URPoint Details
Sheltered between the twin headlands of Cowbar Nab and Penny Nab, the sea has played a major role in this now peaceful fishing village where its alleyways and steps make a maze of steep corridors between the cottages.
Adventures and tragedy of the sea includes the legend of Beowulf, the 6th century Viking hero, who it is said is buried at the top of Boulby Cliff. The American John Paul Jones raided the village for supplies in 1779, and a large number of the local men were press ganged, fought and died at Trafalgar or spent years in Napoleonic prisons.
Cowber Lane leads to England’s highest perpendicular cliff, the 700ft Boulby Cliff, 2 miles west.
The High Street has a number of lovely stone buildings, including the parish Church of St Peter the Fisherman.
Location: 9 miles northwest of Whitby
- Type:
- Landmark