Cool Place of the Day: Rock-hopping at Hayburn Wyke

Rock-hopping at Hayburn Wyke

We love the North Yorkshire Coast, and you don’t have to get far out of Scarborough to discover unexpected coastal gems such as Hayburn Wyke, a hidden, boulder-strewn bay that's as far removed from fish and chips and amusement arcades as you can imagine. You can walk here on the old Scarborough-Whitby railway line – otherwise known as the Cinder Track – and although it's only a short walk (about 30 minutes there and back from the popular Hayburn Wyke Inn) it's one of those magical places, where you could happily spend hours, especially if you have children with you. 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. 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 (four miles total).

Cool Places is a new website from the creators of Rough Guides and Cool Camping, suggesting the best places to stay, eat, drink and shop in Britain (coolplaces.co.uk)