Goosedale Cottage.

Located in the village of Cloughton, on the edge of the North York Moors National Park, Goosedale Cottage is one of those rare finds. A holiday cottage with a true Yorkshire soul.

We were lucky enough to win a two night stay here, and we were thanking our lucky stars that we did, because this absolute gem of a holiday cottage is worthy of a whole blog to itself.

Where is Goosedale Cottage? Where is Cloughton?

Cloughton sits right on the border of the North York Moors, you can literally walk to the border from the front door of the house! So you well and truly have stunning coast and countryside on your doorstep!

Cloughton is a small village, with plenty of period charm, and a cool history! Associated with royalty, the Blacksmiths Arms in the village was once frequented by the Queen herself!

It’s just a short walk to Cloughton Wyke, which is a rocky ‘beach’ on the Yorkshire Coast, it’s 10 minutes north of Scarborough, and 20 minutes south of the beautiful Robin Hoods Bay.

We reckon this location is pretty spot on for all your family friendly needs! With the hustle and bustle of the classic seaside town Scarborough on the one side, and beautiful countryside, and fossil beaches to the other!

GORGEOUS!

What’s Goosedale Cottage like then?

Every time I’ve started this paragraph, I don’t feel like I’ve done it justice!

As soon as I walked through the door here, it felt like home. The owners have gone the whole extra mile (and then some) when it’s come to decorating this beautiful holiday cottage. It’s opulent, it’s quirky, it’s got character in absolute spades, it’s got local charm. But it’s not just about the interior design (although, I am such a sucker for that!)

This cottage has got SOUL!

And that is in no small part contributed to by the fact that the owners have been absolutely meticulous in giving this place the ‘home factor’.

You’ll find cosy throws, squashy sofas, kid friendly games and brilliant personal touches, like a pair of binoculars to spot wildlife with!

Want the Goosedale Cottage details in a nutshell?

• 3 Bedrooms. 1 super king that can be unzipped to be a twin, 1 king size and 1 single. From a family factor perspective, it’s worth noting that the king size bed and single is on the top floor, separate to the super king that’s located on the 1st floor. The stairs are narrow, and the top bedrooms have a step up to each. This was not a problem for our 6 & 8 year old though! Towels and hairdryer were provided., with plenty of storage space for our two night stay.

• 1 large Bathroom, located on the 1st floor with a separate stand alone vintage roll top tub, and a separate large shower. Again, the bathroom is beautifully decorated and was well equipped with everything we needed for our time here.

• Sitting Room. I’m one of those people who ALWAYS looks for a log burner on a holiday let. And this one has one! The room has masses of fluffy and cosy throws, books and games to enjoy too.

• Kitchen/ Diner. The kitchen was well equipped with a coffee machine, hob, oven, fridge (with a freezer compartment) microwave, washer and dryer. The seating comprises tall stools and a seating area for 4 around a breakfast bar style set up.

• The outdoor bits…. there is a small courtyard, with a seating area. Again, the attention to detail here is amazing, with twinkling fairy lights at night! There is also lock up storage for bikes.

• This property is more than dog friendly, it’s clearly owned by true dog lovers as they’ve also thought about our furry friends too! There is a utility area for drying off, equipped with super handy doggy equipment!

• The tech stuff…. Wifi, a Smart TV (with a cottage Netflix account!) and a bluetooth speaker are provided.

• The kid bits… a highchair and travel cot are available on request.

• The car bits. Whilst there is no designated private parking, we found it easy to park directly outside the cottage on all occasions.

• The pub bits… (of course!) There are two pubs in the village within walking distance. One is more of a drinking venue, the other, The Blacksmiths Arms serves pub grub and is family friendly too!

What family friendly things are there to do at Goosedale Cottage?

The answer is LOADS! Scarborough is just a stone’s throw down the road, which is home to the Sea Life Centre, North Bay Railway, Peasholme Park and Scarborough Castle along with much more, including a sandy beach, perfect for fossil hunting, a water park and museums.

If you fancy a wander, the famous Cinder Track runs right through Cloughton, and is home to many, many geocaches! It is the old disused railway line between Whitby and Scarborough that has been repurposed as a walking and cycling trail. It runs right the way through Clougton, and you can use it to walk to Hayburn Wyke in a lovely circular route from the front door of the cottage!

Speaking of Hayburn Wyke, this National Trust owned beach is home to a beach waterfall! We walked here from the cottage door along the Cinder Track and back along the Cleveland Way, which offers amazing views across the coastline! It’s around 5 miles, and has the perfectly placed Hayburn Wyke pub at its midpoint. We stopped for some chips as we’d brought a picnic, but the food that was being brought out whilst we were there looks totally tantalisingly tasty!

What are the beaches like?

Well. I am OBVIOUSLY a fan of all things Yorkshire!

But I was SO impressed by the absolutely MASSIVE range of beaches accessible from Goosedale!

Want a proper sandy standard British seaside beach? North Bay in Scarborough is 10 minutes down the road. Fancy something different? Check out Hayburn Wyke’s beach waterfall. This is a rocky not a sandy beach, no sandcastles, just fossil hunting! Seal beach? Head to Ravescar, 15 minutes down the road (this is also a rocky, not a sandy beach). Beach cave with a dark history? Head 15 minutes down the road to Boggle Hole (this beach has sandy sections, with fossil hunting and rockpools). Beach with a stunning fishing village, fish and chips, sand and rockpools? Head to Robin Hood’s Bay, 20 minutes down the road. And let’s not forget you can walk to Cloughton Wyke from the door too (again, rocky not sandy, but BEAUTIFUL!)

SO MUCH TO DO!

Dark Skies at the North York Moors National Park!

Did you know that the North York Moors is a designated Dark Skies Reserve? Just like the Yorkshire Dales National Park!

During our stay at Goosedale, we were treated by Mother Nature to a spectacularly clear night sky, which was PERFECT for star gazing!

Yet another reason to get checking this amazing place out!

Have I covered everything Goosedale Cottage has to offer?

I hope so, but if not, do drop us a message!

This place was the perfect base for our Yorkshire Coast Adventures.

Thank you Goosedale!

*We won our stay at Goosedale Cottage. This is not an ad, this is just our genuine opinion of this wonderful place!