Welcome to the village of Runswick Bay, which is nestled at the northern end of a lovely sandy beach, sheltered from the northerly winds that blow along this coast. For years the only road into the village was steep and winding, in 1962 a new road was opened and although still steep it is much straighter. At the bottom of the hill are car parks for both residents and visitors.

Today there are approximately 40 residents permanently living in the village but these are swelled in the summer months to hundreds by visitors either staying in or visiting the village for the day. Burial mounds found on the moors behind the village suggest that it has been inhabited since before Roman times.

In 1664 Runswick Bay lay at the other side of Lingrow Beck. However with the exception of one cottage a land slip caused the whole village to slip into the sea. At the time many of the villagers were attending a wake and a late comer noticed the land slipping away under his feet. With the help of other mourners he was able to warn the rest of the villagers most of them running to safety. It is said that the only house that did not slip away was the dead mans. The village was rebuilt but in 1858 another land slide occurred destroying a small iron-smelting works. Land cracks were still appearing in cottages in the 1960’s so in 1970 a new sea wall was built to prevent this.

This pretty bay provided a safe haven for fishing boats for over 600 years. Fishing involved the whole family with the women and children preparing the mussels for baiting the lines. On the return of the boats they then gutted and salted the catch. In the mid 1800’s there were up to 20 cobles fishing out of the village, but by the early 1900’s, the industry was starting to decline and the villagers had to look for other ways of making a living. Some of the men worked in the alum quarries at Kettleness and later at the Grinkle Ironstone mines.

Others used their cobles to take visitors out to sea for trips along the coast or on fishing trips. In 1870 the institute was opened and to this day is still the centre of village life. In the past it provided a meeting place for the fishermen when the weather was bad, a small hospital where locals provided hot drinks and blankets for shipwrecked sailors and of course entertainment. The small Methodist Chapel was built in 1829 by the women of the village. Behind it is one of two springs in the village were the women collected water every day. The whole of the village was not connected to a mains water supply until the 1950’s.With the arrival of the railway in the 1880’s the village began to change as new houses were built at the top of the bank and as the villagers moved shops closed and Runswick Bay became a holiday village by the 1940’s.

Smuggling was also a good source of income for the villagers. The little secluded coves around the coast and the nearby woods provided an ideal place to land and hide illegal goods. The preventative service could still be found in the area until 1828 when smuggling started to decline.

In the Southern part of the bay are caves were legend has it that the Hob lived. The Hob was thought to cure whooping cough and mothers used to take their children there and shout:

Hob Hole hob
My bairns getten’t kink cough
Tak’t off tak’t off

In recent times, the picturesque village of Runswick Bay has become a great favourite for tourists. Artists love to paint the pretty pan-tiled, white painted cottages and the lovely bay with its golden sands. They are following in the footsteps of the Staithes group of artists who painted a large number of views of the village. The old coastguard cottage was until recent years the only thatched cottage in the area. It is now a Grace and Favour residence of the Marquees of Normanby. It is a joy to explore the windy paths and imagine what life must have been like, all those years ago, in a busy little fishing village on the North Yorkshire Coast.

Local Amenities

Public toilets
Public car park
Public phone box
Public house
Hotel

Runswick Bay Beach and Sailing Club was founded in1953 by a group of friends it soon developed into a popular venue. In the summer sailing craft are out most weekends. Originally established as a sailing club in 1998 it became a beach club as well. The club house offers such facilities as a kitchen, dining area, bar, deckchairs and basic changing rooms with hot showers. Day memberships are available for visitors.

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