Robin Hood’s Bay: Where Smugglers Never Rest

Clinging impossibly to the cliffs of the Yorkshire coast, Robin Hood’s Bay is one of England’s most atmospheric villages—a tumbling cascade of red-roofed cottages descending so steeply that, locals say, you can pass a cup of tea from one rooftop to the next. But beneath this picturesque exterior lies a dark history of smuggling, violence, and murder that has made the bay one of the most haunted locations in northern England. In the secret tunnels that honeycomb the village, in the ancient pubs where deals were struck in candlelight, and on the beach where contraband was landed under cover of darkness, the ghosts of the smuggling era remain active—phantom figures carrying barrels, murdered excisemen seeking justice, and the spectral lights of ships that never made port.

History of Robin Hood’s Bay

The Village

Robin Hood’s Bay (known locally simply as “Bay” or “Bay Town”) lies on the North Yorkshire coast, approximately 6 miles southeast of Whitby and 15 miles north of Scarborough.

Geography:

• The village descends 340 feet from the clifftop to the beach
• Streets are so steep that steps replace pavements in places
• Buildings are packed so tightly that neighboring houses share walls
• The settlement developed organically over centuries with no planned layout
• Natural caves and rock formations provided perfect smuggling infrastructure

The Name: Despite the name, the connection to Robin Hood is unclear. Theories include:

• Robin Hood sheltering here while fleeing authorities
• “Robin Hood’s Bay” being a generic term for a hidden or sheltered bay
• A corruption of an earlier name
• Local appropriation of the famous outlaw’s legend

No historical evidence connects the actual Robin Hood (if he existed) to the village.

Origins and Early History

The settlement has ancient origins:

Pre-Norman:

• Evidence of settlement dating back to the Roman period
• Fishing activity on this coast for millennia
• The sheltered bay provided natural harbor in harsh weather

Medieval Period:

• A small fishing community developed
• The village appears in records from the 12th century
• Part of the manor of Fyling
• Modest prosperity from fishing and farming

16th-17th Centuries:

• The village grew as fishing expanded
• The natural harbor attracted increasing maritime traffic
• The first stirrings of what would become the smuggling industry

The Golden Age of Smuggling (1700-1850)

The 18th and early 19th centuries transformed Robin Hood’s Bay into the smuggling capital of the Yorkshire coast.

Why Smuggling Flourished:

Economic Factors:

• High taxes on imported goods made smuggling enormously profitable
• Taxed items included:
  • Brandy (taxed at 100%+ of value)
  • Tea (heavily taxed until the 1780s)
  • Tobacco
  • Silk and lace
  • Gin and other spirits
  • Salt (heavily taxed for centuries)

Geographic Advantages: Robin Hood’s Bay was ideal for smuggling:

• Sheltered landing beach for boats
• Caves and gullies for hiding cargo
• Steep topography making pursuit difficult
• Isolation from major towns and garrisons
• The tunnel network allowing invisible movement of goods

Social Support:

• The entire village was complicit—every household participated
• Revenue men were outnumbered and outmaneuvered
• A code of silence protected smugglers
• Economic dependency—smuggling was more profitable than fishing

The Scale of Operations: At its peak, smuggling was the primary industry of Robin Hood’s Bay:

• Virtually every building was connected to the tunnel network
• Goods could travel from the beach to the hilltop entirely underground
• The village was said to be able to hide a shipload of contraband within hours
• Organized networks connected to continental suppliers

The Tunnel System

The most remarkable feature of smuggling-era Robin Hood’s Bay was its network of secret tunnels and passages.

Construction:

• Tunnels were dug through the soft clay and rock beneath the village
• Natural caves were expanded and connected
• Cellars were linked through hidden passages
• Some tunnels ran for hundreds of yards

The Network: Contemporary accounts claimed:

• A bolt of silk could travel from the shoreline to a farmhouse two miles inland without seeing daylight
• Contraband could be hidden in cellars and emerge in completely different streets
• Excisemen searching one house might be standing above goods stored directly below them
• The network was so complex that only locals could navigate it

Present Status: Many tunnels have:

• Collapsed due to erosion and instability
• Been sealed for safety reasons
• Been lost as knowledge died with the old smugglers
• Been filled in during later construction

Some tunnels, however, still exist beneath older properties—and are often associated with paranormal activity.

Violence and Death

The smuggling trade was not romantic adventure—it was organized crime that regularly turned violent.

Revenue Men: Customs officers and excisemen who tried to enforce the law faced:

• Physical assault and intimidation
• Murder by smuggling gangs
• Ambush on lonely coastal paths
• Drowning (accidental or otherwise)

The isolated location meant excisemen often worked alone or in small groups against entire communities of smugglers.

Smugglers: Smugglers themselves faced:

• Hanging if caught—smuggling was a capital offense
• Transportation to Australia
• Drowning when boats were overloaded or caught in storms
• Murder by rival gangs or informers

Documented Deaths: Court records and contemporary accounts document:

• Revenue men killed in the line of duty
• Smugglers hanged at York or Whitby
• Sailors drowned when boats capsized
• Murders connected to the trade

Many of these deaths occurred in and around Robin Hood’s Bay. The ghosts reported today are believed to be the restless spirits of those who died violently during the smuggling era.

The Decline of Smuggling

Several factors ended the golden age:

Reduced Taxation:

• The government reduced duties on key goods (especially tea) in the 1780s
• Smuggling became less profitable
• Some former smugglers went legitimate

Improved Enforcement:

• Coast Guard service established in 1822
• Better-organized and equipped officers
• Preventive stations built along the coast

Social Change:

• Victorian respectability discouraged open criminality
• The coming of tourism to the Yorkshire coast
• Fishing industry modernization

By the mid-19th century, smuggling had largely ended—but the spirits remained.

The Hauntings

The Phantom Smugglers

The most frequently reported apparitions are the ghostly smuggling gangs who continue their work centuries after death.

The Apparition:

Witnesses describe:

• Groups of men (typically 4-8 figures)
• Wearing 18th-century clothing—long coats, tricorn hats, knee breeches
• Carrying loads—barrels, packages, bundles
• Moving purposefully through the streets
• Silent—no sound of footsteps or voices
• Appearing most often on foggy or stormy nights

Behavior:

The phantom smugglers:

• Walk familiar routes from the beach up through the village
• Ignore modern observers completely
• Vanish when approaching walls or buildings (passing into tunnels that once existed)
• Sometimes fade away when watched too closely
• Have been seen inside buildings, appearing to use long-sealed passages

Witness Accounts:

Multiple residents and visitors have reported encounters:

One resident described: “I was walking home around 2 AM after closing the pub. Through the fog, I saw a group of men carrying what looked like barrels up the street ahead of me. I thought it was strange anyone would be doing that at that hour. As I got closer, I realized I could see the wall behind them—they were transparent. Then they just walked into the stone wall of the cottage and disappeared.”

A tourist reported: “We were staying in one of the old cottages. Around midnight, I heard footsteps in the cellar beneath us—heavy boots on stone. Then what sounded like something being rolled across the floor. In the morning, I asked the owner about it. She just smiled and said ‘Oh, that’s our smugglers. They come through most nights.’”

The Murdered Revenue Man

One of the most specific and persistent hauntings involves the ghost of a revenue officer murdered in the village.

The Legend:

According to local tradition, an exciseman came to Robin Hood’s Bay in the late 18th century determined to break the smuggling rings. He was warned to leave. He refused. One night, while investigating suspicious activity, he was attacked by a smuggling gang. His throat was cut, and his body was hidden.

The Manifestation:

The murdered officer is seen:

• In the Dolphin Inn and other village pubs
• Sitting by the fire or at a corner table
• In period excise uniform (dark coat with brass buttons)
• With a visible wound at his throat—a dark line or gaping cut
• Staring at patrons before vanishing

Witness Descriptions:

Those who have seen the revenue man describe:

• An intense feeling of anger or malevolence
• The ghost appears to be looking for someone
• He focuses on specific individuals before vanishing
• His expression is one of bitter accusation
• The temperature drops sharply when he appears

Some interpret this haunting as the officer’s spirit seeking the descendants of his murderers—or simply unable to rest until justice is done.

The Phantom Lights

Mysterious lights are frequently reported at Robin Hood’s Bay:

Shore Lights:

• Lights moving along the beach at night
• Appearing in patterns consistent with lanterns being carried
• Associated with the signals smugglers used to guide boats to shore
• Visible from the clifftop but no one present when investigated

Sea Lights:

• Lights on the water where no boats are present
• Moving in patterns suggesting approaching vessels
• Attributed to ghost ships—smuggling vessels that never made port
• Sometimes accompanied by sounds of creaking wood or splashing oars

Tunnel Lights:

• Lights visible through cracks in sealed cellars
• Glowing from areas known to connect to the tunnel network
• Moving as if carried through passages beneath the ground

The Drowned Sailors

The beach and waters of Robin Hood’s Bay are haunted by those who died at sea:

The Sounds:

On certain nights—particularly during storms or heavy fog—witnesses report:

• Cries for help from the water
• Men’s voices calling out in distress
• Screaming as if drowning
• The sounds of a boat breaking up

The Figures:

Less commonly, apparitions are seen:

• Figures in the water struggling
• Men on the beach appearing wet and distressed
• Shapes on the rocks at the bay’s edge
• Forms that vanish when approached

Interpretation:

These manifestations are attributed to:

• Smugglers drowned when boats capsized with heavy contraband
• Fishermen lost in storms over the centuries
• Shipwreck victims from the many vessels lost on this coast

Local fishermen traditionally avoid launching when the phantom voices are loudest, believing it presages disaster.

The Dolphin Inn

The Dolphin Inn, one of the village’s oldest pubs, is among the most haunted locations:

History:

• Dating to the 18th century
• A known gathering place for smugglers
• Connected to the tunnel network
• Scene of countless deals, disputes, and (allegedly) murders

Reported Phenomena:

• Glasses moving on their own across the bar
• Phantom sea shanties heard when the pub is empty
• The temperature dropping suddenly in specific areas
• Footsteps in empty rooms above the bar
• The ghost of the revenue man appearing by the fire
• Shadows moving in peripheral vision
• The smell of tobacco and rum with no apparent source

Staff Experiences:

Bar staff over the years have reported:

• Feeling watched when closing alone
• Finding chairs rearranged after locking up
• Hearing conversations in the bar after everyone has left
• Seeing figures reflected in windows that aren’t there when they turn around

The Bay Hotel

The Bay Hotel, perched near the top of the village, has its own paranormal reputation:

Phenomena:

• Room disturbances—items moved, bedding disturbed
• Footsteps in corridors when no one is walking
• Temperature anomalies in specific rooms
• Apparitions seen by guests
• Sounds from the cellars consistent with smuggling activity

The Identity Question:

The Bay Hotel’s ghosts may include:

• Smugglers accessing the tunnel network
• Guests who died in the hotel over its history
• Previous owners or staff

The Cottage Hauntings

Many of the village’s cottages report paranormal activity, particularly those with cellar access to the old tunnel system:

Common Reports:

• Footsteps in cellars at night
• Whispered conversations in archaic dialect
• The sound of barrels rolling on stone
• Cold spots in areas above known tunnels
• Objects moving without explanation
• Feelings of presence in empty rooms

One Owner’s Account:

“Our cottage has a sealed tunnel entrance in the cellar. The previous owners told us about the ‘visitors’ but we thought they were joking. Within a week of moving in, we understood. Every few nights, around 2 or 3 AM, you hear them—footsteps, murmuring, sometimes the sound of something heavy being dragged. At first it was terrifying. Now we’re used to it. They don’t bother us. They’re just… working.”

The Phantom Coach

Less commonly, a phantom coach and horses has been reported:

The Apparition:

• A dark coach drawn by horses
• Seen on the road above the village
• Moving toward or away from the clifftop
• Associated with transporting contraband inland

Connection to Smuggling: Once goods were landed and hidden, they needed to be transported to markets inland. Coaches moving at night, driven at dangerous speed, would have been a common sight during the smuggling era.

Notable Locations

The Beach

The beach at Robin Hood’s Bay is where smuggling operations began:

Historical Significance:

• Boats landed contraband on dark nights
• Goods were carried up hidden paths to the village
• Lookouts watched for revenue cutters
• Natural caves provided temporary storage

Paranormal Activity:

• Phantom lights and figures on the sand
• Sounds of boats landing that aren’t there
• Voices of drowned men
• Feelings of being watched from the caves

The Dock

The old dock area, partially preserved, was central to village life:

Activity:

• Apparitions of working men
• Sounds of ropes, chains, and cargo
• The smell of tar and seawater
• Unexplained lights at night

The Clifftop Path

The path along the clifftop connecting Robin Hood’s Bay to Whitby and beyond:

History:

• Route used by excisemen on patrol
• Also used by smugglers moving goods
• Scene of violent confrontations
• Many deaths from falls, fights, or exposure

Hauntings:

• Figures walking who vanish when approached
• The sensation of being followed
• Sounds of pursuit or struggle
• Occasional sightings of the murdered revenue man

The Tunnel Entrances

Several buildings still have access to the tunnel network:

Known Locations:

• Various cottage cellars
• Beneath the pubs
• In some commercial premises
• Scattered through the village

Activity:

• Sounds from sealed passages
• Cold air from unknown sources
• Apparitions entering or emerging from walls
• Light anomalies

Paranormal Investigation

Documented Research

Robin Hood’s Bay has attracted paranormal investigators:

Findings:

• EMF anomalies in locations associated with sightings
• Temperature variations consistent with cold spots
• Audio recordings containing unexplained sounds
• Photographic anomalies in the tunnels and pubs

Medium Reports: Psychics investigating the village have reported:

• Strong impressions of violence and death
• Sensing numerous spirits connected to smuggling
• Communication attempts from those who died violently
• Residual energy imprinted on the landscape

Television Coverage

The village has been featured on paranormal programming:

• Most Haunted has investigated the pubs
• Regional documentaries on haunted Yorkshire
• Online paranormal channels and podcasts

The Village Today

Tourism

Robin Hood’s Bay is now primarily a tourist destination:

Attractions:

• Stunning coastal scenery
• Historic architecture
• Walking connections to the Cleveland Way
• Fossil hunting on the beach
• Quaint shops and pubs
• Ghost tourism for those seeking the supernatural

Ghost Tours

Local operators offer:

• Walking tours of haunted locations
• Historical talks about the smuggling era
• Evening ghost hunts (by arrangement)
• Accommodation in haunted properties

Resident Attitudes

Those who live in Robin Hood’s Bay have varied views:

Acceptance: Many residents accept the hauntings as fact:

• Reports are consistent across generations
• Personal experiences are common
• The ghosts are seen as part of the village’s character

Pragmatism: Others take a practical view:

• The hauntings draw tourists
• Stories are good for business
• Whatever the truth, the legends persist

Skepticism: Some dismiss the accounts:

• Old buildings creak and groan
• Imagination fills in the gaps
• No proof has ever been documented

Why Is Robin Hood’s Bay So Haunted?

The Concentration of Violent Death

Few villages of this size have such a documented history of murder, drowning, and execution. The smuggling trade:

• Killed excisemen who came to enforce the law
• Killed smugglers who were caught and hanged
• Killed sailors in overloaded boats
• Killed informers who betrayed the gangs

This concentration of violent, untimely death may explain the persistence of hauntings.

The Tunnel Network

The secret passages create unique conditions:

• Enclosed spaces may “hold” residual energy
• The tunnels were the scene of intense activity and emotion
• Physical traces of smuggling remain beneath the village
• Modern residents literally live above the routes of the dead

The Atmosphere

Robin Hood’s Bay has an inherently eerie quality:

• The steep streets and packed buildings create shadowy corners
• Fog rolls in from the North Sea regularly
• The isolation and maritime setting evoke the smuggling past
• The history is preserved in the architecture and landscape

Unfinished Business

Many of the deaths connected to smuggling were unjust in some sense:

• Revenue men murdered doing their duty
• Smugglers hanged for crimes the entire community committed
• Sailors drowned because greed overloaded boats

These souls may have reason not to rest.

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The tide rises and falls at Robin Hood’s Bay as it has for millennia. But on certain nights—when the fog rolls in from the North Sea and the cobbled streets grow slick with moisture—the old village awakens. Phantom smugglers emerge from walls, carrying the contraband of two centuries past. The murdered revenue man takes his place by the fire, searching for justice that will never come. And from the beach below, the cries of drowned men echo across the water. The tunnels that honeycomb the village may be sealed, but the dead still know the way. Robin Hood’s Bay was built on secrets and violence. The secrets are forgotten. The violence left its mark. And the ghosts remain, running their contraband through passages that exist only in memory, condemned to repeat forever the crimes that cost them everything.