Galatea Cottage

Whitby Lighthouse, North Yorkshire

The walk in is over a mile, but what a walk! From Whitby set off southward along the cliffs, and be warned: the Dracula

Steps up to the Abbey are steep

– I wouldn’t think of carrying anything but a rucksack. Once up, however, the Cleveland Way footpath is an undulating gem with magnificent sea views if the weather’s good.

The lighthouse, a bright white structure sitting above a huge cliff, is a working building with an important navigation mark for mariners. Take binoculars – there are gannets and whales out there, and in winter short-eared owls hunt the tussocky clifftops. Peregrines are often spotted too. The cottage is a neat, bright apartment within the lighthouse complex.

• Sleeps 5, from £572 a week, ruralretreats.co.uk