Tag: Whitby

Cleveland Way Walk, Fall 2022 – Whitby Abbey, and on to Robin Hood’s Bay and Hayburn Wyke

September 20, 2022

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.

Cleveland Way Walk, Fall 2022 – From Staithes to Sandsend and on into Fabulous Whitby

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.