A Stroll With Stu: five-miler from Mickleby to Port Mulgrave along stunning Runswick Bay beach

I alighted into the dandelions at the bus stop opposite Mickleby road end to start another five-miler to Port Mulgrave and Hinderwell, via Runswick

sands.

I should probably add that when I say “five-miler”, I don’t accurately measure them!

I just know that if I finish after about three hours, given lots of stops to take photographs and to stare at my map, it is usually about five miles.

(To be honest, several years ago it would have been eight miles!)

Walk back down the road towards Runswick, before quickly and gratefully turning right onto the Tarmac of Coverdale lane.

The traffic noise quickly abates, replaced by skylarks and rustling bushes, and after half a mile or so the view suddenly blossoms too as the fabulous expanse of Runswick Bay reveals itself over the brow of a hill, with the village itself away to your left and the high cliffs of Kettleness miles away to your right.

Just ahead of Northfields Farm, the lane jags left, slowly morphing into a farm track as it does so.

After a further half mile, and one of those photographic delays as I chased an Orange Tip butterfly around the primroses (it refused to sit still, unfortunately), the track crosses the old Loftus to Whitby railway line.

To your right is a building which displays typical railway architecture, but Runswick never had its own Railway Station (you had to get off at Hinderwell), so maybe I’m wrong that it is rail-related.

Carry straight on along what is now a grassy track, but is handily waymarked at the odd gate and stile.

Now, I’ve only once before tried to walk down to the beach at Runswick from the old railway, and that was on a marked path about half a mile away to the East.

That path disappeared into thick and impenetrable thorny bushes, where only Bear Grylls and blackbirds with machetes can survive and sadly it defeated me completely.

Accordingly, I wasn’t confident on further progress on this route, though the waymarks added a certain level of reassurance.

Soon, a waymark sends you through a gate into those bushes, but the path is still clear as it descends ever more steeply to the sea.

Now, please don’t let the next bit put you off, as the path is easily negotiated right down to the beach, and I reckon I’d have no problem if I did it again, but… after overnight rain, the steepest bit was also the muddiest bit and several previous walkers had attempted small diversions through the bushes in order to avoid the gloopiest gloop.

I followed one of those little off-piste routes, only for the small piece of firm ground below my left foot to collapse under me, whilst simultaneously my walking pole in my right hand sunk into an invisible void right down to the handle.

I instantly found myself wallowing in mud, but was secured in place by malicious brambles, with no obvious assistance available to haul myself back up.

I was down there like a beached whale for at least 10 minutes and did think for a moment that I might as well just eat my Mars Bar and wait for help, but I ultimately managed to slither on to my knees, retrieve my pole and drag myself upright.

What a palaver!

The path snakes its way down to the centre of the beach, and despite this being Easter school holidays, the beach had only a handful of visitors (watching in mild amusement as I washed myself in the sea), and bathed in sunlight as it was, it looked even more beautiful than Runswick Bay always does.

Make your way up to the village (at high tide a little rock scrambling is required), and worm your way past the café, up steps, past the tempting beer garden of the pub, then ever upwards along a Tarmac path with some fabulous views back across the rooftops and along the beach.

I continued right to the top of the path as I wanted to see progress on the new hotel being built near the little car park.

A big crane and a line of wooden boards indicate the site, but there is not a lot to see as it will not open until 2027.

The development divides opinion, but whatever concerns people have, I think it will prove hugely popular.

I’ve run out of space, but the next bit is nice and easy.

At the Runswick Bay Hotel, the Cleveland Way path is indicated on a signpost, and a mile and a half or so of relaxed walking with stunning clifftop views, will get you to the cottages at Port Mulgrave where a left turn will take you back to the X4 bus at Hinderwell.

Enjoy!