Pictures of Staithes

About Staithes

Spectacularly set along the North Yorkshire coastline is the pretty fishing village of Staithes, with only the Shetland Islands between it and the Artic, some thousand miles away to the north.

Two headlands guard the natural harbour - the nearby Boulby Head at 600ft is the highest in England. The huge cliffs around these parts are formed mostly of clay, thus causing the serious problem of erosion and Staithes is constantly retreating inland. The local inn has been washed away onseveral occasions and at the last inundation villagers witnessed the terrible sight of hundreds of bottles of Beer and Spirits bobbing around in the sea.

Historically, Captain James Cook resided and worked in Staithes for a Mr. William Sanderson who was a local Grocer and Haberdasher. He was born the son af a farm labourer who lived nearby at Great Ayton and it was Squire Skottowe, his employer, who was responsible for apprenticing the young James to Mr. Sanderson. The shop is long since gone having been washed away by the mighty seas that ravage this coastline but in Church Street, the cottage where Cook lived forms part of the Captain Cook heritage Trail which extends from Marton - his birthplace - to Whitby. In his day this was a very important port and it is from here that James Cook set out on his first sea voyage - in a collier. A statue of Captain Cook stands in Whitby, it bears the famous inscription " To strive, to seek, to find and not to yield". This most famous of Yorkshire's sons must be the finest example of - to coin a Yorkshire phrase "coming up from nowt".

Enough of the history, this pretty fishing village is sprawled around a naturally elongated harbour which is lined with cottage of all shapes and sizes. Many houses, some three and four stories high stretch out across the cliffs and their high vantage point allows for magnificent views of the tumbling seas below.

There is a strong fishing community in these parts and the little harbour is constantly alive with colourful fishing boats and their owners, many of whom sell their catch to the local hotels and inns. In Staithes, you can be quite certain that fish is always the dish of the day.

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