SANDTASTIC
The incredible ‘invisible’ beach in a sleepy Yorkshire village – with 180-million-year-old treasures
A SLEEPY Yorkshire village has captured the imagination of tourists, with its stunning "invisible" beach and quaint cottages.
The small seaside town is home to golden sands, amazing fossils, a pub with sea views - and has an A-list Hollywood connection.
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Runswick Bay was voted one of the country's best by Time Out, who said its beach could barely be seen by visitors before they arrive at it.
However, once there, they say there is so much worth exploring, including the "impossibly sweet" cottages that overlook the sea.
They wrote: "Despite its glorious sweep, Runswick Bay is invisible until the last minute, when you crest an unassuming hill that leads down to it.
"From this point, surprises and hidden treasures unfold before you; the impossibly sweet village, comprising of 90 cute honey-coloured cottages capped with red tiles, doesn’t appear until you reach the bottom of the hill.
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"Closer inspection of the beach and bay reveals wooden huts, rock pools, picturesque staircases carved out of the cliffs and – at Kettleness – impressive fossils dating back 180 million years."
The beach itself has received a lot of praise from elsewhere, including on TripAdvisor, where it has an overall score of 4.5/5.
It also has a celebrity connection. Star Gwyneth Paltrow filmed the romantic drama Possession here in 2002 with Aaron Eckhart. Several of the scenes were filmed in and around Runswick Bay and on the shore.
Tourists say they are stunned by how quiet the seaside village is, as well as its views with some even saying they didn't know it was there until they had arrived.
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One wrote: "The most beautiful beach! The town was adorable with the most gorgeous and secluded beach. We walked for over 2 hours, all alone, on the rocky shore and had the best time."
Another said: "We stumbled across this bay by accident, and in the process found one of the most beautiful bays nestled in North Yorkshire."
A third added: "Stunning little place with a little pub bang in the middle looking over the sea. Great views from anywhere including the beach."
That little pub is The Royal, which describes itself as a "traditional British pub with beer garden that overlooks the sweeping bay, and provides the perfect view of the beach and cliffs".
On its website, the pub promises to provide a "warm welcome, roaring fires in winter, and home cooked meals at lunch and dinner".
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say it is a "must-visit" during the summer, particularly for the beer garden, voting it their favourite pub in the area.
Elsewhere, Tiktoker Claire () shared , describing the village as "so very wholesome".
What's more, Runswick Bay is just nine miles north of Whitby, so a visit to both places can be done during a weekend visit.
It's not only humans who like to pop in to Runswick Bay either, with dolphins also seen swimming in the waters near the beach.
Some were seen and leaping in and out of the clear water just last summer.
A night in Runswick Bay starts from around £42.50pp, while a night in the The Royal's sister hotel, the starts from £60pp per night.
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Meanwhile, this stunning seaside village you’ve probably never heard of named among the best in the UK…and it’s not packed with tourists.
And this "retro" seaside village was named the best UK coastal hidden gem.
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