Sunnyside Cottage

Dogfriendly Magazine Review

Read our comprehensive review of this listing printed in our bi-monthly magazine.

Name: Sunnyside Cottage, Robin Hood’s Bay
Reviewer: Scott Antcliffe

Lying just six miles south of Whitby and 15 miles north of Scarborough on the North Yorkshire coast, Robin Hood’s Bay is a popular spot for locals and tourists alike. 

Despite hailing from Yorkshire, albeit South Yorkshire, I’m probably in the minority of people I know, who have never been to Robin Hood’s Bay. Many of my friends talked about holidaying there when they were younger – the name appealed to me as a child who loved stories of Robin Hood – but my parents always took us to Skegness or Ingoldmells instead for our bi-annual holiday.  From the initial contact with the owner of Sunnyside Cottage, Rachel Spencer, right up until check out, the communication was excellent. Rachel warmly greeted me via email and sent a helpful information pack about the cottage, the area, and things to do. 

With the car packed up, we then grabbed Drift, our ageing yet dependable Border Collie, and set off on the near three-hour journey to North Yorkshire. 

With check-in at midday, we stopped off en route at the picturesque village of Thornton-le-Dale just outside Pickering. We arrived shortly after 9am just as shops were opening up, a perfect time to grab some breakfast.  We opted for Balderson’s Café in the heart of the village. This was probably our only regret during our stay. It was more dog-tolerant than dog friendly as we had to sit outside, despite having a dog friendly sign in the window. Luckily, it was a dry day but we felt ourselves hurriedly eating our food as it was getting cold. The food itself was pretty average, although Drift didn’t complain about the slice of toast and rasher of bacon she was given. 

Making good time, we decided to head further north of Robin Hood’s Bay and visit the popular harbour village of Staithes. Once called home by Captain James Cook, Staithes is a beautiful village with narrow, cobbled streets adorned with colourful cottages. We parked in Bank Top Car Park at the top of the village and walked down into the heart of the harbour. 

It was a fairly warm day, so we felt inclined to grab an ice cream while admiring the view from the harbour. 

We then made the 30-minute journey to Robin Hood’s Bay to check into Sunnyside Cottage. Upon arrival, it was clear to see how popular the village is, especially on a warm, sunny day. A torrent of tourists and dog walkers shuffled down the steep, cobblestone streets as we passed, Drift, wide-eyed, gawping at the abundance of dogs to potentially befriend. 

The cottage is ideally situated at the bottom of the bay and less than a minute’s walk to the beach. Guests are allowed to temporarily park down near to the accommodation, just outside Smugglers Bistro. 

After unloading, we then headed up to the top of the village where there are two car parks. Parking is free from 1 November to 28 February in the council car parks. From March to November, parking is chargeable at £6 per day.  From the moment I opened the door, I fell in love with Sunnyside and it’s quaint charm. It’s beautifully appointed and it’s clear to see the owners have thought of everything. A welcome basket greeted us with a personalised card, biscuits, dog treats, dog poo bags and other local produce. 

The cottage sleeps four (one double and one twin) and both rooms offer superb sea views. Dogs are allowed on all floors, including in the bedrooms. Outside the master bedroom there is a wicker basket full of spare towels, sheets, poo bags, toys and treats. 

The ground floor is open plan with a lounge, dining area and kitchen. There’s a log-burner and a coffee table with a variety of board games hidden inside it.  In the fridge there was milk and a bottle of bubbly. The kitchen was well stocked with a wide range of utensils, cutlery, pans, glasses and cups. Appliance wise, there is a four-hob oven, kettle, toaster and microwave.

For Drift, there’s a raised feeding station with two bowls, a dog lead station for all the accessories, a treat jar and a toy box. The hosts also provide a robe for your four-legged friends during the stay which is for when you return to the cottage after a swim or a wet walk. 

Unpacked, Drift and I decided to head around the village to get our bearings and source a good spot for tea. We happened to stumble into The Bay Hotel (one minute walk from the cottage) to sample their pretty good cask and real ale selection. Drift relished the back scratches and attention from the locals.

That evening, we called in at the nearby Fish Cottage. It is dog friendly inside and out but we decided to take away and eat back at the cottage. The fish was huge. It dangled over both sides of my plate. Lorna enjoyed chips and mushy peas. It came to about £16 in total and they were excellent. 

The next day we decided to get up early and make the 13-minute journey to Whitby. We parked up near the train station and had a gentle saunter around the town. We then walked up to the abbey via the famous 199 steps. 

We then made our way back down and headed for breakfast. After doing a little TripAdvisor research in the car on the way over, we decided on the superb Mr Cooper’s Coffee House. It has a lovely, relaxed atmosphere and the staff are incredibly friendly. It has a wide selection of breakfast items, including bagels and cakes. It caters for a range of options, and it is also dog friendly. 

We then had a wander around the harbour before making our way a little further inland to Goathland (aka Aidensfield) famous for being the location where classic TV show Heartbeat was filmed. 

If you’d prefer to walk to Whitby, you can do so at the top of Robin Hood’s Bay by joining the well-signposted Cinder Trail. It is six miles and takes about 50 minutes. 

Our third day saw us rise to another early alarm and head to Hayburn Wyke near Scarborough. 

It is a picturesque waterfall on a sheltered, quiet beach. I’m a keen landscape photographer and it has been on my list to photograph for a while. We parked at the Hayburn Wyke Inn and it was roughly a 20-minute downhill walk (unsteady in places). The views out to the sea are stunning. 

We had one final stop before heading back to the cottage. We called in at the beautiful Runswick Bay. It’s a fairly steep walk down to the beach from the car park. Once again, another lovely little bay with a large café serving a variety of snacks, hot and cold drinks and ice cream. 

We then headed back to Robin Hood’s Bay for a little explore. We stumbled upon a lovely second-hand book shop on Chapel Street. There are other shops in the village, many of them dog friendly, including The Old Drapery, Jessica Hogarth craft shop, Jet Black, Bay Town Stores and Higgledy Piggledy. 

That evening, we decided on the superb Smugglers Bistro for our dinner. The bistro is only small but gets incredibly busy. We saw pizzas being brought out while we were deciding what to have – the expressions and nods of approval were enough to swing our vote. Lorna went for a vegetarian pizza while I went for the meat feast, both were amazing. I’d go as far as to say it was the best pizza we’ve had in years. Drift certainly approved of the crusts that she was given under the table and was also offered a water bowl and treat on arrival. 

Our final day saw us head north again as we made the 27-mile-long journey to Saltburn-by-the-Sea where Drift enjoyed a good run on the expansive beach and a little dip in the sea. 

Afterwards we walked along the pier before making our way back to the car via the Saltburn Cliff Tramway. The 63-metre-long journey offers stunning views out to sea. 

On our final night we booked in to Brambles Bistro, another popular spot in the heart of the bay. I went for the wholetail scampi, while Lorna went for the halloumi burger. Both were really good. Drift happily curled up under our table and received a few head scratches from patrons passing by. I’m so glad that I finally got a chance to experience Robin Hood’s Bay and I couldn’t have wished for a better place to have stayed and experience that than Sunnyside Cottage.

Sunnyside Cottage, review by Scott Antcliffe and appears in DogFriendly magazine issue  82 .  For more information on the DogFriendly magazine visit https://www.dogfriendly.co.uk/magazine