Walk · North Yorkshire

Sandsend to Lythe and back down the bank

Sandsend · YO21 3SR
Sandsend A174 Dunsley Lane Mulgrave Woods Church Plantation Burnett's Wood N 440 YD © OpenStreetMap contributors
3.4MILES
1h 50mON FOOT
165mCLIMB
CircularSHAPE
The route A-road B-road Lane Track Path Water Woodland
Off-road 70% 30% shares tarmac with cars
Field & moor path 45%Lane & track 25%Road with traffic 30%

Our drawing of the route, over road and path data from OpenStreetMap. It shows where the walk goes and what it goes through. It is not a survey and not a navigation aid — carry OS Explorer on the hill.

Starts at
YO21 3SR
Directions to the start →

A short but steep 3.4-mile circular of about two hours climbing 165 metres up the Cleveland Way to Lythe church on its shoulder above the sea, then dropping back to the beck by field path and the old bank road. Start at the Sandsend main car park by the beck, pay-and-display and often full by ten in summer, with the 4 and X4 buses from Whitby stopping at the same spot. The views back over the whole bay are the point, there is water in East Row Beck at both ends, but the climb crosses grazed fields with stiles, Lythe Bank is a fast and narrow road, and the central Sandsend beach is closed to dogs in summer.

THE SMALL PRINTThe signed central stretch of Sandsend beach, between the two car parks is closed to dogs from 1 May to 30 September under North Yorkshire Council's dog control public spaces protection order, with a £100 fixed penalty. Between those dates walk north-west past Sandsend Ness towards the alum quarries, or use the old railway trackbed above the beach, both open to dogs all year. The descent uses a quarter of a mile of Lythe Bank, a steep narrow road with no pavement, and the field paths are grazed by sheep.

House rules, decoded

Livestock — leads on
REGION · NORTH YORKSHIRE
GRID · 54.4952, -0.6667
SOURCE · HTTPS://WWW.NYDWALKS.CO.UK/POST/LYTHE-THROUGH-MULGRAVE-WOODS-TO-SANDSEND
Also in Sandsend
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Stay SOME LIMITS

Saltmoore (formerly Raithwaite Sandsend)

YO21 3ST
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A polished coastal estate in woodland between Whitby and Sandsend, with dog-friendly rooms in The Beach House plus the self-contained Beck View and Water's Edge cottages for longer stays. Sandsend's long dog-walking beach is on the doorstep, with the North York Moors behind.

VERIFIED 29 JUL 2026 VIEW ›
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Beach SOME LIMITS

Sandsend Beach

Dogs banned MAY–SEP

A long sweep of sand running from Sandsend village back towards Whitby, with step-free access towards the north end via a steep walkway. The summer ban only covers the village-adjacent section from the steps below the public toilets to the Bank Bottom Car Park slipway — but note high tide reaches the sea wall in places, squeezing the dog-friendly sand.

VERIFIED 29 JUL 2026 VIEW ›
880 YD © OpenStreetMap contributors
Walk SOME LIMITS

Sandsend Ness, the alum quarries and the railway tunnels

YO21 3SU
4.4 MI · 1H 55M · 85% OFF-ROAD

An easy 4.4-mile circular of just under two hours along the old Whitby to Loftus trackbed past Sandsend Ness to the Deep Grove alum quarries and the bricked-up tunnel mouths, returning over the fields above the shore. Park at the East Row or Sandsend Ness pay-and-display car parks, or take the 4 or X4 bus from Whitby, which stops beside the beck. The trackbed is wide, level and good for off-lead running, but the central Sandsend beach is closed to dogs in summer and the cliff above the quarries is soft and slipping, so keep to the path there.

Off-lead OK
VERIFIED 29 JUL 2026 VIEW ›

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