On Tour! - North Yorkshire (5) : Robin Hood's Bay & Fylingdales

Monday 13th January 2014

Absolutely glorious day: the wind had dropped, the clouds were gone &, at times, it was distinctly warm!

Trying out quite an elaborate geocaching multi-trail around Robin Hood's Bay, Fylingdales & the surrounding cliffs - one of several such 'Smugglers' trails in the area. Collected good answers to all the clues except a couple which required us to count 'steps' in Bay Town itself.... OK, which steps!??

Thoroughly enjoyed the day & walked to some new places... but didn't find the treasure! I think you probably need to be visiting for a bit longer to try out different possibilities for the co-ordinates!

Did 'crack' one geocaching multi-trail in Robin Hood's Bay - the one from St.Stephen's Church!

This was the 'new' St.Stephen's as opposed to the 'old', where we spent about 40 minutes searching for the grave of a sailor who'd drowned in Yarmouth!

Been to Robin Hood's Bay on countless occasions but the most auspicious visit, I think, was with the entire family at the end of 2003's Coast-to-Coast jaunt!

Now that's just the kind of day that it was!

Looking south towards Ravenscar from the sea-wall at Robin Hood's Bay

Thought I'd been to all the pubs here but No! 3rd 'new' pub of the year!

We had, however, already had lunch at our old favourite, 'The Bay Hotel'!

Enjoyed a very good seafood lasagne while Les, perhaps predictably, opted for fish & chips!

Back up the cliffs to walk off lunch!

Who cared that we'd actually 'collected' only 2 geocaches?!

.... just the kind of day that it was!

On Tour! - North Yorkshire (4) : South Landing, Flamborough Head & Bempton Cliffs

Sunday 12th January 2014

Distinctly chilly today with a fierce wind blasting across the hills - seemed like an ideal day for a spot of cliff-top walking!

Set off for Flamborough with the intention of completing a geocaching multi/puzzle trail around the Sculpture Trail at South Landing, followed by a cliff-walk before doubling back into Flamborough itself & then out to the Head with the possibility of a beach stroll, dependent upon the tide

We achieved little of this but enjoyed an excellent day, nevertheless!

Had to count the eggs in this finely-sculpted nest.... which looks easy enough!

Learned, later, that one had been pinched!

So, first key component of the co-ordinates wrong!

'The Flamborough Longsword Dance Lock': I think we managed to count the swords successfully!

The Sculpture Trail was created as part of the 'Young Roots' programme in either 2006 or 2009 - this was probably another clue we got wrong!

State of the tide not looking too bad for that beach-walk later... though I hadn't remembered to check whether it was coming in or going out!

This cliff-top stretch, towards Flamborough Head, took us to the most remote sculptures... & clues!

Collected some useful information from a memorial to St.Oswald, patron saint of fishermen & the saint to whom Flamborough's church is dedicated, but were totally bamboozled by the date we were supposed to collect from this intricately-carved totem!

Speaking of booze, I think we managed to count the rum barrels!

Well, had loads of numbers.... which produced co-ordinates.... & pointed to the middle of a huge field! Clearly wrong!

Bit irritating 'cos it had been a fun walk & these sculptures weren't here when I did the 'coastals'

Wandered down to the beach at South Landing for Part 2 of the day's adventure which is where we spotted Captain Bird's-Eye beside the Lifeboat Station!

Spotted that the tide was coming in....!

In days long gone local fishermen used to have a boat at both North & South Landing, either side of Flamborough Head, & used whichever the tide & wind favoured

These are the cliffs south of Flamborough, heading towards Bridlington (just visible in the distance if you do a 'full-page' on this photo)

Beyond, the cliffs quickly degenerate into the rapidly-eroding sand & soil cliffs of South Yorkshire

Don't let any of this discourage you! The cliff-top walk from Bridlington, all the way north to Redcar & the Tees, is an absolute joy! If ever you find yourselves with a few days to spare....!

Flamborough Head

Stacks, arches, blowholes & the oldest surviving complete lighthouse in England (built 1669) - one of my very favourite coastal spots!

Weather was wild up here today but we forsook a warm Flamborough pub (would have been a 'new' one!) for chicken sandwiches & mulled wine cooked up in a quite 'toasty' van while we watched walkers battle the wind outside!

Left Les in the van & wandered off to pick up a couple of geocaches & tackle that 'beach stroll'

Thwarted... & not by the tide!

The steps down to the beach, which have been there as long as I can remember, were washed away in last week's huge tides & storms!

No beach-walking so we nipped up the coast to Bempton RSPB Reserve (not where this fellow comes from, he stands at the top of Flamborough Head's wrecked steps!)
Completed a shortish geocaching trail along the cliffs just as it began to get dark... & as it started to rain!
Stayed dry & warm again!


Woke to the news that Pete Seeger has died: would be appropriate for 'The Water is Wide' to be Song of the Day but I've always loved his political stuff from the 1940s - 'Which Side Are You On?', 'Talking Union'... so many to choose from!

On Tour! - North Yorkshire (3) : Scalby Nabs, Scalby & Sea Cut

Saturday 11th January 2014

Another astonishingly bright, sunny day &, for most of it, we seemed to be walking straight into the sun until the end, of course, when we contrived to be stumbling back to the van in the dark again!

Parked in Raincliffe woods, only 3-4 miles from our camp-site, & set out to walk a geocaching circular around the Derwent valley & the hills west of Scalby & Scarborough. Just as yesterday, this was to be a first.... I'd always wanted to follow the raised banks of the Sea Cut but had always ended up being seduced by sand, sea & fish & chips!

Climbing the northern side of the Sea Cut towards Hawthorn Wood

Across the valley are the steep slopes of Rowbrow Wood &, above, the flat expanse of Irton Moor, home of GCHQ Scarborough & goodness knows what kind of secret goings-on!

Raincliffe Woods, where we parked, is the left of the two escarpments on the horizon - the western edge of Irton Moor

There's that blessed sun again!

The right-hand escarpment is Scarwell Wood &, between them runs Forge Valley... all the way to the pub we'd visited on Thursday!

Our route took us across the high farmland above Suffield with brilliant views across Scarborough to the castle

Spotted an old disused quarry, followed a track & found this wonderful ruined lime kiln nestled in at the edge of the woods!

'The Nags Head Inn', Scalby

'New' Pub No.2!

Such a lovely day we sat outside in the sunshine - not bad for January!

At the beginning of the last century this was a Wine & Spirit Merchants run by Tom Laughton, a relative of Charles Laughton, Hollywood superstar of the 1930s, who also came from Scarborough!

Discovered today that William Mompesson was appointed Vicar of Scalby in 1662, leaving within a year to take up a similar post in Eyam, Derbyshire.... the 'Plague Clergyman' might never have been part of the story!

Scalby Nabs from the Sea Cut... we'd been up on top of there not so very long ago

Interesting to note that if the man-made Sea Cut hadn't been dug we, probably, wouldn't have been able to walk here today: after all the wet weather it would almost certainly have been under water!

The channel was opened in 1804 to help prevent the quite regular flooding of farmland in the Derwent Valley & appears to be still doing an efficient job - I guess Scalby & Scarborough, too, would be quite vulnerable without it

Another cracking day & though Les had brought a torch she didn't really need it - just as well... the batteries weren't working!

On Tour! - North Yorkshire (2) : Scarborough

Friday 10th January 2014

First full day in Yorkshire & another wonderful morning!

Drove to the Filey Road Park & Ride, though we had no intention of 'riding' anywhere... it does, however, offer all day free parking!

Plan was to walk into Scarborough from the south & to return over Oliver's Mount. Amazingly, in the countless dozens of visits I've made to Scarborough since I was a toddler, this was a climb I'd never made!

Castle Cliff & South Bay, Scarborough

Last walked here during the week of my 60th birthday-bash (2012)... in stormy, windy weather with the sea crashing everywhere - the time before (2010), in sweltering heat, when I was one day away from completing 'The Cleveland Way'

Not on today's walking agenda but a wonderful view to start off with!

The 'coastal' bit of today's walk - Scarborough South Bay

Made our way to the famous Spa buildings (just above right centre) via cliff-top paths, the Italian Gardens & the multi-level Promenade Gardens & then climbed to 'The Highlander Hotel' for lunch.... not a 'new' pub!

The closer of the 2 strange, artificial-looking 'peninsulas' is the landscaped remains of the landslip that carried 'The Holbeck Hall Hotel' into the sea in 1993: the further, also a landslip site, has a huge & fascinating map of the constellations engraved in its concrete

And, late in the afternoon, we finally made it to the summit of Oliver's Mount!

Named after Oliver Cromwell who had guns mounted here... though he probably never visited!

Just to the left of this huge war memorial is the road which is also the summit of the road-racing motorcycle circuit - events have been held here since 1946

As can be seen, a little bit of weather was blowing in but we made it back to the van in the dry... albeit in the dark again! 

On Tour! - North Yorkshire (1) : Wykeham, Ruston, Hutton Buscel, West Ayton

Thursday 9th January 2014

Apologies for the non-appearance of the Blog for several weeks but I've been having huge issues attempting to upload photos since before Christmas! Think I've finally solved the problem, so here goes...!

Having a bit of a rest from those 'Catch-ups'! Persuaded Les to leave grandson, Abner, for a whole week while we gave the camper-van a bit of much-needed exercise!

Hadn't been to North Yorkshire since my 60th birthday celebrations, immediately post-new knee No.2, & that's a long time to be away from the Home County!

Booked into a site just west of Scarborough for the last week before their Winter break &, by the end of our week, we were the only ones on the site!

Yes, the weather was as good as this... though it kept getting dark before we'd finished with the day!

Nice, clean van when we arrived but it wasn't going to stay like that... so no more photos!

As you can see, not too many visitors about! Our closest neighbours were alpacas & donkeys in the field beyond the van bonnet & a couple of friendly rare-breed pigs!

Wandered into Wykeham after we'd parked up to check out the local pub & begin a geocaching multi-trail around the village

Not over-impressed by the pub's snarly notices about muddy boots &, as a result, we never darkened their doors!

Did, however, come across this much more impressive 18th century ice-house beside the old Forge Valley railway - sometimes I think industrial archaeology comes looking for me!

Close by is this fine carved stone

The Wykeham & Ruston Millennium Commemorative Stone was cast by local artist, Malcolm T MacDonald & is based on various Pictish designs that I've often seen before on my wanderings

Quite surprised to come to these quite small villages to find that they have their very own waymarked heritage trails!

Just in case you were thinking I'd pinched these photos from my 'Summer Catalogue' to make you all envious, here's a group of well-dressed locals enjoying afternoon tea.... & a little Yorkshire sunshine!

... & this is Abbey Fields, just across the road from our camp-site - didn't go looking for the Abbey though its ruins are marked on the OS map

Last photo of the day though, in the gathering gloom, we continued to Hutton Buscel before reaching West Ayton, on the River Derwent, in the dark - well, it was nearly 4.30!

My New Year Resolution is to visit at least 52 'new' pubs this year (not as easy as you might think!) but you'll have to take my word for the first one : 'The Forge Valley Inn' in West Ayton - too dark for a photo!

Right!!! Let's see if this publishes!