Thornwick Bay derives it’s name from “Thor” the God of Thunder because of the roar of the breaking waves on the rocks during a North Easterly gale which pounds the magnificent cliffs. During the Summer months, visitors can sit on the cliff tops and admire the fantastic scenery and watch the sun reflect off the brilliant white chalk cliffs which has been cleaned by the winter storms over thousands of years. The stretch of water North of the Lighthouse was named ‘The Graveyard’ by the skippers and crew of sailing vessels which once they had lost the safety of Bridlington Bay, and without the aids of navigation, were at the mercy of the angry weather, Marine charts show hundreds of wrecks all within a few miles radius of Thornwick bay.
Thornwick Bay
