Staithes, Fishing village in North Yorkshire, England
Staithes is a fishing village in North Yorkshire, England, tucked into a narrow ravine between high cliffs. The lanes between stone cottages run steeply downhill toward the harbor, and some passages are so tight that only one person fits through at a time.
The village supported a fleet of 80 fishing boats in the early 1900s and ranked among the busiest harbors on the English north coast. A severe storm in 1953 destroyed many houses and fishing declined over the following decades.
Fishing families from the village still avoid the word pig, replacing it with alternatives like "tunnel rabbit" due to superstitions about bad luck on the water. The belief remains visible in everyday conversation among those who spend their working hours at sea.
A visit works best at low tide when the beach is accessible and the rocks are exposed. The roads are too narrow for cars, so it is easier to park in the lots above the village and walk down on foot.
Fossils from the Jurassic period have been found in the cliffs around the village, including the remains of a marine dinosaur uncovered by a rockfall in the 1990s. The coastline regularly releases fossilized shells and ammonites as erosion continues.
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