Finally, finally we are settled, all the redecoration are definitely over, the weather gets better every day (well, kind of), and we started exploring the North of England, and even more precisely –Yorkshire Coast. And the first pearl of this marvellous area is a tiny village Staithes.

It appeared that Staithes was ridiculously close to Saltburn: no more than 10 miles (15 km) away, and we made three (THREE!) attempts to go there by bicycle, but it didn’t work – the cycling road was too hilly and too muddy. So we had to give up on the fourth attempt we finally reached Staithes. Even we haven’t seen much yet, it absolutely deserves its place in the buzzfeed’s list “18 British Villages You Should Run Away To”. It’s a lovely fairy-tale spot, where the time stopped.

Cosy little houses, tearooms, boats and incredible sound of seagulls screaming. What we loved the most about Staithes, is that it’s a real hidden gem. It’s not mentioned in the guidebooks, and people tend to pass it by on the way to Whitby without any idea what they miss. Only British tourists and it’s fantastic.

People enjoying their Fish & Chips, children trying to catch crabs, a van selling ice-cream, happy dogs’ barking – it’s an Utopian place, no doubt about that.

Beware of the seagulls’ excrement, even if it can’t be seen on postcards, but every square centimetre of houses and cars is covered with shit. Yes, yes.

The Cod & Lobster is a good place to eat, but the service is extremely slow (just like everywhere in England as far as we experienced), so it’s better not be in a hurry to take a table in this noble establishment.

If you see that the tide is high, rush immediately to see the most famous view on Staithes. Otherwise, the tide might go down, and it won’t be as beautiful, I’m afraid.

If you pass by car, leave it in the upper town and have a short walk to the seaside. The official parking costs a fortune!

Even if the village is literally tiny, be ready to spend there at least six hours. We’ll go there, when you come to CouchSurf at our place :)