THE NORTH YORK MOORS - A Northern Coast to Coast Walk: From St Bees to Robin Hood's Bay - page 122

Hawsker is a two-part village, High and Low, astride the A171 Scarborough-Whitby
road, with the greater portion located across the road. Here roadside benches invite a
moment's respite, while a telephone is handy for walkers still needing to finalise ac-
commodation arrangements.
At Hawsker is one of Yorkshire's many legendary links with Robin Hood, and since his
bay is close by, it justifies retelling. The story is that both Robin and Little John, on a
visit to Whitby, were accommodated at the abbey, where they were invited to demon-
strate their archery skills. From the top of an abbey tower they each fired an arrow to
the southeast, and each landed on Whitby Laithes, a stretch of ground, now a farm,
near Hawsker. So impressed was the abbot with these shots that he ordered standing
stones to be fixed where the arrows had landed, and to this day those places, Robin
Hood Field and Little John Field, are still shown on maps (GR9109). That the arrows
would have had to carry a distance of just over 2km (1¼ miles) for this to be an accur-
ate account is the sort of puerile currency that sceptics deal in to spoil a good yarn.
High Hawsker, village detail
Leave the village up the road (signposted 'Robin Hood's Bay') to the right,
noting a small well on the right bearing the initials 'T C' and the date 1790.
Ascend the road to a right-hand bend, and here leave it, left, for a metalled
road leading to, and past, a caravan site ('Sea View'). Another caravan
site ('Northcliffe') is encountered a short way further on. Just past the re-
ception and shop the road ends. Go ahead, then left, down through ranks
of static caravans towards the North Sea.
At the bottom end of the caravan park a track runs ahead to a small
filtration plant protected by fencing. To the left of this a path runs down
a field alongside Oakham Beck to rejoin the Cleveland Way and meet the
coastal path directly above Maw Wyke Hole, a truly breathtaking moment.
A pause here to savour the knowledge of what you have achieved is most appropriate.