Staithes

Staithes sits in a cleft between Cowbar Nab and Penny Nab, two high cliffs, with the beck running out through a stone harbour and the houses packed so tightly that the lanes between them are alleys. James Cook was apprenticed to the merchant William Sanderson here as a teenager in 1745 and 1746 before moving to Whitby and going to sea; the shop was lost to the sea around 1850, and parts of it went into Captain Cook's Cottage on Church Street. The village drew a group of around fifty artists, the Staithes Group, who painted the fishing life in a manner influenced by French plein-air work; Laura Knight was among them. Cobles, the traditional flat-bottomed North Sea fishing boats with high bows, still work from the harbour in small numbers. A mile to the west, Boulby Cliff was for a time quarried for alum.

What to look for

• The cleft harbour - a village packed between two high cliffs.
• The Cook connection - the shop where he was apprenticed before going to sea.
• The Staithes Group - a colony of around fifty painters of the fishing life.
• The cobles - traditional high-bowed boats still working the harbour.

When to go

April to October; the annual arts festival in September opens houses as galleries. Storms in winter drive spectacular seas into the harbour, which is a genuine draw for photographers.

Good to know

Cars must be left at the clifftop and the walk down is steep, with a hard climb back and no shuttle. The village floods in storm surges and has been evacuated. It is small, with a handful of pubs and cafes and little else.

Nearby

Runswick Bay is south along the coast; Whitby lies further on.

Key facts