North Yorkshire - Smugglers' Coast

This route has been re-compiled for 2011

This was a smugglers' coast, if ever there was one. Gin, tea, brandy, tobacco, all brought ashore through 'the baytown' as Robin Hood's Bay was known, during the 18th century. The fishing village was so notorious that a detachment of dragoons was sent in 1774 to assist the excise men, who were subject to violent resistance whenever they tried to seize contraband.

The hotel at Ravenscar was where a certain Bram Stoker stayed and developed the idea for a novel called 'Dracula'. The town of Whitby, further up the coast, was where, in the book,  Dracula landed in England. On this route you will visit the old railway platform at Ravenscar, where you will discover a secret history of what the town may have become.

	There are restrictions on taking your car down into the village and it therefore involves a very steep walk down and back up again. If you have difficulty in climbing up steep hills then you won't fully enjoy this route. However, Robin Hoods Bay is well worth the visit if you can make it.

Web sites that may be of interest to you when using this route DiscoverYorkshireCoast.com Bayfair.co.uk robin-hoods-bay.co.uk

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