It isn’t often I start an article with breakfast. After all despite many people thinking it’s the best meal of the day, it does tend to come at the end of your stay if you are only there for one night. However, the breakfast at the Hotel Victoria in Robin Hood’s Bay is an exception.
Starting with Breakfast at the Hotel Victoria
I often judge breakfast on whether they have kippers and how they poach their eggs. The Hotel Victoria passes both tests with flying colours. The kippers were fantastic not too salty, not too bony but with plenty of flavour. The eggs were cooked exactly as requested runny inside. How else can you poach them I ask? The yokes were a great orange colour and I knew well before I tasted them I was in for a treat.
Now I will have to add a third criteria to judging a breakfast, the setting. Although few will be able to compare with the Hotel Victoria. The previous day when I checked in, the beach below was covered by the North Sea, now I could see it in all its glory from the perfect vantage point the hotel has overlooking Robin Hood’s Bay.
The staff have no problem setting a place for me outside on the terrace, which I have all to myself apart from the sound of the birds chirping away hopeful that spring has at last arrived, and this most abysmal winter’s tale had ended.
The previous afternoon, I checked into the hotel and quickly explored the village of Robin Hood’s Bay; a very short, but equally steep walk away.
Robin Hood’s Bay
Robin Hood’s Bay was the place my brother visited as a small child on a school trip, I had already left the school by the time it was my turn. Even when I studied at York, I never ventured to Robin Hood’s Bay. Whitby, it’s abbey and fish and chips was sufficient for me.
I was wrong. For Robin Hood’s Bay is a real find. Perhaps sadly found too much by tourists in the high season. But on this early March day I have the place almost to myself, apart from a few American tourists who seemed bemused as to where the smugglers had gone.
In recent years, the village has taken on a reputation as one of the finest places to come by the sea in the UK. Close to Whitby, it has a totally different vibe to the fish and chip Nirvana of Yorkshire. It feels much more like a quaint Cornish fishing village.
In search of local information, I do the only thing I can as a travel writer and head straight for the pub; or rather pubs.
Local Info at the Local
Robin Hood’s Bay has its fair selection of pubs, especially now The Dolphin has reopened after becoming one of Covid’s many casualties. It serves an excellent pint of Old Peculier, the beer which kept me away from my studies at York, not so many miles away across the North York Moors.
That is the route I had taken on my journey here making a slight diversion to Goathland and the Harry Potter station I visited on a previous visit. If you have not taken the drive across the North York Moors from Pickering, then really you should. It is quite spectacular, especially when quite unusually the sun is out.
Back on my pub crawl, I popped into The Bay Hotel, which apparently is one of the most photographed pubs in the country due to its prime location on the harbour. But the key source of information came from Steve at the Laurel Inn, just up the hill.
According to him, the history of Robin Hood’s Bay is more of fishermen than smugglers. Not that there weren’t any smugglers, after all there are caves leading down to the beach that can be seen from the harbour and stretch into town. In its heyday thousands of people lived here supported by the fishing industry. Many a household opened up their front room to serve beer. Judging by the quality of the kippers, fishing here was clearly a noble profession.
Dining at Hotel Victoria
After a few pints, I return to the Victoria hotel for dinner.
The Hotel Victoria was originally built by a sea captain at the end of the 19th century. I’m not sure if his purpose was to entertain guests or for him to enjoy the sea views, but it certainly cuts an impressive figure. And as I discover in the morning the views are spectacular. In 2018, it was the setting for many scenes in Daniel Day Lewis film Phantom Thread.
Recently, it was taken over by the Loxley Hotel group who decided to reverse the name from Victoria Hotel (the sign outside is still the original). The refit has been carried out tastefully with the central stairwell most striking, perhaps more fitting a palace than a captain’s house. The tiles are beautiful. It also has a very welcoming Loxley pub, and Osborne’s restaurant where I eat dinner.
I order the asparagus, which is incredible, with a firm texture to avoid that horrible sloppiness you often get with asparagus when it’s overcooked. This I follow with sea bass, and a great selection of Yorkshire cheeses.
Dark Skies
Before I retire, I head out to look at the stars. The North York Moors was declared an International Dark Sky Reserve in December 2020, only one of 25 such places worldwide. Although the hotel’s Dark Skies Festival had just finished, given that I hadn’t seen a cloud all day, I was confident of a great night sky.
Somewhat of a novice at dark skies at night or dark skies at all for that matter, I hadn’t allowed for the relatively full moon. I found it easy to avoid the artificial light by heading for the cliff, but however hard I tried squinting there was nowt I could do about the moon. My recommendation is you check the status of the moon before you visit a dark sky at night.
Morning Stroll along Robin Hood’s Bay
My somewhat clipped nightly saunter truncated, I was able to have an earlier night than planned, and as described earlier enjoyed a very hearty breakfast.
Although I may be a novice about Dark Skies, I do know a thing or two about beaches. So, I checked out of the hotel, left my car in the car park and walked through the town to the beach, where my brother had found fossils almost half a century earlier.
It was spectacular. People who think beaches are best in the summer in the full sun don’t know how to live. The vast beach was full of rock pools and seaweed, and so much life. Then the sand took over, and I was able to stroll around forgetful of my surroundings.
Briefly, I ventured up the cliff to walk along the Cleveland footpath and visit Boggle Hole where goblins are said to lurk, but I would advise you to keep to the beach. It is far more spectacular.
In the distance, I could see a waterfall flowing down from the cliff with the sun glittering in its waters. As I approached, I thought I might see a rainbow but in this I was to be disappointed. But I had found my pot of gold on this beautiful day; a spectacular beach glistening in the early spring sun and a wonderful hotel from which to enjoy it.
Hotel Victoria Robin Hood’s Bay
For more information on the Hotel Victoria, or to book a room, click here.