There are fine seabird colonies where you can find gannets, puffins, razorbills, guillemots and kittiwakes Grey seals haul out on rocks and from Whitby you can go whale watching in late summer in search of minke whales, harbour porpoise and bottlenose dolphins.

Then there is the heather moorland, a blaze of purple in late summer, which rolls down to almost touch the coast on the edge of the North York Moors, where adders and slow worms can be found basking on a summer’s day. There is evidence of industry too, past and present – the steel industry, mining, quarrying, fishing and railways. And then there is Whitby, a place of legend, atmosphere and history, from where Captain Cook went on to explore the wider world and where Bram Stoker was inspired to write his classic Gothic novel, Dracula.

Almost the entire coastline is accessible, with long distance coastal paths that follow the very edge of Yorkshire. Those accessible sections are certainly the most appealing stretches of this spectacular coast.

Some of these paths are National Trails like The Cleveland Way or other more recent long distance paths like The Headland Way. Others are ordinary, everyday footpaths which give access to some stunning, secret places. In spring and summer the coastal footpaths are a riot of colour, the pink of thrift and red campion, dazzling white ox-eye daisies and cow parsley, bright yellow bird’s foot trefoil and kidney vetch.

Chris Gee explores the Yorkshire Coast from south to north. Generously illustrated, this companion guide to the Yorkshire Coast will provide added pleasure and knowledge for those who have walked it in whole or in part, or for those who still have this glorious treat awaiting them.

Chris Gee is a York-based photographer who specialises in outdoor writing and landscape photography. Chris combines his passion for the outdoors and walking with a keen interest in industrial archaeology, wildlife photography and recording the changing seasons. Having relocated from Manchester to York in 2012, Chris has spent the last four years exploring every inch of the Yorkshire Coast from the River Tees to the River Humber.