Runswick Bay, East Yorkshire Coast

Askrigg
Aysgarth Falls
Bempton Cliffs
Beverley
Bingley
Bradford
Bridlington
Burnsall
Burton Agnes Hall
Castle Bolton
Castle Howard
Clapham
Flamborough Head
Fountains Abbey
Goathland
Grassington
Hardraw Force
Halifax
Harrogate
Hawes
Haworth
Hebden Bridge
Helmsley
Heptonstall
Holmfirth
Howden
Hubberholme
Humber Bridge
Hutton-le-Hole
Kettlewell
Kilburn
Kilnsey Crag
Knaresborough
Lastingham
Malham
Muker
North Yorks Railway
Pickering
Reeth
Richmond
Rievaulx Abbey
Ripley
Ripon
Robin Hood's Bay
Runswick Bay
Saltaire
Scarborough
Semer Water
Settle
Sewerby Hall
Skipton
Staithes
Tan Hill
Thirsk
Whitby
York

Runswick Bay has been inhabited since before Roman times, as burial mounds found on the moors behind the village suggest, but never has its appeal been more apparent than now. This delightful hideaway, with its steep track down into the bay, is another picture postcard example of the East Coast delights, its sheltered anchorage offering an ideal spot for fishermen, whalers and smugglers.

The Preventive Service was still active on this part of the coastline as late as 1828, when smuggling began to decline. Now the same beaches which were the stamping ground for illegal traders are appreciated by visitors who wander round the tiny back streets of the blue and white painted village to the north or down the narrow alleyways which link the tiered stone cottages to the south.

The lifeboat has an extraordinary history - on one occasion is was manned entirely by women when their men were caught in a freak squall. The old thatched coastguard's cottage, life-boat house and boat park still stand at the edge of the village, but only by good fortune.

Over the years Runswick has suffered the ravages of time and terrible weather and in 1682 a landslide destroyed the entire settlement with the exception of one cottage. Fortunately no-one was hurt because two mourners attending a wake realised what was happening and evacuated the village. A new community was built on the cliff side but its precarious position has always made it vulnerable to the forces of nature. Another landslide in 1858 destroyed a small iron-smelting works and cracks were appearing in the cottages as late as 1969, but the completion of the sea wall in 1970 hopefully secured the future of Runswick once and for all.

Home | Video Clips | Feedback | Map | Video | Goodies | Links