Mariner's Watch

You're on the Donkey Track, the old cobbled path that runs alongside the 199 Steps up to Whitby Abbey. The double-fronted brick villa in front of you was built at the turn of the 20th century by a mariner who picked this spot for the view. Look up, and the Abbey ruins are right above. Look out, and the whole of Whitby opens up: harbour, beach, red rooftops, the sea reaching the horizon. Every window in the house catches a different angle of it. From most spots in town, look up, and you can see the house on the hillside. It works both ways.

The sitting room has a wood-burning stove set in the fireplace, with fuel and a starter pack included, so lighting it on the first evening takes two minutes. Next door, the dining room seats all ten comfortably. The kitchen has a double oven, a gas hob, and a fridge-freezer that handles a proper weekly shop. Morning starts in the sun room, which might be the best seat in the house. Coffee, the harbour below, light coming in from three sides. On a clear day, the view stretches along the coast in both directions.

Five bedrooms are split across the upper floors. A double on the first floor has its own en-suite walk-in shower and heated towel rail. Next to that, a second double and a twin share a bathroom with a bath and a walk-in shower. Two more twins on the top floor sit under the eaves with their own angle on the rooftops. A ground-floor shower room saves anyone the stairs after a long beach walk. Linen and towels throughout.

The garden wraps around three sides of the house with views north, south, and west. The western side is the quiet one, tucked away from the track and facing the evening sun. This is where you'll end up most nights. The hot tub is covered and private, with the light dropping behind the hills and nothing to do but sit in it. More seating is scattered through the garden for afternoons when nobody wants to go back inside.

You're already at the 199 Steps, so the Abbey is a short climb rather than a trek from town. Drop the other way, and you're into the old town's alleyways and backstreets in minutes, past independent shops and enough fish and chip options to fill a fortnight. The harbour is right there, with whale-watching boats heading out past the piers from April. Robin Hood's Bay is twenty minutes south by car, steep and full of rock pools. Sandsend sits north with a quieter beach and a good pub. The North York Moors are right there for heather, ridgelines, and long days on foot.

The pub is a one-minute walk, the shop a mile and a half, and two small to medium dogs are welcome. The house runs three storeys with steep paths outside, so it's worth knowing before you book. But for ten people who want panoramic views, a woodburner, and a front door on one of the most famous footpaths in Yorkshire, this is the one.