Sandsend

A wide, clean sweep of sand three miles up the coast from Whitby, backed by the wooded slopes of Mulgrave and the old railway embankment. This is one of the easiest legal launches on the Yorkshire coast, wide-open beach below the high-water line as Crown foreshore, with a seafront car park right on the sand at Sandsend and another at East Row. At low tide the beach runs almost unbroken to Whitby, giving huge clear space with no obstacles, ideal for a first coastal flight or long tracking shots along the surf. Look south and you can frame Whitby Abbey on its headland in the distance, look inland for the green amphitheatre of Mulgrave Woods and the ruined alum works. The beach is popular with surfers and dog walkers, so keep well clear of people and launch from a quiet stretch. No FRZ, nearest airport Durham Tees Valley about 50km northwest, and Whitby itself has no restriction zone. Wind off the sea can be steady but the open ground makes it manageable. Golden hour with the tide retreating and Whitby glowing to the south is the shot.