking can be very difficult in Staithes during the summer, so think about pre-arranging somewhere to park. There are two paid car parks at the top of the south side of the village, which currently cost between £48/week (council) and £70/week (private) during the summer.
- If you're coming by train, Saltburn (9 miles up the coast from Staithes) and Whitby (12 miles down the coast from Staithes) are the closest mainline stations.
- From Saltburn railway station, take a taxi or bus X4 or X4a (route Middlesbrough - Saltburn - Staithes - Whitby).
- From Whitby railway station, take a taxi or the X56 bus (route Whitby - Staithes - Guisborough - Middlesbrough) or the X4 or X4a bus (Whitby - Staithes - Saltburn - Middlesbrough).
- If you arrive by bus, get off at Staithes Lane End bus stop, walk along Staithes Lane and down the hill into the old village.
What emergency services serve Staithes?
- Coastguard 999 Police 999 Ambulance 999 Fire 999.
- 24 hour Accident and Emergency (22 miles from Staithes) - James Cook University Hospital, Marton Road, Middlesbrough, TS4 3BW, 01642 850 85024
- Whitby Hospital - 01947 899 200, Spring Hill, Whitby YO21 1DP, 8am-8pm, minor injuries unit
- 111 is NHS telephone service for medical help fast but not for life-threatening situations
- Staithes Surgery - 01947 840 480,- Mon-Fri 9am-6pm, welcomes non-residents, has a dispensary, Seaton Crescent in the upper village (TS13 5AY)
- Chemist / pharmacy - Lloyds, 26 High Street, Loftus (TS13 4HA) 01287 640 301 and - 4 miles from Staithes
- Chemist / pharmacy - late night to 10.30pm or 10pm Sat. 4pm Sun - Tesco Superstore, W Dyke Rd, Redcar (TS10 2AA) - 16 miles from Staithes
- Power cut - fuse box is behind front door (Sea Haven only); if whole street phone 105
- Water / flood - stop-cock is in the kitchen cupboard opposite the cooker (Sea Haven only).
- The Beck Veterinary Practice - 01947 82033 High Stakesby YO21 1HL, 10 miles from Staithes
Tourist and general information tends to change over time so you are encouraged to email us with interesting updates or corrections.
How do we get to Sea Haven?
Does Sea Haven have a smoking policy?
Smoking inside the cottage is strictly forbidden.
You may choose to smoke outdoors, for example sitting on the terrace overlooking the sea.
When is bin day?
Friday morning (early). Please leave the bin at the bottom of the steps.
We pay the local council extra so that the bin is emptied weekly, not fortnightly.
Please make sure that everthing in the bin is bagged. This is important as the bin lorry is too big to get down the hill so they use an ordinary van. Anything that isn't bagged cannot be taken away.
If possible, get rid of as much rubbish as you can (get it ready Thursday evening) rather than leaving it all until your last day as a courtesy to the next guests who won't arrive to find a full bin!
Make sure you parked tightly so that there will be room for the bin van to get past.
When is bin day?
How can we connect to wi-fi broadband?
The password is posted around the cottage as well as on the router in the main bedroom (behind the TV).
If the wifi goes down, you will find guidelines with what to do in the cottage.
What if we bring a second car?
We provide only one parking permit, so...
... if you bring a second car see the general section of these FAQs, above, for parking solutions.
Do you offer Short Breaks and discounts for couples at Sea Haven?
Spring, Autumn and Winter: short breaks of minimum 3 nights are avalable
Spring, Autumn and Winter: 20% discount for couples who do not need the top floor bedrooms.
Summer (July and August): only full weeks from Saturday to Saturday are bookable.
Short breaks are minimum 3 nights so we do not offer periods that would leave a gap of only 1 or 2 nights before/after existing bookings.
See our Book page for the latest availability and pricing details.
Is Sea Haven one of the cottages known as "The Fishermen's Cottages"?
Yes. For about two decades, yorkshireholiday.com used the title
The "Fishermen's Cottages" as the online presence of both Sea Haven (3 Cowbar Bank) and two neighbouring cottages who didn't have their own website, including Old Jack's cottage from the kid's TV series Old Jack's Boat.
20 years later, the neighbours have developed a separate website also adopting the title "The Fishermen's Cottages".
It makes no sense to have two websites with the same title so in 2022 we started to use "Sea Haven fisherman's cottage" for 3 Cowbar Bank, combining the cottage name and singular of 'fishermen's cottages', retaining the positive associations of our history as the home of The Fishermen's Cottages.
Are there two cottages called Sea Haven at Staithes?
No - but another cottage has a remarkably similar name!
We are Sea Haven, a terraced fisherman's cottage on Cowbar Bank
The name of the other cottage, which is on the other side of the village near the Cod & Lobster, is a single eight-letter word comprising the two words Sea and haven.
So the other one is called S....... (We don't use the word here as we don't want to confuse the search engines!)
So far, no-one ever turned up at Sea Haven looking for S......
Staithes is a quirky kind of place, so the co-existence of Sea Haven and S....... only adds to its mystique.
How is Sea Haven heated?
Sea Haven has electric heating including night storage heaters, wall heaters, infra-red panel heaters, an electric towel rail, an electric stove. Winters can be cold on the Yorkshire coast so we provide plenty of heating. The night-storage heaters heat up at night and release heat during the day. The other heaters have energy-saving rollback timers, so you can turn them on whenever you need them and they will turn themselves off again up to 6 hours later. If it's still cold just switch them on again. If you've gone out for the day, you won't be heating empty space.
We also have a an Aga wood-burning stove in the living room, which you are most welcome to use for cosy fireside evenings. We do not provide logs / kindling / firelighters/matches, which you can find for sale in the village (max. log length 25cm). We encourage you to support local businesses, but in the case of logs we feel it's only right to point out that if you buy them in the village you have to lug them over the bridge and up the hill, so if you come by car you might want to pick up some logs on the way!
We keep a steel fireguard behind one of the armchairs, which isn't strictly necessary for a stove but it's a good idea if you have kids around as the stove gets HOT. Look out for a blue laminated instruction sheet which shows how to use the stove.
More photos of Sea Haven and Staithes? Of course!
This picture postcard view is what you see from Sea Haven
Staithes Beck from above
Staithes from far above
Branding is as branding does
A woodland walk at Staithes.
Sea Haven fisherman's cottage - Staithes - view from Roxby Beck
View from Sea Haven
Minions invade Staithes
Plastic duck race - an annual village event on Staithes Lifeboat Weekend
to raise funds for the Lifeboats (Royal National Lifeboat Institution)
Staithes harbour from below... in the sixties
There are also many other lovely holiday cottages in and around Staithes. We recommend:
... and finally...
What if we bring a second car?
Is Sea Haven one of the cottages known as "The Fishermen's Cottages"?
Are there two cottages called Sea Haven at Staithes?
How is Sea Haven heated?
More photos of Sea Haven and Staithes?
This picture postcard view is what you see from Sea Haven
Staithes Beck from above
Staithes from far above
Branding is as branding does
A woodland walk at Staithes.
Sea Haven fisherman's cottage - Staithes - view from Roxby Beck
View from Sea Haven
Minions invade Staithes
Plastic duck race - an annual village event on Staithes Lifeboat Weekend
to raise funds for the Lifeboats (Royal National Lifeboat Institution)
Staithes harbour from below... in the sixties
There are also many other lovely holiday cottages in and around Staithes. We recommend:
- Staithes Old Chapel - a large, stylish house on Staithes High Street which sleeps 8/9 and is owned by the little boy at the front of the picture immediately above!
- Staithes View at nearby Grinkle, which has two bedrooms and overlooks rolling fields and the sea.
... and finally...
- A visit to Staithes is a great opportunity to support the Lifeboats by donating, or by buying Lifeboats merchandise at the RNLI shop at the bottom of the bank (by the lifeboat station).