Rock-hopping at Hayburn Wyke
Hayburn Wyke Cloughton North Yorkshire YO13 0AU
You don't have to get far out of Scarborough to find unexpected coastal gems like Hayburn Wyke, a hidden, boulder-strewn bay that's as far removed from fish and chips and amusement arcades as can be imagined. Access is from the old Scarborough–Whitby railway line (the Cinder Track), or nearby Cleveland Way footpath – the Hayburn Wyke Inn is a popular starting-point – and although it's only a short walk (say thirty minutes there and back from the pub) it's one of those magical places where you could happily spend hours, especially if you have children with you. The coast here is part of the North York Moors National Park, so it's a protected landscape. The path drops down through a wooded ravine and emerges by a twin waterfall, below which curves a remarkable bay filled with millions, possibly billions, of variously coloured pebbles and rocks, and seaweed-covered boulders the size of human heads. They're built for rock-hopping, all the way to the water's edge and back, while the pools and crevices are filled with the flotsam and jetsam brought in by the tides. Kid heaven, basically. To make more of a walk of it, when you head back up the path look for the signposted Cleveland Way trail on the left and walk south along the coastal path towards Cloughton Wyke, from where you can stroll back along the Cinder Track to the pub (4 miles total).
