How to Have a Perfect Weekend in Hartlepool, Saltburn and Staithes
These seaside towns are packed with history, and promise plenty of fun for surfers and staycationers alike
The Marine Hotel on Seaton Carew’s seafront is a stylish base for your seaside staycation. Its 28 ensuite rooms offer spectacular sea views. In Saltburn, Brockley Hall Hotel offers a four-star stay with 30 ensuite rooms and a fine-dining restaurant as well as a quirky bar. The family-run Spa Hotel boasts unrivalled panoramic views of Huntcliff and its new restaurant with rooftop terrace will open this June. Not far from Saltburn, Gisborough Hall is a four-star country house hotel that combines modern day luxury and traditional features. Their 71 traditionally-designed bedrooms offer comfort and luxury and you can choose between their award-winning Chaloner’s Restaurant for fine dining, or the more informal De Brus Bar & Grill for comfort food. If you’d prefer a home-from-home, Stay North Yorkshire offer a great selection of guest houses and cosy cottages. The Zeta is a unique one-bedroom apartment in Saltburn’s stunning Zetland building, and with walls adorned with original artwork of local landscapes, it’s the perfect choice for those with an artistic eye. Captain’s Deck Seafront Apartment in Saltburn is a great choice for families (including your four-legged friend), as is the newly-refurbished Toffee Crackle House in Staithes, which can sleep up to eight guests.
Perfect Weekend
We promised you history, and Hartlepool has it in spades at Hartlepool’s Heugh Battery Museum (the only First World War battlefield in the UK) and the National Museum of the Royal Navy where you can climb aboard the HMS Trincomalee, the oldest warship still afloat in Britain. Once you’ve worked up an appetite stop by The Pot House on the Headland where, as well as a good pint, you’ll often find The Pizza Stone pitched up outside serving delicious pizza. Hartlepool Marina is a hotspot for foodies with Portals Place serving up pizza, pasta, seafood and a decent parmo and The Pier’s hearty street food and steaks. There are plenty of places for foodies to indulge in Seaton Carew too – not least The Open Jar for comfort food and delicious cocktails, and The Almighty Cod for fish and chips (but be prepared to queue).
Take the Saltburn Cliff Tramway (the oldest water-balanced funicular still in operation in Great Britain) down to the beach before you treat yourself to seafood at The Seaview Restaurant, the summer menu at Signals, or a steak at Tomahawk Steakhouse. Don’t miss your chance to visit the Saltburn Miniature Railway, take to the waves with Flow Surf School, or browse Book Corner. Between Saltburn and Staithes don’t miss Land of Iron at Cleveland Ironstone Mining Museum, which takes you back to a time when the area supplied over a third of the world’s iron and steel. In Staithes, head to the The Staithes Story where you’ll find thousands of photos, memorabilia and artefacts devoted to fishing, ironstone mining, alum quarries, lifeboat stories and Captain Cook, then refuel on freshly-caught cod at the Cod and Lobster. Those with a sweet tooth will love Betsy & Bo, Staithes’ traditional sweet shop (which also sells particularly good wine) and Cobbles of Staithes where you’ll find delicious Brymor icecream.
