What impressed me most about Teesside seaside town where southerners are buying holiday homes

“Why do you want to visit Redcar?” I’m asked. I suppose it’s because I’ve always liked nice surprises. You go with low (or no) expectations and you usually find a few.

Besides, we love an underdog and something must have made Redcar one of the North’s top seaside destinations. Saltburn and Whitby are definitely prettier, but it’s Redcar that has made national news for Southerners and out-of-town buyers snapping up cheap properties.

Since its heyday, it’s had a steady flow of visitors which has started to pick up again thanks to the staycation boom and money being spent on the town. People must still go to Redcar for some reason, I thought on my long drive from the other end of Yorkshire, reports Yorkshire Live.

It’s the beach, duh. This may seem really obvious, but you could have a small, bumpy beach full of sharp stones that aren’t fun to walk on. It could be dirty and have water so polluted it wouldn’t be safe to go near the ocean. It might not have any views except for the North Sea, which is okay but nothing special.

But in Redcar, there are miles of golden sand. There was no rubbish when I went last summer and the Environment Agency says the water is of the very best water quality, which is great. The setting is undeniably impressive. On a clear day, you can see the rugged, reddish Huntcliff in one direction and as far as the Northumberland coast in the other. Not bad at all.

The main beach at Redcar

However, I can’t ignore the worn-out look of the buildings on the seafront. But there’s clearly a strong effort to spruce it up, and there are small signs that it might be working.

You spot a few things here and there like an independent cafe, an art shop and a boutique hotel which hint that all the government money might just pay off. I really hope so.

But what impressed me most about Redcar wasn’t the newly done-up Regent seafront cinema or the plans for a new leisure village at Coatham, as good as they sound. It was something that has always been there, since the last ice age at least.

That’s the dune-topped peninsula that forms the northernmost point of Yorkshire. It has a wild, end-of-the-world feel to it, especially now that the last bits of the steelworks have been taken away from the horizon.

The Beacon, Redcar

I’m not sure how I feel about that because while it was an eyesore, the steelworks was where generations of the town’s people worked. Maybe they should have painted the blast furnace in bright colours or polished it until it shone and made a monument of it instead of knocking it down. Who knows? Still, it’s uplifting to see this post-industrial wasteland returning to its former natural beauty.

Now, this investment and regeneration is all very nice but it needs your help. The more people visit Redcar, the more money it will receive and the better the town will become. And given there’s actually quite a lot to enjoy, your visit won’t be onerous.

I can only hope this is the start of a virtuous cycle which will re-establish this once almost-forgotten town as one of the North’s top holiday destinations.

Redcar must-dos

1. Walk along the Esplanade

Take in the wide views (see above) on the seafront. The Beacon, at the end of the Esplanade, is no substitute for the 396-metre pier (nearly twice the length of Saltburn pier ) which was dismantled in 1980 and 1981. It is nonetheless worth ascending for the view.

2. Fish and chips from Sea Breeze

Arguably the best chippy in Redcar is a short walk from the main beach.

3. Lemon top from Pacitto’s

A large scoop of vanilla ice cream with a dollop of lemon sorbet on top is the treat for which Redcar is best known. Pacitto’s on the Esplanade is the OG lemon top vendor.

4. Coatham Beach

This golden sandy beach extends from the town centre to South Gare, which is the northernmost point of Yorkshire. You don’t have to walk the entire length, but if you do, you’ll be treated to sand dunes, a nature reserve, an SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest), stunning views and a lighthouse at the end.

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