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Friday 29th September 2006
Photos I took: 79
Distance Walked: 7 miles (11.3Km)
The Day Before
Every so often, Paula and I meet up with people from the South East (where I used to work) to go walking. A four day route in North Yorkshire had been talked about for some months and eventually, emails started to arrive. The route would start in Grosmont, where we would catch the train to Whitby. We would walk the coast path and Cleveland Way to Scarborough, before cutting inland and crossing the North York Moors to Goathland. The final day would involve catching the steam train to Newtondale Halt and walking back along the track to Grosmont where the cars were. All good plans have to change and this was no exception.
The day before, Thursday 28th September 2006, Paula and I left our home in South Wales around 9am and drove to York, stopping in Nuneaton to go shopping and have lunch. We arrived at the Holiday Inn Express around 3:30pm, where we relaxed before walking 50 metres to the pub next door, the Dormouse. We sat outside on the decking drinking beer and listening to the beech nuts drop all around, reminding us that autumn was very much on the way. After the meal (I had swordfish steak - delicious!) we went back to the hotel room and dozed until receiving a phone call from Jon to say that he and some of the others had arrived. We went back to the pub for another drink and to meet everyone. Jon, Andy, Jacqui and Aine were there, with Simon, Mike and Duncan on their way. They arrived late in the evening after we had gone to bed.
And So It Begins
We all met at the unlimited buffet breakfast provided by the hotel and talked about the forthcoming walk. Mike handed me the map of the route which I looked at enthusiastically. I like maps. I really like maps. Actually, I have a bit of a thing for maps!
After breakfast, we drove to Tesco, where most people went to buy food for the walk. Paula, Andy and I were prepared and already had the food we needed. Once that was done, we set off towards Grosmont, stopping off at the Hole of Horcum, which is a deep hollow three quarters of a mile across caused by the action of springs. We got out and wandered around for a while.
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The Hole of Horcum
Back at the car, we noticed a sign telling us where the nearest toilets were. Someone in the council had a sense of humour.
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The sign for the toilets
We continued the journey into Grosmont, where we found we couldn’t leave the cars for four days. Mike had a long chat with the car park attendant before leading the way back out of Grosmont. We were going to start in Whitby instead. We found a suitable place along the seafront with no parking restrictions (except that no camping or sleeping in cars was allowed between 11pm and 6am) and put on boots and rucksacks, hoping the cars would be OK there for four days.
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Whitby with the abbey in the background
Whale Bones, Wasps and Whitby
We walked to what we decided was the official start of the walk, the whale bones. Here we had our first view into Whitby harbour and the abbey ruins on the other side. I asked Paula to pose for me, as usual. In the late 1700s and early 1800s, many men from Whitby were killed on whaling ships. In 1963, Thor of Norway presented the whale bones to Whitby to commemorate the memory of those men and the difficulties faced.
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Paula overlooking Whitby
Mike started talking to a local about fish, the universe and Whitby. During his extended conversation, I had plenty of time to photograph the pirate boat that was taking tourists in and out of Whitby.
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The pirate ship in Whitby Harbour
Whitby itself is very typical of a seaside resort with plenty of tourists walking slowly around and several parties of school children being looked after by their teachers. It has the ubiquitous amusement arcades and tacky tourist paraphernalia that one comes to expect, plus someone shouting out advertisements for the 'best ride in Whitby'. No, we weren't in the red light district, he was meaning a ride on a lifeboat and for a sum of just £2, anyone could have a trip out to sea in it.
Mike managed to prise himself away from the conversation and we continued into the heart of Whitby, meeting up with his parents. Meanwhile Jacqui had been stung on the hand by a wasp and Simon had gone to Boots to buy something to soothe it.
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Looking back over Whitby from the steps
Once Jacqui's bite was soothed, we crossed the bridge and climbed the 199 steps out of Whitby to the church of St Mary, where we spent some time in the grounds overlooking Whitby. We didn't have far to walk on this first day, so it wasn't necessary to rush.
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St Mary's Churchyard with Whitby in the background
We eventually made it onto the coast path. Erosion was plentiful and the path had been diverted due to part of it collapsing into the sea.
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The footpath was closed due to erosion
The Weather Turns
By the time we got to the campsite at Saltwick Nab, which was known for its alum mining several years ago, it had started to rain. We put our waterproofs on as the rain became heavier. Walking in waterproofs is never pleasant, especially when carrying enough clothes and food for four days. No matter how breathable or expensive the coat is, moisture and heat builds up and it feels very uncomfortable - especially because if you open the coat to allow air to circulate and cool you down, the rain gets you soaking wet. The rain kept going for an hour, along with some thunder and lightning. Just as it was becoming too much with the heat of wearing waterproofs, the rain stopped and with great relief we took them off and cooled down again.
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Looking back along the coast we'd walked
The group had split somewhat after walking solidly for an hour with heads down. Jon, Paula, Aine and I were at the front with Simon, Jacqui, Mike and Duncan behind. Andy was somewhere in between the two groups.
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Jon's big orange rucksack cover
Robin Hood's Bay
We continued walking and suddenly found ourselves amongst houses and in a street - we had reached Robin Hood's Bay. Millions of years ago, Robin Hood's Bay was at the bottom of the ocean and at low tide is now a great place to look for fossils. It is a small village that in the 18th century was rife with smuggling and there are supposedly secret passages and hiding places underneath some of the houses. In the 19th century it became a bustling fishing village. Today it is popular with tourists, as well as remaining a fishing village.
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Looking down towards Robin Hood's Bay
We took our packs off and waited for everyone to catch up. As we were waiting, Mike's parents walked up the road from the other direction, much to our surprise. They had caught a taxi from the campsite back to Whitby and driven down to Robin Hood's Bay to meet us.
A Room For The Night
Once everyone had caught up, we walked along the street and stopped at a pub for a cup of tea. Refreshed and relaxed, we found the B&B and checked in. The largest room was the family room, where Paula and I had the double bed and Jon and Mike had the bunk beds. We took it in turns to have a well deserved shower.
I hadn't had any room in my rucksack for a spare pair of shoes, so when we went out to the pub in the evening I had to put my hiking boots back on. I was surprised to find it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be! We walked down the hill to the harbour where BBC's Coast had filmed a small bit about the smuggling. Feeling hungry, we found Ye Dolphin pub, bought some drinks and ordered food. I ordered tuna steak, but by the time it arrived I was feeling very tired and had lost my appetite. I ate as much as I could before feeling like I was going to fall asleep on the plate.
Just as the folk band was about to get started, half the group (me included) left to go back to the B&B, leaving the other half to narrowly escape singing with the folk band. Back at the B&B, I slept well.
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