Runswick Bay among Britain's most beautiful seaside villages

Runswick Bay’s “gob-smacking swathe of sand” is just one of the reasons why it’s a top coastal spot to visit this year.

Not to mention its many mesmerising rock pools and surrounding Jurassic cliffs.

Commenting about the new guide, The Telegraph said: “There’s just something about the British seaside – we do really love to be beside it. Even in an era of cheap and easy flights to hot and sandy places, the idea of hanging out on the UK coast still manages to exert a strong pull. Specifically, in its little villages. Spots that don’t have outskirts uglified by trading estates; that do have streets – variously wonky, steep and maze-like – that allow us to pretend it’s a previous, less-fraught century.

There are plenty of holiday cottages at Runswick Bay (Image: Getty)

“Maybe it’s in our bones, as an island nation, to be drawn to the sea. Maybe it’s just hypocritical nostalgia: we want those cute old cottages to be lived in by actual fishermen, though we also want them refurbed with tasteful nauticalia, so we can hire them to play out our own coast-living fantasies.”

It added: “This means, come summer, any village with a modicum of cute will be bursting at the seams. But some are less crowded than others, some are lovely enough to justify the crowds, and all are far quieter (and cheaper) if you visit off-season."

You can see all 20 of the most beautiful seaside villages here.

Why is Runswick Bay one of the most beautiful seaside villages?

The Telegraph explained: “Against stiff competition, Runswick steals the cutest in Yorkshire crown.

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“Rebuilt in its current, cliff-clinging spot after a landslide in 1682, it’s a tumble of old fishermen’s cottages.

“Many are holiday lets now, but there’s still a small, close-knit community, the same old Royal Hotel pub and a few traditional coble boats moored up. And still the same gob-smacking swathe of sand, dotted with rock pools and backed by Jurassic cliffs where benevolent goblins allegedly lurk.”

However, visitors should note Runswick’s narrow streets “aren’t for cars” and it's recommended people come by bus or on foot via the Cleveland Way National Trail.

If you’re looking for the best view, try looking from midway along the beach, looking back to the cascading village.

Another highlight when visiting Runswick Bay could be finding “fabulous fossils” as the publisher teases “the foreshore might turn up dinosaur footprints or ancient ammonites”.