Saltburn-by-the-Sea is a coastal town located on the North Yorkshire coast about 5 miles from Redcar. The town was developed as a seaside resort in the latter half of the 19th century by Henry Pease after being inspired by what he had seen in Scarborough, and much remains today from its time as a popular Victorian Spa town.
The beach at Saltburn is 2 miles of sand and shingle backed by steep cliffs, with Hunt Cliff at the eastern end being one of the highest cliffs on the east coast of England. A promenade runs along the length of the beach.
With a long stretch of sand there’s plenty of space for building sandcastles or playing beach games, and children will enjoy a donkey ride. Or hire a deck chair and spend the day sunbathing or relaxing with a book. At low tide rock pools are exposed in which starfish, periwinkles, limpets, crabs, and sea anemones can be found.
On the promenade are a row of colourful beach huts which can be hired by the day. Made from insulated timber cladding and a metal roof, they are supplied with electricity and come complete with a sink, breakfast table, kettle, cups, cutlery, deck chairs, and a windbreaker.
On calm days, the sea is safe for swimming and during the summer, the beach is patrolled by RNLI lifeguards. Look out for their red and yellow flags and always stay between them.
Saltburn beach is popular with surfers with clearly defined waves and the pylons around the pier helping deliver a constant stream of left and right rips. Facing directly north, it has more swell than neighbouring beaches, but Hunt Cliff headland protects it from the wind.
Saltburn Surf School found at the back of the beach offers group and private lessons for surfers of all abilities as well as equipment and wetsuit hire. They also sell a range of new and second-hand gear.
Towards the eastern end of the beach is the Grade II listed Victorian pier, opened in 1869, and the first iron pier to be built on the North East coast. Originally over 460 metres long, it was reopened in 1877 at a reduced length of 380 metres, after the end of the pier was destroyed in a storm.
Further damage, in particular from severe storms in the 1970s, and years of neglect caused more of the pier to be lost and it now stands at just 208 metres long. At the turn of the century, it was completely restored including the installation of lighting under the deck which illuminates it at night.
At the top of the pier housed in a distinctive red and white building is an amusement arcade. Try your luck at coin pushers, shooting games, claw cranes, and slot machines with the chance to win prizes.
Opposite the pier is a 9-hole beach themed crazy golf course, which includes a beach hut to be played through and a lighthouse dressed in a traditional Argyle golf jumper.
Saltburn Miniature Railway opened in 1947 is a 15-inch gauge railway that runs from Cat Nab station by the beach through a wooded valley by Skelton Beck to the end of the line at Forest Halt. An Italian-style garden and a Victorian tea room selling homemade cakes, toasted sandwiches, and ice cream is nearby.
Just behind the pier is Saltburn Cliff Lift, the oldest water-balanced funicular still in operation in the UK providing access to the beach from the town centre. The aluminium and wooden cars have stained glass windows and their movement is controlled by a brakerman from his cabin at the top of the cliffs.
Hunt Cliff nature reserve managed by Tees Valley Wildlife Trust offers good opportunities for bird watchers. The cliff face is important for breeding seabirds such as kittiwakes, fulmars, and cormorants, and a colony of house martins.
In summer, look out for wildflowers and plants amongst the grass and scrubland including spiny restharrow, sea plantain, wild carrot, three species of orchid, and the rare dyer’s greenweed.
Manx and sooty shearwaters, gannets, terns, gulls, divers, and grebes arrive in autumn, while grey seals, dolphins, porpoises, and minke whales, can sometimes be spotted in the sea below.
On the reserve is a Grade II listed stone building known as the Old Mortuary. It was built in 1881 to house the dead bodies of sailors who had drowned at sea and washed up on the shore at Saltburn. It was in use until the 1960s, and since then has been used as a wood store, a photography studio, and was also used by Tees Valley Wildlife Trust. For a short time, it was open to the public who could view the interior that includes the mortuary slab.
The Cleveland Way passes through Saltburn and Hunt Cliff, and a pleasant walk will take you to Skinningrove, a quiet fishing village about 3 miles away. Leaving the reserve, look out for three sculptures by Richard Farrington – Trawl Door, with large fish and plankton, Pillar, a marker post supporting a chain of four metal sculptures, and Circle, often known as Charm Bracelet, which depicts aspects of local life.
Continue along the path besides the railway line, and on windy days take care not to venture too close to the cliff edge. On the approach to Skinningrove there are steps that take you down to the village.
Alternatively, when the tide is out, it’s possible to walk along the beach from Saltburn to Skiningrove but check tide times before you go.
For something to eat, head to The Ship Inn positioned next to the beach. Built in the late 1500s and supposedly haunted, the pub was once at the heart of Saltburn’s smuggling trade. John Andrews, known as the King of Smugglers, became landlord in 1780.
Today, The Ship Inn is a Greene King pub serving classics with a modern twist, but still retains its ‘olde worlde’ charm with original timbers and open fires.
There are numerous fish and chip shops in Saltburn including Oscars Fish and Chips and Cat Nab Fish and Chips right on the beach. And when you need to cool down, you’ll find plenty of ice cream parlours around the town. Be sure to try the lemon top, a local speciality, consisting of a creamy vanilla ice cream cone topped with tangy lemon sorbet.
There area car parks near the beach as well as roadside parking nearby. Public toilets with disabled facilities can be found on the promenade and near Cat Nab car park. There are also showers, changing rooms, foot washes, drinking water for dogs, and a defibrillator.
Access to the beach is via a slope or steep steps, or the Cliff Lift which provides wheelchair access but has limited operating hours.
