‘Best place on the coast’
Found in the picturesque North York Moors National Park and a short drive away from popular Staithes is the village of Hinderwell. What is life like in the sleepy village? Eden Lewis found out.
HINDERWELL is nine miles from Whitby and just over a mile from the picturesque Runswick Bay.
Recently, the village has made the headlines due to its arguably most famous resident, footballer Beth Mead, who won the European Championships with England 2022, made the Balon D’Or shortlist and also won BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year.
The village once had almost 20 shops according to long-time residents but it now consists of a butchers, petrol station, two pubs, a tearoom, fish and chip shop and village hall with sports facilities.
I visited Hinderwell on a sunny Wednesday morning to talk to residents, business owners and tourists on what life is like in the village – and what brings people back to the picturesque spot.
The first stop on my trip was the Old School Tea Room and Community Hub, on the village’s main road.
Soaking up the sun in the outdoor seating area of the tearoom I found Angie and
Dave Byrom, who were on a getaway holiday from Leeds with dog Fin.
Dave explained what brings him and Angie back to the area so much.
Dave said: “We’re up here for a few days away, we were only supposed to be here for four days but we’ve seen how good the forecast is going to be so we’re staying until Monday.
“We’ve walked to Runswick Bay and we stopped here on the way back because I remembered it was a nice little village from when we’ve passed through last time – we’ve been coming here probably for the last 20 or so years. It’s beautiful up here – there’s countryside, seaside, friendly folk and plenty of fresh air. It’s the best place on the Yorkshire coast for me!” Angie added: “The weather is always spot on when we come up here, the coastline is amazing and it’s only ever rained twice since we’ve been visiting.
“It’s ideal because you’ve got Hinderwell, Staithes, Whitby and then further along you’ve got Saltburn which is one of our favourites too.”
A long-term resident who has seen Hinderwell change over many years is Liz Tinker, also from Leeds originally, but her mum grew up in Hinderwell and dad grew up in Staithes before he moved to the big city for job opportunities.
Liz spent many happy years of her childhood in Hinderwell, and permanently moved back to the village 21 years ago, where she has lived ever since. Camera-shy Liz, 80, said: “I spent every school holiday in Hinderwell as a child – my mum used to put me on the bus from Leeds and then I’d change buses in Whitby and travel to Hinderwell.
“I’d stay with my aunts and play at my friend’s farm which is next door to where I live now. It’s always been a sleepy little village but it’s really lovely.
“I moved back up here in 2001 with my husband and we lived in a cottage conversion. My husband enjoyed 19 years here until he passed away three years ago.
“Since then, and after Covid, I’ve spent a lot of time at the community hub in the cafe. I think it’s a bit of a lifeline for us in the village really as we’re able to socialise and also hold community events which I think is really needed when people go through difficult times – I don’t know how we’d manage without it.”
Like many areas along the North Yorkshire coast, Hinderwell is popular with holiday-makers.
A number of cottages and homes in the village have reportedly been sold and set up as holiday homes according to villagers, which means more people visit the area on weekends or during school holiday times.
Liz added: “The trouble is, a lot of houses in Hinderwell are being sold for holiday cottages.
“A lot of people just use the homes on a weekend or during the school holidays, none of the houses are being bought by locals because it’s so expensive and there’s no new life coming into the village, which is very sad. There’s a lot of very nice people here but we’re all getting old! It’s a worry that there’s not a lot of new people coming into the village to stay.”
My next stop in Hinderwell was to R Lyth Family Butchers.
The butchers has been owned by the Lyth family for decades and also acts as a village shop, selling everything from groceries and essentials to newspapers.
Richard Lyth is 73 and has lived in the village his whole life, he said: “Growing up in Hinderwell was fine to be honest, there wasn’t much to do but we all made our own entertainment in those days.
“My family’s had this business since the 1920s and I’m the second generation who work in the shop.
“Life in the village has definitely changed since I was a kid – a lot of locals have moved on and it’s a very quiet place.
“We’re the only shop left here now – there used to be 19 shops here when I was a youngster, like a grocers, outfitters, post office and a fruit shop, so we’ve had to develop into a general shop as well as a butchers so people are able to get what they need.”
Last but not least on my trip to Hinderwell was to visit one of the two pubs in the village – The Badger Hounds, which is also found on the main road through the village. Daniel O’Brien is 25 and works at The Badger Hounds – he grew up in Hinderwell and has lived here almost all his life.
He said: “Growing up here was brilliant! We had loads of free time to go outside and play with other kids and the school was really good.
“I’ve only worked in the pub for seven weeks now and we’ve got a good little community that comes in.
“Because it’s such a small village everyone knows each other, and it’s quite close-knit.”