17th - 23rd June - North Yorkshire

 I am slowly getting used to the fact that we can now go away outside of the school holidays, but as yet we have not decided to leave these shores.  Tales of airport delays and cancelations do not sit well with us and we have decided to explore closer to home, there are still areas of this country that we have not experienced.  Which brings us back to this trip away, the destination North Yorkshire and specifically the North York Moors.  We had rented a cottage between Ravenscar and Robin Hood's Bay.  The photographs on line drew us in with views out across the fields towards the Bay and the attraction of being able to walk directly from the cottage.  You always wonder if the hype is justified, but before we could test that out we had the little matter of a five and a half hour journey north.

We set off early stopping outside Leicester and York along the way.  The plan was to stop in Scarborough to get some provisions for the next couple of days and we reached there in good time.  The last time we had been in Scarborough was thirty three years ago and then I remember it as a very smart holiday town with sweeping bays and a castle over looking it to the north.  As we found a suitable car park the image I had began to fade.  The main street appeared dirty, probably not helped by the many nesting Kittiwakes on every available window ledge.  

The weather too had played its part, it was hot and sunny and this had brought in the crowds and the amusement arcades along the esplanade were very busy.  The bays remain and are impressive as are the hotels and buildings that surround them, but it is hard to get away from the fact that Scarborough is the epitome of an English Seaside town, once seen as a Spa town to cure many ills, today it is one of the holiday destinations for the north of the country, with all those that visit want to see.

South Beach

We left Scarborough and headed north west parallel with the coast.  We followed a 'B' road that went up and down, finally reaching a concrete bridleway that led down to our cottage, part of a farm restoration and a lovely site, all the photographs doing it the justice it deserved.

The view from the cottage looking south east, the weather still fine and warm

This was the view looking towards Robin Hood's Bay, taken from under the bridge that carries the Cinder Track.  The clouds were coming and the very hot weather was about to break, further south, back home in Hampshire this had already happened.

There was a lot of activity around the cottage, an old horse stable opposite was the site of two Swallow nests and there was plenty of activity with the Swallows coming and going.  On the lawn there was a recently fledged family of Pied Wagtails, still begging for food from their over worked father.

The clouds never came to much and gradually through the evening they broke up giving us a wonderful sunset.  Here the setting sun lights up the bank above the cottage.

Then as the sun finally set there was a myriad of colours in the sky both to the east and towards the west where the sun had set.

The various views again across Robin Hood's Bay.

The 18th saw the weather return to sunshine, but with a fresher wind that made it much more pleasant after the heat of the previous day.  Before breakfast I spent some time trying to photograph the Swallows around the stables.

The plan today was to walk from the cottage to Robin Hood's bay, but first it was a trip to Sainsbury's in Whitby to stock up for the week.  Everything packed away we walked from the cottage and up on to the Cinder Track.

The Cinder Track follows the route of the old railway from Scarborough to Whitby. The railway was in use from 1885 to 1965, and after it closed, Scarborough Borough Council bought the line. The track ballast was made from cinders rather than crushed stone, hence the name the Cinder Track.  Today, long sections of it could more accurately be called the Puddles, Mud, and Stones Track, as little or no maintenance has been done for a long time, there are plans and funds though to restore some of the worst of the track

We left the cottage and walk up on the track which provided a nice view of our home for the next week, the building to the left.

We followed the track, pausing along the way to let the many cyclists pass.  After passing under a bridge we dropped down on to a road that dropped steeply down hill and into open fields, Several Yellowhammer could be heard singing  from the telegraph lines and poles.

As we came out of the trees the view across the bay opened up in front of us.

The road was lined with bramble bushes on either side and this was attracting butterflies, a Red Admiral.

And one of several Painted Ladies to be seen on the trip.

The road wound itself down through farms and past of all thing several Peacocks, there were also signs that some of the Peacocks or Peahens were being predated with piles of feathers everywhere.

At the end of the road was the beach and our timing was perfect with the tide well out.  The guidance is that you can walk the beach two hours either side of low tide and this is what we did heading towards Robin Hood's Bay.

Robin Hood's Bay is a picturesque old fishing village on the Heritage Coast of the North York Moors.  The actual origin of the name remains a mystery. There is not a scrap of evidence to suggest that Robin Hood of Sherwood Forest folklore visited the Bay. The name is more likely to have grown from legends with local origin and probably from more than one legend. Robin Hood was the name of an ancient forest spirit similar to Robin Goodfellow and the use of the name for such an elf or spirit was widespread in the country.

It appears that in the 16th century, Robin Hood’s Bay was far more important than Whitby. In a series of Dutch sea charts published in 1586, Robin Hood’s Bay is indicated while Whitby is not even mentioned.

In the 18th century, Robin Hood’s Bay was reportedly the busiest smuggling community on the Yorkshire coast. Its natural isolation, protected by marshy moorland on three sides, offered a natural aid to this well-organised business which, despite its dangers, must have paid better than fishing.

Smuggling at sea was backed up by many on land who were willing to finance and transport contraband. Fisherfolk, farmers clergy and gentry alike were all involved. Fierce battles ensued between smugglers and excise men, both at sea and on land, and Bay wives were known to pour boiling water over excise men from bedroom windows in the narrow alleyways. Hiding places, bolt holes and secret passages abounded. It is said that a bale of silk could pass from the bottom of the village to the top without leaving the houses.

The fishing industry reached its zenith in the mid 19th century and a thriving community existed in Bay.  From the early 19th century, Robin Hood’s Bay began to attract visitors from the outside and this has continued to the present day.

Being the weekend and with glorious weather the village was busy, but we managed to find a seat on the terrace at the Bay Hotel and enjoyed a couple of drinks.

It was our intention to return to the cottage on the Cinder Track which meant walking through the village to join up with the track.  In doing so the weather started to change with cloud rolling in.  The Cinder Track was lined with trees on either side as it passed through cuttings and embankments, with the trees and the now overcast conditions it was a dark and uninteresting walk.  The track wound its way inland and looped around farms and a few small settlements.  Eventually we arrived back at the cottage to be greeted by a Red Kite quartering the sheep field at the back of the track.

The next day saw a more cloudy day but the sun did come through in places, out on the grass in front of the cottage the Pied Wagtail continued to feed the begging juveniles.

Today we were heading off in the other direction along the Cinder Track, this time our destination was Ravenscar.  The track here was much more open and there were views out over the cliffs and out to sea.  Willow Warbler could be heard singing from within the trees, there were also Chiffchaffs and these were easier to see.

We also managed to find a few Speckled Woods, that would take advantage of any break in the clouds to warm up in the sunshine.

Ravenscar (or Peak as it was known until 1897) was originally a hotbed of industry. It was one of the earliest chemical works in Britain, producing a chemical called Alum that was used in the textile industry to fix dyes on cloth and in the tanning industry to make leather supple and more durable.

In the 16th-century alum was essential in the textile industry as a fixative for dyes. Initially imported from Italy where there was a Papal monopoly on the industry, the supply to Great Britain was cut off during the Reformation. In response to this need Thomas Challoner set up Britains first Alum works in Guisborough. He recognised that the fossils found around the Yorkshire coast were similar to those found in the Alum quarries in Europe. As the industry grew, sites along the coast were favoured as access to the shales and subsequent transportation was much easier. 

Alum was extracted from quarried shales through a large scale and complicated process which took months to complete. The process involved extracting then burning huge piles of shale for 9 months, before transferring it to leaching pits to extract an aluminium sulphate liquor. This was sent along channels to the alum works where human urine was added.

At the peak of alum production the industry required 200 tonnes of urine every year, equivalent to the produce of 1,000 people. The demand was such that it was imported from London and Newcastle, buckets were left on street corners for collection and reportedly public toilets were built in Hull in order to supply the alum works. This unsavoury liquor was left until the alum crystals settled out, ready to be removed. An intriguing method was employed to judge when the optimum amount of alum had been extracted from the liquor when it was ready an egg could be floated in the solution. 

The Alum works closed in 1871, the last to do so in the country. As we walked along the track we could see the remains of the buildings on the cliff side below and we passed the quarry with the sidings for the railway.

But Alum is not the only thing that provides some notoriety to Ravenscar.  During the early 1900s, plans were made to turn the village into a tourist resort to rival the popularity of nearby Scarborough. Roads were made, foundations were laid and sewers dug out. However, the expansion of the village never happened.  The whole project was not thought through, there was no access to the beach that was clearly shown on the plot map, the site was on a cliff spur 600 feet high, while the micro climate of sea mist, that frequently hugged the area all led to lack of interest and the plans were eventually abandoned when the company responsible for its development became bankrupt in the 1950s. Today, parts of the unfinished village remain – eerily quiet streets in which nobody has ever lived.  The railway station remains as reminder of the means to bring the people in that never came.

There were some residents of Ravenscar though, but these were down on the exposed rocks beneath the cliffs, Grey Seals could be seen hauled out on the rocks.

While on the cliff face Fulmar were nesting, at open points to the cliffs they could be seen using the up lift from the cliff face.

After some refreshments in the National Trust visitor centre we set off for the return leg which would take us up above the cinder track and into the direction of the road we had come down to get to the cottage on Friday.  The clouds were now breaking up and we were getting much more in the way of sunshine.

The route took us along a path that was very dry and probably very marshy in the winter, it wound through gorse and grasses and low birch trees from which Willow Warblers sang.  Eventually it came out onto the road and we headed down hill towards the cottage.  The verge on both sides had 'do not cut' signs and in amongst the grasses were many orchids.

This a Common Spotted Orchid

This possibly a Heath Spotted Orchid

Another pinker spotted orchid

And finally my first Large Skipper of the year.

Back at the cottage the swallows were out of the nest and flying, but returning to the stable for security.

A little later on I came across this Song Thrush.  I think it was just enjoying the sunshine as I could not find any evidence of ants which could also be a reason for spreading out on the grass.

Monday saw the day start with overcast conditions and it was quite cool.  We set out across the moor for the village of Goathland, but 0n arrival we decided this wasn't for us so turned around and headed for the town of Whitby.

Whitby is a charming town that rests at the mouth of the River Esk. The history of Whitby is fascinating and includes ties to Dracula, Whaling, and Captain Cook. This small coastal town is still reminiscent of its past, and still boasts quaint cottages, cobblestoned creeks, the quintessential ruined Abbey, and a harbour complete with fully functional lighthouses. While Whitby seems to represent the typical fishing town, its history sets it apart as a truly unique town.

We parked at the harbour and wandered the streets on the west side of the harbour, ending up walking out to the West Beach and looking over the harbour up the River Esk.

A permanent settlement was first recorded in 656 when the Christian king of Northumbria dedicated his first abbey, Hilda in what was known as Streonshal. In 664 the Synod of Whitby was held there. Later in 867, the monastery was destroyed by Vikings. It was later re-established in 1078. During this time it gained the name “Whitby”, old Norse for “white settlement”. From then on, the town functioned primarily as a fishing settlement until the 18th century it developed into a port for whaling and shipbuilding. A local trade also developed for locally mined alum and Whitby Jet Jewellery.

We crossed the swing bridge and walked through the older part of the town where shops lined small narrow cobbled streets.  

Thanks to its convenient location, it is not surprising that Whitby was involved in the fishing industry since its early days. But the most famous and profitable industry was definitely whaling. Whaling in Whitby soared between 1753 and 1883, with the Whitby Whaling Company was first established with only two ships owned by several merchants of the area. By 1883, the endeavour counted 55 ships and employed both local fisherman and Dutch specialists. The company went through good times but also bad times, due to the extreme weather conditions and the rough waters when many lives were lost over the years. Records show that, during the time the Whitby Whaling Company was active, over 25,000 seals, 55 polar bears and 2761 whales were captured.  Back in the days, returning ships would indicate a great catch by displaying the jawbones on their masts. In the same way, the Whalebone Arch was erected on the West cliffs as a tribute to the town’s thriving whaling past.

In addition to the maritime successes, Whitby is also well recognised due to it being the location chosen for Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Stoker commonly stayed at the Royal Hotel in Whitby, and it was during one of his stays here that the story of Dracula was born. This has led to Whitby becoming known as a decidedly gothic town in nature, and has even led to it becoming the twice yearly home of the Whitby Goth Weekend, which is a festival held for those commonly referred to as Goths. It is believed this choice of location was due in large part to it being the setting for Dracula.

Many of the shops this side of the town were selling jewelry and specifically Whitby Jet.  Whitby’s coastline is also home to a seven and a half mile length of one of the earliest gemstones called Whitby Jet.  There were many dangers associated with mining the large jet supplies in Whitby, and the large demand for the gemstones led to a shortage around Whitby. There are still believed to be large stores under the hills along the shore, but these cannot be accessed easily. Most of the early jet used was exposed by the high winds and pounding surf against the shoreline, and many believe that the hidden stores will remain there until they are once again exposed by nature.

From the cobbled streets we started the 199 step climb up towards Whitby Abbey. As the steps climbed there were views out to the harbour mouth and its lighthouses.

The steps were lined with both red and white Valerian, the white attracting Small Tortoiseshell and painted Lady butterflies.

On reaching the top of the steps you come across St Mary's Church and its graveyard of weathered limestone headstones.  With the history of this place it seemed appropriate to use black and white photography.

Recent excavations have shown that the Whitby headland was settled during the late Bronze Age. A round house within a ditched enclosure was found near the cliff edge, and a number of objects dating to this period have been recovered.

The Whitby headland may have been occupied by a Roman signal station in the 3rd century AD, as it is midway between known stations at Goldsborough and Ravenscar, and is in a strategic position at the mouth of the river Esk.  If so, the site of the signal station has probably long since fallen into the sea as the cliffs here have eroded steadily.

In about 1078 a monk called Reinfrid founded a new monastic community at Whitby.  At a very early stage in its history this community split and the two parts each developed into a fully fledged Benedictine monastery: one on the headland at Whitby and the other at St Mary’s Abbey, York.

The ruins frame many views out across the North Sea and the town itself.

The Benedictine monastery initially probably had timber buildings or reused the Anglian ruins on the headland. About 1100 a stone church and conventual buildings were built in the Romanesque style, as well as a large parish church close by.

In the 13th century the monastery church was rebuilt in the Gothic style. This was a massive undertaking, including major landscaping of the whole site, though there is no documentary evidence for it. The first building campaign is dated on stylistic grounds to about 1225–50. The eastern arm, the crossing and transepts, a central tower, and part of the nave were built before funds seem to have run out.

Work appears to have been resumed on the nave in the 14th century, but it was not finished until the 15th century. The only documentary evidence is a grant of permission for a monk of Whitby to embark on a fundraising campaign in 1338, recorded in the Whitby Cartulary (a compilation of the charters by which the monastery had been given property and legal privileges).  The remains of the nave have been loosely dated on the basis of architectural style.

There were doubtless extensive monastic buildings south of the abbey church, but they were almost completely demolished after the abbey’s suppression in 1539.

Coming back down views across the harbour once more.

And boats reflect their colours in the water of the River Esk.

On our last day  in North Yorkshire we walked once again from the cottage (all will become clear later on the two days in between!).  This time though taking one of the footpaths across the fields to join the beach and coast path at Boggle Hole.  The weather was once again with us, clear skies and sunshine.

The path crosses a stream and rises giving views back towards the Cinder Track and the cottage and farm

A stream meets the North Sea at Boggle Hole and there is a small beach and Youth Hostel.  The tide was up preventing us from walking on the beach so we stayed awhile and searched the beach for Jet.

The next two views are of Robin Hood's Bay from the coastal path.  

We headed once again for the Bay Hotel where we had more drinks and some local Whitby Scampi.

The journey back followed the same route with a stop at Boggle Hole for ice Cream, the afternoon spent relaxing in the garden before the long journey home the next day.  A fantastic week with beautiful scenery and weather, but there is still some more to come