Ah, Sandsend. Even the name suggests a nostalgic idyll, a journey’s end in a romantic coastal village that feels as though it hasn’t changed a bit for years.
A wide open beach that never gets too busy, a handful of smart cafes where you can enjoy a cuppa and a crab sandwich, and not a hint of the gaudiness or flash of some of the bigger resorts.
It’s not the easiest place to get to if you don’t have a car, but that just adds to its allure. If you want to travel by train, you’ll have to first find your way to Whitby via Northern Rail from Middlesbrough, or, if you really want to heap on the olde worlde charm, the steam-powered North Yorkshire Moors Railway from Pickering, then grab a bus, a cab or even Shanks’s pony – it’s only three miles up the coast. It’ll be worth it as you dabble your toes in the cool clear waters of Sandsend Beck, which divides the village and empties into the sea, providing a sandy home for a little colony of mallards.
Explore
Once you’re settled on that beach, with its views of Whitby Abbey in the distance, exploring might be the last thing on your mind. But fortify yourself with a slab of cake from the Sandsend Café, a handsome-looking wood-fired pizza from the Tides Beach Shop, a sizzling fish taco from new kid on the block The Fish Cottage or a butty from old favourite Wits End Café, and you’ll soon be raring to go.
A walk into glorious Mulgrave Woods is a must – it’s a haven for wildlife, and you can find the ruins of the Norman Mulgrave Castle. Do be aware, though, that the woods are privately owned by the Mulgrave Estate and only open to the public from dawn to dusk on Wednesdays, Saturdays, Sundays (and closed throughout May).
And naturalists will enjoy seeking out the former haunts of the great countryman George Bramwell Evens, better known as ‘Romany’ – a writer, and one of the earliest broadcasters on natural history on the BBC. Hull-born, he loved the North Yorkshire coast, and had a cottage at Sandsend. Wander down a snicket near the bridge that crosses the beck to find it, with a plaque placed there 20 years ago by the Romany Society explaining that it was here he wrote his 1941 book, Out with Romany by the Sea.
If you’re feeling sturdy, you could head up Lythe Bank to the village of Lythe – it’s about a mile – and check out St Oswald’s Church. A beautiful and ancient church, it’s home to an important collection of Anglo-Scandinavian carved stones, while its peaceful graveyard will be recognisable to Daniel Day-Lewis fans from that strangely disturbing movie Phantom Thread – he wanders elegantly amongst the gravestones early in the film.
Or follow in some very large footsteps with a walk to Whitby. It’s said that the route was once travelled regularly by the Maharajah Duleep Singh, resident in the mid-1900s at Mulgrave Castle (not the Norman ruin in the woods, but a later manor house on the estate). He liked to make the three-mile journey astride one of his two elephants, but built the road from Sandsend to Whitby when he noticed that the beasts didn’t seem to enjoy the feel of sand between their toes!
Bag a property
So you’re thinking of moving to Sandsend? I’d recommend that you’re at least one of these three things: (a) loaded, (b) very patient or (c) extremely lucky. All three would give you that extra edge.
Properties just don’t come available that often in this tiny and increasingly popular location. At time of writing, a Google search for ‘property for sale in Sandsend’ yielded just two results: a smart Edwardian semi on the market at £675,000, plus a selection of properties in Raithwaite Village, a new-build development clearly aimed at the second homers and buy-to-holiday-let brigade, with prices starting at £350,000.
Meanwhile, a private home with amazing sea views had just sold for over £600,000, and Rightmove tells us that properties in Sandsend had an overall average price of £580,000 over the last year. The majority of sales in Sandsend over the last year were terraced properties, selling for an average price of £800,000. Flats sold for an average of £360,000.
Town Life
Mike Marshall established Yorkshire Coast Fossils over 30 years ago, basing the business in Sandsend, which is perfect for exploring the coast and collecting the fossils and Whitby jet needed to sustain his growing business which has now expanded to include a gallery just up the hill from Sandsend in Lythe.
Mike says: 'I’ve explored this coast since I was a child, collecting the fossils, fishing the local cliffs, sea kayaking and simply just walking the beautiful coastline around Sandsend and Whitby.
'As well as the many the activities that can be done along the coast there are some splendid local business: a well-earned sandwich and coffee can be had at Sandsend Stores on the seafront in Sandsend, or maybe a meal and a pint at The Hart Inn.
'And afterwards, maybe a trip up the bank to Lythe to have a look in the Gallery at the fossils, Whitby jet jewellery and local photography - all produced by me!'
