Nearest train station: Whitby
Robin Hood’s Bay is a traditional fishing village situated on the cusp of the North York Moors and in between the popular seaside resorts of Whitby and Scarborough.
While famed for its fishing history and quaint Cornwall-esque appearance with narrow streets and cosy pubs, Robin Hood’s Bay beach is a great spot for open water and wild swimming.
The larger beach, which lies to the south of the village is more popular with tourists, though we recommend taking the coastal path by the Victoria Hotel down to the beach and taking a left, which offers a sheltered, more private cove that is a great wild swimming spot at low tide.
You can also head north from the village on the way to Whitby, with the coastal path offering several smaller bays along the way that at low tide also serve as great wild swimming locations.
How to Get to Robin Hood’s Bay Beach
We’ve provided detailed instructions on how to get to this location by various means of transport below, as well as general travel information nearby.
By car
Enter the postcode YO22 4QN into your sat nav, which will take you to the car park at the top end of the village. The village is located just off the A171 which connects Whitby and Scarborough.
Once here, you can either head down into the village bringing you out to the larger, more popular beach, or head onto the coastal path and take a left to the aforementioned smaller, more private cove that lays directly beneath the cliff where the Victoria Hotel is located.
By public transport
The nearest train station is Whitby, which is situated 6 miles north. You can also get a train to Scarborough, which is around 15 miles south of the villages.
Wherever you’re coming from, the X93 bus, which passes through Middlesborough, Guisborough, Whitby and Scarborough, will get you to Robin Hood’s Bay.
By bike
We love combining a wild swimming trip with a bit of cycling and the North Yorkshire coastline offers the Cinder Track, which offers a traffic-free coastal path that runs from Scarborough to Whitby, covering everything in between.
Here, you can take full advantage of this particularly stunning stretch of the North Yorkshire coast and enjoy all the beaches and their wild swimming opportunities as you breeze through on your ride.
What else is nearby Robin Hood’s Bay?
As we’ve alluded to already, the North Yorkshire coast has some pretty spectacular beaches for wild swimming occasions. Head north and you’ll arrive at Whitby, famed for its abbey and Dracula connections, and the adjacent North York Moors has plenty of lakes, streams and waterfalls for further wild swimming adventures.