Yesterday I said goodbye to the North York coast and travelled by train from Scarborough to York and then on to London, Kings Cross station,
and first thing this morning I visited the Vauxhall region of London near the Pleasure Gardens which are often the setting of much naughtiness in the historical romance novels that I sometimes read. (No, the fact that I like to read romance novels is not my dirty little secret!)
My dirty little secret, which is likely not a secret at all to most if not all of my readers, is that my lovely photos have been filled with spots. I have not wanted to mention it before, in case some of you hadn’t noticed them, but they are awful! Before I left Vancouver I had brought my camera in to have the sensor cleaned, but (long, and frustrating story short) I was left with an unserviced camera.
I tried to fix the problem in Saltburn by using my blower and the Sensor Cleaning mode on my camera but that created more spots! I tried again in Whitby and then there were even more spots! Aaaargh! The usual deep pleasure that I feel while taking photos has been blunted this whole beautiful time (oh, the vistas, the blue skies, the sea!) by those darn spots!
So, my stop this morning in Vauxhall was at an official Sony camera repair shop to have my sensor cleaned before I fly, in two days’ time, to the Amalfi coast of Italy (oh, the vistas, the blue skies, the sea!). I hope you will join me there, and my camera stays spot free!
In the meantime, I have a few sites to see in London and I do not plan to write any posts from here other than this one. Also, due to time constraints, I will sadly just have to wait until I return to Canada to create my posts about the first half of my Cleveland Way walk through the glorious North York moors.
Now, back to the naughtiness. The “Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens” was a popular outdoor evening and nighttime entertainment venue in the 18th and 19th centuries with music, dining, operas, theatricals, balloon rides, fireworks, and other amusements, and it was reputedly often the site of trysts and other goings-on in the more secluded corners of the garden. Today, all that remains is a rather pleasant, family-friendly park surrounded by the busy city, though the silhouettes of a gentleman and a lady atop tall columns at the entrance to the park allude to its earlier life as a centre of amusement and dalliances.
When I first arrived in London yesterday afternoon I felt rather overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of people at Kings Cross and in the metro stations and on the streets and, well, everywhere! I successfully negotiated the metro and found my way to my accommodation, but then I basically hid out for the rest of the day except for taking an evening walk in the relatively peaceful and nearby Hyde Park. Today though, after a good night’s sleep, I decided to embrace the busyness and crowds of the city and really enjoy my few days here. (Granted, though, I did spend most of my afternoon at the British Library which could very well be the quietest “attraction” in London!)
Enough chit chat! Here are just a few pictures from the busy and vibrant streets of London.
Vauxhall Bus Station.Vauxhall Bus Station with buses!Outside Kings Cross Station. Look at all of the cranes!Looking toward Euston Road from Kings Cross Station. I love this photo!
And in this collage, the grand Saint Pancras Renaissance Hotel London is made even swankier by a hot pink McLaren.
Well, that’s it from London. I’ll see you soon in Naples and on the beautiful Amalfi coast.
September 23, 2022 – Scarborough to Filey Brig, 15.3 km, plus 2 km to access transport
Waking up in Scarborough, I really did not feel like heading out to finish the last leg of my journey as the nice round number of 100 miles to Scarborough seemed like a good enough achievement! I briefly considered cheating a bit by cutting across town to reduce the walk by a few kilometres, but that idea did not last long. I’d come this far, I may as well do the whole thing properly!
I headed down from my hilltop accommodation to Marine Drive where the road and adjacent pedestrian walkway curved towards and around the base of the large rock outcrop that Scarborough Castle sits upon. Again I had fine weather with wind, sun, and cloud, and within the first kilometre the wish to skip this last leg of my walk had already vanished.
The road curved around to the South Beach area of Scarborough with its marina and its array of shops and amusements for people on holiday.
The tide was out and a walk along the long beautiful beach held more appeal than a walk along the roadway so I descended to the sand.
It was a scenic walk with the morning sun shining brightly on attractive buildings (and attractions) on the shore.
This is Nicholas Gardens and to its left (out of frame) is a funicular that rises to the top of the hill.
Midway along the beach is the Scarborough Spa, a grand Victorian building that hosts a conference centre and seaside performance venue.
From midway along the beach one can see that the defensive walls of Scarborough castle that extend from one end of the hilltop to the other.
As I neared the far end of this gorgeous beach I took a last look back,
and then located the trail in the distance ahead of me which would climb to the top of the hill.
A Cleveland Way signpost let me know that I had 7.5 miles to go before Filey and I felt good and fit and ready for the walk.
This is the very beautiful wide sandy beach at Clayton Bay.
A woman that I met on the trail drew my attention to the concrete structures on the beach that were placed there during the Second World War. She said that it was feared that this beach might be used by the Germans as a landing beach and that “my dad’s army” had stationed soldiers in the boxes to watch the sea night and day. She also told me that on her walk the previous day she had seen a pod of dolphins in this bay – a much more welcome kind of sighting!
This view is taken looking back perhaps a third of the way along the beach (with Scarborough and its castle just visible on the headland beyond).
And this view is from near the very end of the beach. Wow!
Eyes forward now I admired this patch of shrubbery with its growth pattern shaped by the direction of the wind.
The trail stayed high for the entire walk today with just a few small dips and rises and I kept my eyes peeled for a possible sighting of dolphins.
Walking above this next beach I’m sure that I heard the moaning wail of seals but I could not distinguish their shapes from the shapes of the rocks.
All along this section I watched a Kestrel hunt. It hovered in the wind, spying its prey, then folded its wings in a flash like a falcon and dove at speed out of sight below the cliff top. I saw it dive multiple times and I also saw the kestrel severally harassed and chased by a small flock of crows. I have never seen crows fly so fast or so acrobatically!
Later, the trail led onto this long peninsula, with Filey Brig at its very end. I met a couple near here (sporting binoculars) and they told me that the kestrel has a mate nearby. Also, they had seen a large pod of dolphins just an hour earlier near here, not very far off shore.
I found myself slowing down to a crawl (figuratively, not literally!), and stopping often to look out to sea and also over to the fields and hills inland, very conscious that my walk would be ending soon.
And of course I also looked back and marvelled that I had walked all the way to here from the furthest peninsula that you can see in the distance, and much more before that. It’s amazing how far you can walk if you just keep putting one foot in front of the other!
Then, soon after, that was it! I was at the end. I didn’t feel a rush of emotion today like when I had arrived in Scarborough, just a quiet sense of contentment tinged with sadness that my time in Yorkshire was almost at an end.
September 24, 2022 – Scarborough Castle
The weather report had predicted rain for all of today and indeed it was raining when I woke up but by the time I sat down to breakfast much of the sky to the east had cleared and there was a giant rainbow outside my window! Scarborough Castle was only a ten minute walk from my accommodation, and on the way I made a quick stop to visit the grave of Anne Brontë who is buried in a nearby churchyard.
Then I was through the entrance gate of the Castle and walking up the cobbled road (whose walls used to be eighteen feet high) towards the keep that was built between 1158 and 1164 by order of King Henry II. Used as a royal residence, this 100 foot high keep stood strong until the English Civil War when the entire front of the keep was demolished by cannon fire from the Parliamentarian troops. The Royalists kept fighting (and they used the fallen stones from the keep as missiles against the enemy), but they eventually had to surrender because of illness among the defenders and dwindling water reserves.
The rear view of the castle looks almost like it could have been built yesterday instead of 900 years ago!
Near to the castle there were stairs that led to a viewing deck on the castle wall, with an excellent view down to South Scarborough,
and west looking down to the castle’s approach road and to the north shore beach.
The castle grounds cover over 16 acres, almost all of it a grassy meadow that is a Site of Special Scientific Interest. More than one hundred different species of grass grow here, as well as many wildflowers including some rare orchids. It must be amazing in the Spring! Mowed paths led through the grass to far-off corners of the site.
Here I am at the end of the headland where a 4th century Roman signal station once stood. The site and size of the tower and its surrounding defensive wall are marked by the raised levels of ground, and the stone foundations you see are the remains of a 16th century church, which itself was built on the site of a previous small chapel from about the year 1000.
I realize now that I was historically inaccurate when I wrote, “Light the fires I see a ship!” in an earlier post. I learned from the English Heritage audio guide that the fires in the Roman signal stations were always kept burning but that the windows were covered and then uncovered – messages were sent in a coded pattern of flashes of light. Amazing!
I walked the long length of the castle’s only surviving curtain wall and through the ruined remains of King John’s 13th century Royal Chamber Block which later became a barracks in the 18th century when the Jacobite Rebellion stoked fears of a possible invasion from Scotland.
Nearby were the foundations of King John’s Great Hall where business would have been conducted and where members of the court, honoured guests, merchants and pilgrims would have been welcomed, fed, and entertained.
Although very little of the castle’s buildings, towers, and walls remain, the audio guide brought episodes from the long and dramatic history of this place to life through stories and accounts. Part of that history is relatively recent and includes the morning of December 16, 1914, when three German warships fired upon the town of Scarborough and the castle. The castle walls and barracks suffered damage, and seventeen civilians died from the assault, including eight women and four children, and eighty were seriously injured. After that attack, “Remember Scarborough” became a rallying cry for recruitment.
The history here though goes back much farther than the history of the castle itself as this headland has been used for over 3000 years as a place of settlement and defence. A small museum displayed a collection of artefacts found here from the Neolithic (a flint scraper and flint flakes), the Iron Age (spindle whorls, glass beads, crucibles for melting metal), and the Bronze Age (mill stone, Axe head, pottery shards and a beautiful sword), as well as from the time of the Romans, the Vikings, and the Middle Ages.
After my visit to the castle, I spent the afternoon and evening in my studio suite and its local neighbourhood (cafe, groceries, launderette, blogging). I was happy and felt replete – I had completed my walk and had seen, learned, and appreciated so much. Thank you to the beautiful North York moors and coast, and to the Cleveland Way for gifting me with this marvellous adventure. Next stop, London!
On my second day in Whitby, I first went to visit Whitby Abbey. I’ve wanted to visit this site for a long time, largely because of Saint Hilda (or Hild), an abbess who founded the first monastery here in 657. As an abbess, Hilda was known for her kindness, wisdom, and good judgement, as well as for her dedication to her faith and to education. Born in a royal family herself, she was an influential figure who advised kings, princes, and bishops.
Hilda’s monastery was destroyed in 867 by Viking raiders. In 1078, a new Benedictine monastery was founded here by Reinfrid, a Norman soldier under William the Conqueror who had become a monk. The lands for the monastery were granted by William de Percy and included the headland upon which the abbey sits, the town below, and “extensive lands stretching for miles to the south.”
The original 11th century Romanesque church built by Reinfrid was extensively remodelled and expanded into a great church from between the 13th and 15th centuries in the Gothic Style.
Over the centuries, Whitby Abbey grew to be a powerful and wealthy religious centre and was often in competition with the Minster in York for influence in the religious and political life of northeastern England.
Whitby Abbey suffered the same fate as all of the monasteries in England and when it was closed and largely destroyed in the 16th century during the Dissolution of the Monasteries under Henry VIII. It also suffered damage in much more recent times when Whitby was shelled by German warships in 1914. The abbey’s long history through the Middle Ages is known today largely because of the Cartulary, or Abbot’s Book, which can be seen in the abbey’s museum. The Cartulary is a compilation of written records, history, and copies of documents such as Royal Charters and grants of property that was kept by the abbey from the 12th through the 16th centuries. What a treasure!
Whitby to Robin Hoods Bay – 11.9 km
After visiting the abbey, I set out on the Cleveland Way path, with good views back across the headland to the abbey for some distance.
The Way passed in front of a Caravan park at Saltwick Bay where there was a well-used trail to enable walkers and holiday makers to descend to the beach below.
At the end of the bay, a curious rock formation resembled some kind of mythical horse-like sea creature, or perhaps a very large sea-going duck!
Further along the trail, I spied a building with huge fog horns atop its roof and I am quite certain that I have seen that building up for sale on an episode of “Escape to the Country.”
Just a short distance beyond was the lighthouse, now also no longer in service but available for rent as a holiday cottage.
The walking was easy today as the path undulated along the cliff tops with just a few steeper descents and rises, and it was also the busiest section of the Cleveland Way that I have experienced with many walkers travelling in both directions.
Before I knew it I was more than half way along on my day’s journey, with ever-changing yet consistently gorgeous views looking forward and back.
All too soon Robin Hoods Bay came into view and it wasn’t long before I reached the village and located the bus stop. The sedimentary cliffs along this coast are very prone to erosion, and more than 200 cottages in this area alone are known to have fallen into the sea.
I returned to Whitby by bus, a double-decker, so I had great views of the countryside as we travelled just inland from the coast. After a shower and a rest in my apartment, I made my way down to Whitby harbour and the pier to treat myself to a dinner of fish and chips. As I sat on a bench on the pier, with views across to the abbey and St. Mary’s church, I wished that I could have at least another day or two to better experience this historic, fascinating and atmospheric town.
September 21, 2022 – 13 km from Robin Hood’s Bay to Hayburn Wyke
I packed up my things in the morning, said good-bye to Whitby, and caught the bus to Robin Hood’s Bay to reconnect with the Cleveland Way. The bus dropped me off at the top of the village where the streets were lined with large and attractive brick-built Victorian villas. Farther down the hill was the older part of the village with its fishermen’s cottages, many of which are now used as holiday homes and rentals.
The Bay Hotel is located at the very bottom of the hill beside the beach and is so vulnerable to the sea that during one storm in November, 1893, a ship, the Romulus, crashed into the hotel with the ship’s bowsprit going right through a window!
I visited the beach for a short while and then climbed out of town. As I walked along the path there were views back down to the village and also down onto the beach with its series of curved ridges of hard limestone that has eroded from the cliffs slower than the softer shales.
Jurassic Age fossils like ammonites, bivalves, and giant marine reptiles are to be found here (and elsewhere along this coast) as well as jet which is a semi-precious stone created by the fossilization of Araucaria trees (related to today’s monkey puzzle trees). When I was walking down on the Robin Hood’s Bay beach, a woman had been stooping to pick up small flat oval rocks and place them in a plastic baggie. She said, with feeling, “I paid twenty pounds for a small piece of jet in Whitby and here it all is just lying on the beach.” I didn’t have the heart to tell her that her pieces of jet were actually pieces of shale that would lighten to a dark grey when they dried.
About a mile from Robin Hood’s Bay the trail dipped back down to the beach at Boggle Hole where a stream runs past an old mill (once a smugglers haunt and now a YHA hostel) down to the sea near a large cave.
Back up on the cliffs, I strode along enjoying all of the views forward and back, glad that today was a quieter day again on the trail.
There was a long steep climb up to the top of the cliffs at Ravenscar (184 m, 604 feet), and I stopped to catch my breath at a bench located part-way up. Usually, I like to stop for my lunch at the crest of a hill (and then only briefly), but the view here of fields and of the curve of Robin Hood’s Bay was so fine that I took off my boots, enjoyed my lunch, and stayed for a good long time.
Up and over Ravenscar, the trail continued to follow the dips and rises of the clifftop and I particularly enjoyed this more sheltered section that travelled for a while along a long row of hedges filled with sloe bushes on one side and hawthorn on the other.
The views opened up again with beautiful fields to my right and the glittering sea to my left and ahead of me. I felt myself slowing down as I walked along in a rather blissful state!
It was just so beautiful!
When I reached the steep descent to Hayburn Wyke I had to perk myself up in order to safely negotiate the uneven stone steps heading down. My reward at the bottom was the sight of the Hayburn Wyke waterfall spilling down into a small pool.
From there it was a steep climb back up the hill to my night’s accommodation at the Hayburn Wyke Inn where I enjoyed a shower, a rest, and a hearty dinner.
And, despite the amusing sign in the pub that read “Nobody gets out sober”, I managed to make my way back up to my room just a little bit tipsy from my one cider and from a day spent walking for miles in the sun and the wind along cliff tops by the sea.
September 18, 2022 – 13.6 km from Staithes to Sandsend
I took the bus from Saltburn to Staithes and enjoyed the steep walk down into the village in the quiet of the morning.
I was tempted to spend a bit more time in this characterful place with its tightly packed and colourful cottages, but I was also ready to get going on the trail so I stoppped only for one quick photo of the harbour which today was full with the tide.
I found Church Street (Captain James Cook once lived here), began to climb, and was soon rewarded for my efforts by views down into the village and harbour.
I was so happy to be once again walking in the blustery wind on the clifftop.
This camper must really enjoy being close to the elements! The wind was howling and the sea was roaring as waves pummelled the base of the cliffs.
As for me, I kept to the relative safety of the path as I had miles to go, headlands to conquer, and hills to climb.
The trail stayed high up on the cliffs for several miles until it made a descent into Runswick Bay, another small fishing village, where someone kindly took my photo.
From here, the Cleveland Way continued along on the Runswick Bay beach and past some Hob holes which are natural caves that have been deepened by jet miners. In the old local folklore, Hobs are characters who live in the caves, some of whom are mischievous and some of whom are helpful. Apparently, if called upon correctly by a distraught mother, they can cure a baby of whooping cough!
My guidebook stated that “it is possible to walk across the beach safely at high tide” but, 90 minutes after the high tide, I definitely had to wait for a lull between the rollers in order to scamper quickly past the base of the cliff without getting my feet wet.
Just around the corner, the trail turned into a narrow ravine and climbed steeply back up and onto the clifftop, with views back down to Runswick Bay.
The trail then continued to stay high up on the cliff tops for most of the rest of the day’s walk. It was a quiet day, with few walkers, and I enjoyed the peace and solitude.
Though there were a few new friends to say hello to.
Gradually, the trail curved around a headland and down through a wood to reach the small village of Sandsend,
and from the beach there I had a misty view of Whitby in the distance with its abbey and St. Mary’s Church prominent on the headland.
I returned to Saltburn on the bus tired (in a good way), happy, and excited about the next day’s walk into Whitby.
September 19, 2022, 4.5 km from Sandsend to Whitby
I awoke to another cold, windy and overcast morning but by the time the bus had whisked me from Saltburn to Sandsend the sky was clearing and it looked to be another beautiful day on the Yorkshire Coast. From Sandsend, it was only a 4.5 km walk into Whitby.
I had planned for this short walk into Whitby in order to spend the rest of the day visiting the town and abbey. The abbey however was closed due to the National Day of Mourning to mark the funeral of Queen Elizabeth. I was able to check into my accommodation early at 11:30 a.m., and I considered staying in to watch the rest of the service for the Queen being held at Westminster Abbey, but the day was just too beautiful and so I decided to head out and return later to watch the procession to Windsor Castle and the service at Saint George’s Chapel.
Whitby is a marvellous place! Attractively set along and above the River Esk, it has a magnificent harbour, a famous abbey, many museums and churches, and associations with fishing, whaling, Captain James Cook, the crafting of jewellery from jet, important religious events and figures such as Saint Hilda, and literary associations the most famous of which is Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
From the top of the West Terrace I had a splendid view down to the harbour and across to the silhouettes of the abbey and Saint Mary’s Church on the opposite hill.
After descending several staircases I came upon the statue commemorating Captain James Cook who came to Whitby at the age of 18 to apprentice as a seaman. Cook’s three major voyages of exploration were made in the HMS Bark Endeavour and HMS Resolution ships, both of which were built in Whitby shipyards. Very near to his statue was a set of whale bones to represent the whaling industry which flourished here from 1753 to 1837. At its height, there were more than 55 whaling ships working from the harbour. Today, whale watching ships (a much kinder endeavour) take visitors out to spy Minke, Fin, Sei and Humpback Whales as well as dolphins, porpoise, and seals.
From there, more staircases took me down to Pier Road where I walked upriver past a series of fish and chip shops and arcades with names like “Pleasureland” and “Funland” towards the Whitby Swing Bridge over the River Esk.
Here is a view from the centre of the bridge looking downriver toward the harbour and the sea.
The bridge led me to the historic centre of Whitby with its cobbled streets, old buildings, and intriguing little alleyways and corners. All of the shops, and almost all of the cafes, restaurants, and pubs were closed for the National Day of Mourning but there were still many people strolling about and enjoying the exceptionally fine weather (although I managed to take my photos with few people in them!).
An uphill climb took me to the base of the famous 199 steps,
and from about a third of the way up there were these fine views towards the harbour and across the river to the West Terrace.
At the top of the stairs was Saint Mary’s Parish Church of Whitby, with the Caedmon Cross in its graveyard, and beyond that the abbey. Saint Mary’s Church is a setting in Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” when the title character, in the guise of a large black dog, leaves a ship that has blown into Whitby Harbour (with its captain dead and its crew missing) and spends some time in a grave in the church yard. Twice a year, in the Spring and in October (near Halloween), Whitby hosts a very popular Goth festival.
Next, I descended the 199 steps and turned right at the bottom to head towards the east arm of the harbour pier.
It was so long! The first section was wide and made of large stone blocks. Here’s a view from about half way along its length.
And here’s a view down the coast. I’ll be walking on that headland on the way to Robin Hoods Bay. The waves were mesmerizing!
Next, I crossed over a bridge that led to the next, curving section of pier.
I walked out to the very end, and the walk back was just as exciting as the walk out with the wind and the waves and the views.
What fun! I returned to historic centre of town, crossed the Swing Bridge over the Esk, and walked upriver a short distance before deciding to save the rest of my energy for a walk out to the end of the west pier. This side of the harbour was busier with people, and there was a long line up at the one fish and chip shop that seemed to be open today.
I went to the very end again, and then as I made my return the beach to my right called to me. I found my way down onto the sand and walked along the beach until it was time to rise up to the West Terrace and my accommodation.
I felt good after my exploration of Whitby and its harbour, and back at my apartment I settled in to watch the procession of the Queen’s coffin to Windsor Castle as well as the ceremony in Saint George’s Chapel. BBC One Live had excellent coverage which included exceptional camera work and very informative, respectful, and minimal commentary. It was an inspiring and impressive procession and a very moving service and I was very glad to have watched them while here in Britain.
September 22, 2022, 10.5 km from Hayburn Wyke to Scarborough
Hello everyone. I’m jumping ahead for a moment as this afternoon I walked across the sands leading into Scarborough, with views of Scarborough Castle ahead, having walked 100 miles on the Cleveland Way, with only 9 more miles to go tomorrow to the official end of the Way at Filey Brig.
I was filled with emotion as I walked across the sand, so happy with my achievement but mostly so grateful for all of the gifts I have received on this journey. I feel intense gratitude for:
The gorgeous North York countryside and far-reaching views on both the moors and the coast
A well-designed and well-marked trail. Thank you to all of the staff and volunteers who monitor and maintain all 109 miles of the Cleveland Way
Splendid weather. How lucky I am! I had just one day of misty rain, my first day on the trail, and then nothing but sun and cloud and wonderful winds – I could just as easily have been walking in rain for two weeks!
Flowers, fields, ferns, grasses, hedgerows, woods, rivers, streams, birds, the sea, and all of nature’s gifts (including blackberries, bilberries, and windfall apples)
Charming towns filled with historical buildings including churches, abbeys and a castle
Excellent accommodations with kind hosts, good food, hot showers, and comfortable beds such as at my last night’s accommodation at the Hayburn Wyke Inn
Lovely, friendly walkers and others who without exception have greeted me with a smile and a hello (or often a “hiya” which is a cheery and popular greeting here) as we passed, or who stopped to chat and share travel tales like the couple below who I conversed with for almost an hour on a most well-placed bench
And last but not least, I am grateful to my feet, knees, legs and hips for carrying me this far!
I will stay three nights here in Scarborough before returning to London. Tomorrow, I’ll finish the Cleveland Way by walking to Filey Brig and returning by bus, and then the next day I’ll explore the town and visit Scarborough Castle. I’m also hoping to get caught up on my posts while I’m here – we’ll see! In the meantime, thank you so much for reading, and all the best to everyone back home.
Hello everyone. I am in my Whitby accommodation and have just enjoyed an afternoon coffee and a toasted scone, slathered in butter and jam, so I think I’ve got the umph (finally) to write this post. The most challenging part is choosing the photos as I take far too many but the views on the Cleveland Way have been so spectacular, both looking forward in the direction of travel and looking back. That is one thing that I love so much about walking in the U.K. – the far-reaching views which I have had on both the moors and the coastal walking.
Saltburn to Staithes, 13.5 km, plus 1 km to access the bus
It was another very blustery day as I set off from Saltburn, with the sea churning and frothing white around the pier.
Heading towards Hunt Cliff, I was made very aware by the sun that this section of coast is aligned more east/west than north/south so my direction of travel was towards the morning sun.
Rising up onto Hunt Cliff, this view is looking back to Saltburn and down onto the remaining houses of Old Saltburn which was a fishing village long before the creation of the Victorian-era resort town, and its Ship Inn was once a centre for smugglers along this coast.
The path beckoned me forward,
and I turned often to look back.
Soon I reached the very top of Hunt Hill where a Roman signal station once stood. I will pass other Roman signal station sites as I continue on the Cleveland Way at Kettleness, Ravenscar, Scarborough Castle, and Filey Brig. Here is the view looking out to sea from the site. “Light the fires, I see a ship!”
Some time later, a long pier came into sight and I began my descent into Skinningrove Harbour.
A fun section through sand dunes took me down to the beach and this view looking back.
The ocean waves were crashing around and against the pier and the walk to its end was exhilarating with the wind and the sea mist and the roar of the surf.
This is the view looking back down to Skinningrove Harbour after I regained the clifftop. The nearby old ironworks once stained the stream that empties into this harbour red, but a sign assured me that after revitalization, salmon and sea trout are now once more returning to spawn in the stream.
It was a perfect day for walking along the cliff tops.
The colours of the land around me were mostly autumnal,
But along my walk I also found spots of colour in little dips of land that were more sheltered from the wind.
And luckily for me there were also areas of brambles with their late-season yet still tasty blackberries, another joy of the day.
As I continued along the cliff tops there was visible evidence that this coast has been extensively quarried for stone as well as mined for jet, potash, alum, and iron ore.
After many happy hours of walking (during which at some point I walked across the highest cliffs in Eastern England at an elevation of 188 m (679 feet)), I could see my destination in the distance, the fishing village of Staithes which is just barely visible as much of the town is tucked into a narrow ravine that descends to the sea. First though was the tiny community of Boulby,
where I was surprised to come upon this large metal sculpture of a miner. The text etched into the table drew my eyes to look behind me and across fields to the large complex of buildings of the Boulby potash mine. The first words read, “Under your feet are 621 miles (1000 km) of mine tunnels, with roadways large enough for trucks, machinery, and the hundreds of miners that work there.” It was an odd feeling to know that trucks and miners were working below me!
I continued along for another mile on a pleasant level path through fields, excited to be nearing Staithes, and here is my first peek as I descended a hill and rounded a corner. What a place!
I walked along the left bank of Staithes Beck toward the harbour.
Here is a view towards the town from near the beginning of the left harbour pier. The Cod and Lobster Inn has more than once had sections of its building washed away into the sea during storms, including in 1953 when the entire kitchen, two bedrooms, and all of the bottles of alcohol on stock were swept away! Apparently, lucky beachcombers were finding washed up bottles for a long time afterwards.
Once boasting a fishery of over eighty boats, the town is now largely a tourist destination with many holiday cottages for rent, as well as the usual attractions of shops, galleries, pubs, fish and chip shops, and ice cream stands, almost all with a nautical name or theme.
It was a wonderful place to end a wonderful day, and I climbed the steep hill out of town towards the bus stop very happily, if also a tiny bit tiredly, and if also a very tiny bit grumpily (again, it was steep!). The bus though easily whisked me back to Saltburn and it was gratifying to see the distance that I had travelled as I rested my feet and looked out the window. I was already starting to look forward to the next day!
Hello friends and family. As many of you know, I am in the U.K. in order to walk the Cleveland Way which is a 175 kilometre National Trail that begins in Helmsley, North Yorkshire, crosses the North York moors, and then continues down the North York coast from Saltburn to Filey, passing through Whitby, Robin Hoods Bay and Scarborough. I have booked and had to cancel this walk twice before, once because of Covid and then again last Fall because of foot pain, but I am finally here! Actually, I’m more than here and am already halfway done having passed the midpoint of the walk sometime this morning!
I have madeseveral attempts in the past week to get started on my posts but was hampered at various points by a somewhat foggy brain (from extended jet lag), and a lack of either energy or internet (it seemed to be that when I had one I did not have the other!). But today, having arrived at the blustery seaside town of Saltburn, I am determined to make a start even if it means that I am “starting in the middle”. I’m sorry but you will just have to wait for photos of the glorious North York moors – what a week of walking I have had!
Here, I’m on the clifftop at the Victorian-era seaside resort town of Saltburn on a bright sunny day with strong (and cold), wake-you-up winds coming from the northwest and gusting up to 50 km per hour! This is the view looking north of the wide sandy beach which stretches towards Redcar.
And here is the view looking south. I will be walking along those cliffs in the distance tomorrow as I continue my Cleveland Way walk south down the coast.
This is a zoomed in view of Saltburn’s pier which was 1500 feet long when it was first built between 1867 and 1869. Today the pier is 681 feet in length, having been damaged multiple times over the years by storms. It is the last remaining pleasure pier on the North East and Yorkshire coasts.
I descended part of the way down the cliff on a zigzag of stairs and stopped to take these photos of the colourful beach huts arranged in a cheerful line facing the sea.
A few brave souls had rented two of the first three cabins and were sitting rigidly in their camp chairs, all bundled up against the wind, determined to have their day at the seaside.
I stepped onto the lovely beach of golden sand and walked north for a good distance.
I stopped often to look out at the waves and at the puffs of sea foam that were being hurtled across the water and sand by the wind.
Then I turned south and walked back towards the pier.
What a beautiful structure!
I walked beneath the pier,
and then up and around to its entrance building which was filled with arcade games (there were a surprising number of adults trying to win small teddy bears and other toys with grapple hooks).
It was so exciting to step out onto the pier!
And as I approached the end…
a young couple were sharing kisses.
This was the exhilarating view to the south,
then out to sea,
and then to the north. What a day!
Brrrr! I made my way back down the pier and decided that the perfect finale to my afternoon would be to ride the funicular up the cliff to the town. After all, “fun” is in its name!
Opened in 1884, this “Lift to Town” is the oldest operating water-balanced funicular in Britain, and one of only three that remain in the country.
Here is the view looking down from the tram window as we rose up (while the second tram descended), and the ride was indeed fun.
Back on the clifftop, I explored Saltburn which was developed as a resort town in the late 1800s by an entrepreneur, Henry Pease, who was involved in the local ironstone mining industry and associated railways. The town still retains its Victorian-era character and charm with grand homes and buildings such as the Queen Hotel which was built in 1875 (top left).
My accommodation, however, is much more modest – a small studio suite that will be my cozy home-out-of-the-wind for three nights (yes, that’s a silhouette of a backpacker painted on the window). I will use Saltburn as a base from which to walk down the coast on the Cleveland Way and return each day by bus.
Well, it’s almost time for bed here in the U.K. so I’ll say goodnight. Thank you very much for joining me on the Yorkshire coast on this windy, blustery, fabulous day!
