The River Esk splits Whitby's own sand in two.
West of the West Pier is the long West Cliff beach, with the chalets, deckchair hire, RNLI lifeguards in summer and an Excellent water rating; its harbour end is closed to dogs from May to September, but that ban stops halfway along the chalets, so dog walkers carry on west towards Upgang. East of the river, Tate Hill is a small, sheltered patch of sand under the old town where dogs are allowed all year.
North along the A174, Sandsend shares the Excellent rating and adds seafront cafés, with lifeguards from May weekends and daily from 11 July in 2026, and a summer dog ban along the village frontage. Runswick Bay is the sheltered one: a curve of sand between two headlands, no dog restrictions, rock pools at low water and a Good rating. Staithes, further up the coast, is a small harbour beach tucked behind its piers.
South of town, Robin Hood's Bay is a short strip of sand in front of a rock platform of pools and fossils. It has no lifeguards, the lowest rating of the four designated bathing waters here (Sufficient), and a shore walk to Boggle Hole that is closed for three hours either side of high tide. For swimming between the flags in season, pick West Cliff or Sandsend; for a calm bay with a dog, Runswick; for rock-pooling on a falling tide, Robin Hood's Bay.
Lifeguards: the 2026 season. Water: the latest official bathing-water classification. Every fact links to the page it came from, checked 27 October 2026.
Summer dog ban Lifeguards in summer Excellent water (2025)
The town beach starts at the West Pier and runs north-west under the West Cliff, with the beach chalets along the promenade and the abbey on the far side of the harbour mouth. Lifeguards, hire stands, toilets and a café make it the family choice; past the halfway point of the chalets the same sand carries on as Upgang, outside the summer dog ban.
Surface
sand
Dogs
Banned 1 May to 30 September from the West Pier to the beach steps about halfway along the chalets; the sand west of that line, towards Upgang, is outside the ban. Dogs must be on a lead all year on the promenade between Whitby Pavilion and the western end of the chalets. Source
Lifeguards
RNLI lifeguards 10am to 6pm in the 2026 season: weekends and bank holidays 2 to 17 May, then daily 23 May to 6 September. Source
Facilities
Beach chalets, deckchair and windbreak hire, a children's paddling pool and donkey rides; the council also lists a café, toilets, a first aid point, a lost child centre and a slipway. Source
Access
The council says everyone can get onto the beach at Battery Parade. The cliff lift on North Terrace has been shut since April 2022; in March 2026 the council withdrew the free summer bus that replaced it and commissioned a new survey and costings for reopening the lift. Source
Parking
Council car parks on the West Cliff: West Cliff car park on Pavilion Drive (439 spaces), plus Pavilion Drive and Pavilion Top car parks on North Terrace. Open 24 hours; charges 9am to 6pm from 1 March to 31 October. Source
Water quality
Excellent in 2025, the Environment Agency's classification for Whitby. Source
Dogs allowed Lifeguards not stated Not a bathing water
A small, sheltered beach on the east side of the harbour beside Tate Hill Pier, below the old town and close to the foot of the 199 Steps. It is the sand where Bram Stoker ran the Demeter aground in Dracula, and with no summer dog restriction it is the old-town option for dog owners between May and September.
Surface
sand
Dogs
Allowed all year. The 2024 dog order put Tate Hill under a May-to-September dogs-on-leads rule; the order the council now lists as active, in force from 5 June 2025, does not include it. Source
Water quality
Not a designated bathing water, so it is not sampled.
Summer dog ban Lifeguards in summer Excellent water (2025)
A long, gently sloping beach in front of the village at the foot of Lythe Bank, where two becks cross the sand to the sea and concrete defences back the shore. Cafés on the seafront, summer lifeguards and an Excellent rating make it the main swimming beach north of the town; fossil hunters and anglers use it too.
Surface
sand and shingle
Dogs
Banned 1 May to 30 September along the village frontage, from the steps below the public toilets at Sandhills to the slipway at the southern end of Bank Bottom car park; the sand south-east of Sandhills, towards Upgang and Whitby, is outside the order. Source
Lifeguards
RNLI lifeguards 10am to 6pm in the 2026 season: weekends and bank holidays 2 to 17 May, May half term 23 to 31 May, weekends 6 June to 5 July, then daily 11 July to 6 September. Source
Facilities
The council lists a café or restaurant, toilets, a shop and a pub nearby. Source
Parking
Council car park on Lythe Bank (98 spaces), open 24 hours; charges 9am to 6pm from 1 March to 31 October. Source
Tides
At low tide a wide area of sand is uncovered and the sea can be a long way out. Source
Water quality
Excellent in 2025, the Environment Agency's classification for Sandsend. Source
Dogs allowed Lifeguards in summer Good water (2025)
A sheltered bay of sand below the old fishing village, with steep clay cliffs and woodland running south to the far headland and the Hob Holes caves, which are best looked at from a distance because of rockfalls. The two headlands tend to calm the water for swimming, paddleboarding and kayaking, and the low-tide rock pools and fossils make it a good beach for children and dogs alike.
Surface
sand
Dogs
Allowed all year; Runswick Bay is not covered by the council's dog control order. Source
Lifeguards
RNLI lifeguards daily 10am to 6pm from 11 July to 6 September in the 2026 season. Source
Facilities
Public toilets just off the beach above the beach café; cafés and pubs in the village. Source
Access
Paths wind down through the old village to the café that marks the way onto the sand. Source
Parking
Pay and display car parks at Bank Bottom and Bank Top. Source
Tides
For rock-pooling and beachcombing, set out at least an hour before low tide; in summer the Runswick Bay Rescue Boat posts daily tide and safety notices on the beach. Source
Water quality
Good in 2025, the Environment Agency's classification for Runswick Bay. Source
Dogs allowed No lifeguards Sufficient water (2025)
A short beach at the bottom of the old smuggling village, which the Environment Agency puts at about 200 metres, opening at low tide onto a wide rock platform of ridged scaurs and pools. It is a rock-pooling, fossil-hunting and beachcombing beach more than a sunbathing one, and at low water the shore leads south to the cove at Boggle Hole.
Surface
rock and sand
Dogs
Allowed all year; Robin Hood's Bay is not covered by the council's dog control order. Source
Lifeguards
Not lifeguarded. The RNLI's 2026 North Yorkshire patrols covered Cayton Bay, Filey, Sandsend, Scarborough North and South Bays and Whitby, with Runswick Bay added from 11 July. Source
Facilities
Public toilets at the Old Boathouse in the Dock by the slipway, and at the Station Road and Bank Top car parks at the top of the village; cafés, pubs and shops in between. Source
Access
On foot down the steep old village street to the slipway at the Dock; there is no public parking and vehicle access is very difficult beyond the small roundabout by the Victoria Hotel. Source
Parking
Pay and display car parks at Bank Top and Station Road in the upper village, at the top of the bank. Source
Tides
The shore route to Boggle Hole is cut off for three hours either side of high tide; the Cleveland Way along the cliff top is the alternative. Check the tide times before going out on the rocks. Source
Water quality
Sufficient in 2025, the Environment Agency's classification for Robin Hoods Bay. Source
Dogs allowed No lifeguards Not a bathing water
A small harbour beach between the headlands of Cowbar Nab and Penny Nab, shielded from rough seas by the piers and rock armour, with fishing cobles moored in the beck alongside. The council recommends the protected sand for children to play on; it fits into an afternoon in the village rather than filling a whole beach day.
Surface
sand
Dogs
Allowed all year; Staithes is not covered by the council's dog control order. Source
Lifeguards
Not lifeguarded. Staithes was not among the beaches the RNLI patrolled in North Yorkshire in the 2026 season. Source
Facilities
Public toilets at the Bank Top car park by the Gateway Centre and at the bottom near the harbour, both accessible with a RADAR key; cafés, pubs and galleries in the village. Source
Access
No car access into the old village; walk down the steep bank from the car parks at the top. Source
Parking
Pay and display parking at Bank Top, where there are two car parks run by different operators. Source
Water quality
Not a designated bathing water, so it is not sampled.