G’day fine people of the interweb! If you’re anything like me, you love to get your hair wet (if you’ve still got any!). There’s something addictive about that bitter-sweet sting of saltwater in your eyes, and the electrifying feeling of cold water flooding your wetsuit, and believe me, there is plenty of cold water around North Yorkshire! Despite these somewhat mildly infuriating aspects, people all around the UK visit Cayton bay every year, and for good reason.
Judging by the fact you’re reading this post, I’m gonna’ assume that you’re either an avid surfer, a fossil hunter, one of our subterranean lizard overlords…. Or maybe you’re just after an idea your next beach trip. Whatever the case, if you’re lucky enough to reside near York, Lincolnshire or Scarborough, its pretty much right on your doorstep. I live on the outskirts of south Manchester, 2 1/2 hours away, and I would still make the drive for a day in the surf. That may be because im a surf-crazed lunatic, but I think it’s much more likely that the people and environment draw me back year on year.
But anyway, I’ll stop blabbering on about why I love it so much. Let me show you why you should spend your precious time visiting Cayton bay to surf, hike, fossil hunt and all sorts.
So where is it then?
Calm down, I’ll tell you! Cayton Bay is located 39.5 miles North East of York, 65.6 miles North East of Leeds, 92547025.3718 miles from Mars… and 5
miles South of Scarborough. Brilliant if you live anywhere in North England, but not so brilliant if you’re an extra-terrestrial.
If you live in Manchester, like your’s truly, it’s a fairly straight forward drive up the M62, then on to the A64. If you’re a Londoner its a 4 and a half hour drive up the M1, just be aware, this route has toll booths. If you don’t wish pay the charge, I dunno, use our tom-tom to find a different route, what am I, a sat-nav!? But maybe you live a little further, you could thinking whether it’s even worth the bother for a few days on the seaside. I mean, it can’t be that good, can it?
Why it’s ‘that good!’
It all depends on what you want to do when you get here.
If you asked me, I would say Cayton bay is most well known for its surf culture. It is renowned for having great surf. However, if you’re new to the surf scene, I would say that Cayton bay isn’t the greatest to start out without some professional help. In my experience, there can be a rather strong rip-current and, on occasion, the waves can get pretty big and pretty powerful. So if you’re no so confident in the water, I’d say head up to the Cayton bay surf shop and reach out to the guys at scarborough surf school. They teach pretty much anything you’d want to learn in terms of water sports, like surfing, kayaking, coasteering and stand up paddle boarding, to name a few. The reviews I’ve read suggest that they are brilliant to work with and very professional, so give em’ a shout 😉
The Surf shop is located right on the carpark and features board and wetsuit rentals, and a warm outdoor shower, complete with male and female changing rooms. Which truly is a godsend, especially when you’ve just got out of the sea, and the wind blows your rash vest against your skin, a phenomenon also referred to as “fucking dreadful!”
But if you’re an experienced surfer, depending on the forecast, you very well could have the surf of your life here. At low tide, there is a sandbar, and at high tide, a reef break, which can create some very nice waves for shortboarders, longboarders, and pretty much everything in-between! Check what the surf is doing on magicseaweed.com.
For more experienced surfers, your probably better suited to surf the North end of the bay, where there can be large, left handed waves. Another good spot for surfing is the middle of the bay during mid to high tide, where there can be hollow, glassy waves that are perfect for beginners and longboarders, (my personal favorite spot). The pump house is another good place to surf, with large, clean left hand waves that are perfect for experienced and seasoned surfers.
Cayton bay is an RNLI life guarded beach, so if you’re not the most confident in the water, you’ve got some protection. They patrol on weekends, bank holidays and the May half term, from the 4th of May to the 23rd of June. And then every day between 10am and 6pm 29th of June to 1st of September. Very handy dandy, if you ask me.
There are two ways to get down on to Cayton bay beach. My favorite is surprisingly, a massive pain in the arse… Or arms, depending on what you’re carrying! It is a rather long trek down a steep footpath on the surf school end of the beach, from the car park down the cliff side onto the beach, with a small flight of stairs at the bottom. However, on the left hand side of the beach, there is a much more pleasant flight of stairs that leads by a small beach shop, Lucy’s beach shack. The stairs lead down on to the beach, where you will be able to see multiple concrete bunkers and pillboxes, courtesy of the ministry of defense. More on those later.
The main car park is located just next to the Cayton bay surf shop. It is £2 for parking and is pretty much just a large field. Much nicer on the feet than concrete and tarmac if you’re planning on walking down to the beach bare-foot. As I said before, to get down to the beach from the car park, there is a long, steep concrete path. If you’re not very stable on your feet, I’d take great caution walking down to the beach if you do choose to take this route. In terms of accessibility for wheelchairs and pushchairs, I would say that Cayton bay is a no-go. However, just a 15 minute drive up the A165 will land you at Scarborough beach, which is wheelchair accessible.
bones n’ stones…
If you have a keen interest in pre-history, get to Cayton bay ASAP! Just a quick wander round the beach and you’ll come across gastropods, ammonites and all sorts of other stuff, fossilized in the rocks that litter the beach.
The best place to find fossils is on the foreshore, or buried among the oxford clay at the base of the cliffs. The beach is a site of special scientific interest (SSSI) because of the amount of fossils in the area. So, if you fancy playing ‘dino-hunter’ for the day, grab a hammer and chisel and head to Cayton bay. If you want to learn more about the fossils around Cayton bay, check out this article by ukfossils.co.uk.
It is a little known fact, that the expanse of water between Cayton bay (and most of the east coast of England), and mainland Europe, was once a stretch of land, the second most bio-diverse place on the planet.
The area was known as ‘Doggerland’, and there was known human habitation in the area. This is just a hunch, but I reckon, there’s a chance you could find evidence of humans or animals that once lived in the area. But hey, what do I know? I’m just a wannabe blogger!
World war 2 and the pillboxes…
As you meander across the shore, you’ll notice multiple concrete buildings scattered around the beach. These are actually ‘pillboxes’, a coastal fortification, built from 1940 to 1941 to protect the British isles from a possible German invasion. As you enter the pillboxes, you’ll notice large windows, this was the location for the soldiers to observe across the bay for German ships and landing crafts. And, if need be, fire from. It’s an Eire thought of a possible future that, thankfully, never came to be.
Operation sea lion was a plan devised by the Nazi’s for a full scale invasion of the United Kingdom. 67,000 Nazi soldiers would be sent across the channel to attempt to take our South East coast, and subsequently, take control of the U.K. So that they could focus on their main objective of invading the soviet union. Luckily, we won the battle of Britain and pulled a ‘switcheroo’, and with the aid of our transatlantic cousins, we took the beaches of Normandy, and the rest is history.
Now though, they are more used as a refuge for any poor sod that gets trapped down on the sand when the weather turns to shite… And unfortunately, are used as lavatories by a select few nobnecks. However, some local graffiti artists have used the walls of the 80 year old structures as their canvas, and have created some brilliant works of art! Whatever the case, they are fun to mess around in and climb on, and provide some really decent photo opportunities!
I’m bored of the beach, what else is there to do?
You’re bored of the beach…? Weirdo.
Well, to be honest, there is quite a lot to do. If you’re an avid hiker, take a walk on the ‘Cleveland way’ coastal path, which stretches 110 miles around the North York moors national park and surrounding coastline. There are some absolutely stunning views around Cayton bay and its neighboring beaches. A must-see for any budding photographer or indeed birdwatcher, as Cayton bay and the surrounding national park is known for it’s wide variation of birds. (have a look here for info on the North York moors.)
The Star inn is a local favorite pub located smack-bang in the Centre of Cayton. Great food and drinks and a very friendly and welcoming atmosphere. The tow bar is another pub that is greatly valued, located on Mill Lane, Cayton Bay. It has received numerous positive reviews. So if you’re around the area, pop in for a pint! There are plenty more pubs in Scarborough, just up the road (if you’re after a wider choice.)
Not satisfied with the beach for your nature fix? Visit Scarborough mere, a lake known for it’s wildlife, views and fishing. In the 20th century, Scarborough mere was famous for it’s clean waters, rowing and sailing areas, water sports and even being the site of a replica Spanish galleon that would take passengers across to ‘treasure island’, where tourists could dig up, well, treasure.
Unfortunately, maintenance of Scarborough Mere came to a halt, so it’s definitely not what it used to be. While many will say that the Mere has seen better years, it is still a very popular tourist attraction, just needs some proper upkeep. Luckily, a group of brilliant people, the ‘Scarborough Mere regeneration group‘, have their heart’s set on returning the place to it’s former glory. (Check em’ out!)
History more your thing? Get over to Scarborough castle. Just a 15 minute drive up the A165 from Cayton bay. I know I’m not Wikipedia, but I’ll do my best to explain some history of the place…
Built somewhere between 4.6 billion years ago and A.D. 2020 (but more specifically, about 800 B.C.) Scarborough castle has been a strategic stronghold, Roman signal station, German shelling target, Civil war battleground, prison and much more. I mean, the place has been here for thousands of years, it’s seen it all! For more information that goes slightly more in depth, visit english-heritage.org.uk. But yeah, if you’re up here anyway, you really can’t afford to miss Scarborough castle.
Where can I stay?
Josh, you know what mate, you’ve sold me! Where can I stay?…Chill, let me tell you.
A while back, my dad and I went to Cayton bay, we stayed in a campsite at the Caravan and motorhome club. Granted, I was pretty young (12 years, 7 months, 33 days and 680 seconds, to be exact.)
And from what I remember, it was really nice. A huge outdoor play park for the kids, (and slightly immature adults), and a fully furnished public bathroom, complete with warm showers, toilets and sinks (including disabled washrooms), laundry facilities, Wi-Fi, baby changing facilities, a multi-use games area and loads more. And the best part? Cayton bay is only about a mile away!
Funny story, I remember, once we were walking down from the campsite towards the beach, and there’s an underpass that goes under the road, and for some reason the whole floor was covered in hundreds of frogs. It was mad! Now, that had absolutely nothing to do with the campsite and was completely irrelevant in regards to the topic of places to stay in Cayton bay, but it’s a cool story… In my mind…
Any other places to stay? There’s a lovely B&B in Cayton village called the farrier. A traditional bed and breakfast with a modern feel, that is very popular with tourists and locals alike. Complete with a coffee house, gin and cocktail lounge, restaurant and ice-cream parlor! Definitely a place I’d be willing to stay at some point in the future, (maybe when I can actually afford to!)
So, there ya go! Cayton bay in a nutshell. Just to reiterate, it’s a fantastic surf spot for beginners (when lifeguarded, and speak to the lifeguards first about potential dangers, let them know you’re new to surfing and/or to that break), all the way up to advanced surfers, popular with bodyboarders, kayakers and stand up paddleboarders too, a great place to find fossils dating back millions of years!
For all the history buffs, explore the pillboxes and bunkers that litter the shore, for the wildlife enthusiasts and walkers, take a hike along the Cleveland way coastal path and take in the awe-inspiring views across this stretch of rugged British coastline, or look for the seabirds and wildlife that call the area home. Also, take a trip to Scarborough castle or the mere for a more in-depth take on the wildlife and history of Scarborough and Cayton bay.
If you can’t get abroad for summer 2020 and you’re clueless as to where to go this year, maybe take a look at my picks for the 5 most stunning south west beaches to visit this summer, and grab a few ideas! (you can thank me later!)
If you’re struggling on whether to visit North Wales now that coronavirus lockdown measures have been eased, check out my recent post for some advice! (here)
Cheers for reading 😉
~Josh
