Ravenscar

Most of the Yorkshire coast sells you a harbour. Ravenscar sells you height, space and unfinished history. Once known as Peak, it was the site of one of Britain's earliest chemical industries, where alum was worked from locally quarried shale until synthetic production killed the trade and the last works on this coast closed in 1871. The Peak Alum Works site below the village is interpreted with information boards and is unusually easy to read on the ground.

• Ravens View loop from the visitor centre: about 2.3 miles, roughly 45 minutes to an hour and a half, with even surfaces and gentle inclines, a freshwater pond with a viewing platform, Bluebell Wood, the alum works, abandoned brickworks and a disused Victorian railway bridge. Trampers can be hired here and dogs are welcome.
• The Cleveland Way passes through, and the Cinder Track, following the old coastal railway, gives a level, traffic free route for walkers and cyclists.
• Robin Hood's Bay on foot and back is the classic bigger day out, close to 9 miles and four hours or more if you return along the cliffs.
• The visitor centre has a cafe, indoor seating, an outdoor picnic area, cycle parking and EV charging, with public toilets across the road that include wheelchair access. Remains of a World War Two radar station sit on the moor side of the village.

Seals are often visible on the rocks below, best picked out with binoculars from a bench on the cliff top rather than by approaching them on the shore. Summer brings wildflowers along the old railway line and the alum works grassland, and the cliffs and moor edge are good for casual birdwatching.

• Sturdy footwear and windproof layers. This is an exposed cliff top and it is noticeably colder and breezier than the sheltered bays.
• Binoculars for seals and the far side of the bay.
• Park on the free roadside parking in the village; the approach is signposted from the main coast road.
• Be honest with yourself about the beach. It is reached by a long, steep descent and is rocky rather than sandy, best at low tide, and the climb back is the real work of the day.
• Do not come expecting a resort. There are very few facilities, no proper village centre and limited shelter if the weather turns. Surfaces away from the main loop are rough, muddy and uneven in places.