Plan The Perfect Weekend in Hartlepool, Saltburn and Staithes

The Heugh Breakwater at Hartlepool Headland offers the best views out to sea so it’s a great place to start. It’s also well worth exploring Seaton Carew and Seal Sands, which despite their industrial surroundings, are a haven for wildlife (including lots of resident seals). Over in Saltburn, the colourful beach huts are a magical sight but the charming Victorian pier is what draws tourists in. We hope to see the iconic Saltburn Cliff Tramway running again soon. Equally as postcard-perfect is the pretty village of Staithes (once one of the largest fishing ports on the North East coast).

Base Camp

Only a few minutes from Hartlepool, Seaton Carew’s The Marine Hotel is a stylish base with great sea views and a restaurant and bar. Brockley Hall Hotel offers a four-star stay in Saltburn with a popular fine-dining restaurant, while The Spa Hotel promises unrivalled panoramic views of Huntcliff and welcomes everyone from surfers to families and their four-legged friends. On the edge of the North York Moors National Park but not far from the coast, Gisborough Hall is a four-star country house hotel where you’ll find the award-winning Chaloner’s Restaurant for fine dining, and the more informal De Brus Bar & Grill for comfort food. The cosy Jack and Jill Coaching Inn (adjacent to the Scaling Dam Reservoir) has original beamed ceilings and a stone inglenook fireplace but if you prefer a home-from-home, Captain’s Deck Seafront Apartment has a unique sun balcony and views of Saltburn’s promenade, whilst Dotty’s Coastal Retreat is a cute cottage for a couples’ getaway in Staithes. For large groups, the characterful Arches Country House on the site of an 18th century farm near Saltburn is perfect thanks to its 11 ensuite bedrooms.

Perfect Weekend

To really get to grips with Hartlepool’s history we suggest you begin at the Headland. Hartlepool’s Heugh Battery Museum (the only First World War battlefield in the UK) is a unique attraction with friendly volunteers keen to share the story of the Bombardment of the Hartlepools. Hop aboard the HMS Trincomalee (the last remaining Royal Navy ship to be built in India) docked in Hartlepool, where the cannons fire daily. Culture vultures will want to stop by Hartlepool Art Gallery whilst Hartlepool Marina is the place for foodies. Portions are generous at Lock Gates (particularly the Sunday roasts), Portals Place serves up pizza, pasta, seafood and a parmo to rival Teesside’s hotspots, and Wallis & Co’s cocktails are the best (you might have spotted the Wallis Wagon – their mobile cocktail van – at local events). If you’re heading south to seal spot at Seal Sands we suggest you stop off at The Almighty Cod for fish and chips (what’s a visit to the coast without it?).

In Saltburn, see the sights from the Saltburn Miniature Railway, master your water sport skills with Flow Surf School or explore Huntcliff Nature Reserve. The Seaview Restaurant serves great seafood, for good Thai food head to Coco & Rum, and definitely try the famous parmo loaded fries at Signals. Between Saltburn and Staithes the Land of Iron takes you back 150 years to the industrial revolution on the site of the first ironstone mine in Cleveland. The Staithes Story contains everything you need to know about this picture-perfect village and the Cod and Lobster is a long-established favourite for good food. Dotty’s Vintage Tearoom has inside and outside seating and Cobbles of Staithes serves Brymor and Ryeburn ice cream and sundaes.