Nomad's Notes from somewhere on the road: North Yorkshire, Part 2 of Yorkshire blog postings.

WHITBY

Last summer I had an English couple on my photo tour in Yellowstone and mentioned I would be going to the UK this fall. After the tour we stood talking for a bit and they asked where I was planning to go. I mentioned the places we had already determined, but said that I wanted to spend time in Yorkshire. Except for Leeds to see a friend, I wasn't sure where. They said they knew just the place for a photographer and suggested I spend a few days in Whitby. Since these were good photographers and knowledgeable about their own country, I decided to check it out. It didn't take long, reading about Whitby and checking on accommodations, to make a reservation.

On the day of the eclipse I had just one passenger as just about everyone else had gone a bit south to see the totality. He was from England and we had a great time with the quiet, uncrowded conditions in Yellowstone. I told him I was going to the UK in the fall and he asked where. When I mentioned Whitby he was delighted and added that I would find the best fish and chips in all of the British Isles in Whitby. At the end of the tour he handed me a tip saying, "this is for your fish and chips." I honored his request and must say they were excellent. The lightest coating on the fish and moistest flesh I had on the entire trip.

The swing bridge over the River Esk. Whitby is on both sides of the river.

Whitby is in northern Yorkshire, overlooking the North Sea, Traditionally a fishing town, and there is still commercial fishing, it has become a major tourism site. But the tourism is more for natives of the country than for the bus loads of overseas tourists. So, it had a fairly quiet feel. At least until the weekend which was the beginning of a one week school break, including Halloween. Since Bram Stoker was inspired to write Dracula while sitting overlooking the town and the ruins of Whitby Abbey on the far side, Halloween is a big event there. They light up the Abbey for that night.

I left before Halloween, but I had three and a half days in Whitby and nearby Robin Hood's Bay. I preferred the quieter days before Halloween for my explorations.

Whitby has a couple other claims to fame. Explorer James Cook did his seafaring training in Whitby and nearby area. A statue of him, looking out in the direction of Hawaii, sits at the top of the hill on the west side of the harbor. We have all heard the phase, "black as jet." Jet is a stone, and while it is found in other parts of the world, Whitby became famous for mining and processing it. And yes, I added a nice set of post earrings of jet to my collection. the Abbey was also the home of the man, Caedmon, considered to be the first poet of the English language.

Streets are narrow and the city, on both sides of the river and harbor, is steep. I loved walking, exploring and photographing, even the 199 steps down from the Abbey. I did ride the hop-on-hop-off bus to get to the top, but once there the driver announced they were short staffed that day, and there would only be one more pick up at the site. Since that was in just an hour, and I knew that wasn't enough time, I decided, arthritic knee or not I would walk down. It turned out to be fine. The steps were shallow and easy on the knee and the views were well worth it. So was the old cemetery between the Abbey and the steps.

You can see why I enjoyed the walk down the steps. What a view.

Next to the steps is another route. Think I might want compound low in any vehicle I attempted with this.

My hosts at the delightful Lansbury Guest House, a B&B not far from the bench where Bram Stoker had his inspiration, suggested I try Robin Hood's Bay on Saturday. They knew Whitby would be crowded with families. Great suggestion. But first, some more photos of Whitby:

The Swing Bridge has quite a history. The first bridge over the River Esk in Whiby was built in 1351. In 1407 a man by the name of John Schilbotyll left, in his will, an oak tree to be used for repairs. By 1620 the bridge was replaced with a structure with movable parts, a system of pulleys to open it. In 1832 it was replaced with a swing bridge that moved horizontally. The current bridge dates to 1908 and can carry trucks on its one lane. Not terribly large trucks. Not because of the bridge, but the streets, are quite narrow. The 1908 bridge has motors to swing the bridge but the two bridgemen operate the system from the bridge. The bridge is the only access to the east side of town unless you go by water. I walked it numerous times. My lodging was on the west side.

This is the main business street on the east side of the bridge. The two delivery trucks are using the sidewalk. It was a little wider than the side streets like the one below.

On the west side, along my route from my lodgings

the Abbey ruins are at the top, left of center.

The ruins of the old Whitby Abbey were great fun to photograph and you can see I spent some time there. The history goes back to the 7th century when it was built as a monastery. Later the Benedictine Order took it over as an Abbey. The land and building was confiscated by Henry VIII when he banned the Roman Catholic Church in England. The land was taken over by a private party who built their manor close-by. In 1914, it was shelled by the German Army. But it remains, now a national treasure, and its stark outline may be as dramatic as it was when it was an operating abbey.

This side of the Abbey faces away from the town and port

Even the shadows were fun

This cross has special meaning to my family. It commemorates Caedmon, the earliest knownEnglish poet. He lived at the Abbey. My cousin Bonnie's son is named for him.

Love the view of the beach

If you enlarge this, you can make out people on the steps below the abbey, the church and
the cemetery.

This was taken from near the spot where Bram Stoker was inspired to write Dracula. The Abbey was a scene used in the book

ROBIN HOOD'S BAY

I love small world stories and there is one that relates to my visit to Robinhood's Bay. During a slide copying project, I had seen a photo of the house that Dave, one of my Park Sierra neighbors, was born in. But that was some time before I had made all my plans and I didn't connect his location with where I was headed. But when I returned we talked. I was telling him how much I enjoyed Yorkshire and he asked where I had been. When I mentioned Robin Hood's Bay his eyes lit up. It was a place he remembered well. He asked if I had gone to nearby Scarborough, which turns out is his birthplace. I had to admit I went through twice, but didn't see much. On the trip up I was on a bus. It was raining fairly hard and visibility was poor, although I do remember the bus driver coming to a crawl in one small town near there, due to sheep on the road which we could make out in the headlights. On my return trip I took a bus from Whitby to Scarborough and transferred to a train to York. About all I saw was the bus route in and the train station.

The bus from Whitby to Robin Hood's Bay dropped me in the town at the top of the hill. I walked down from there.

Says it all
Walking was the way to go. There were a few narrow and steep roads. There were also pathways and stairways that clearly could not handle vehicles or bicycles.

So, why is Robin Hood's Bay, named for him It is highly unlikely he ever set foot here. It is a long way from Sherwood Forest, particularly with the transportation of that time, One legend is that he kept a boat here in case he needed an escape. More likely, this little bay, without a river to make a port, was handy for small fishing boats. It was also handy for scavengers of larger vessels that went aground nearby. That form of piracy may have prompted the name of Robin Hood. Whatever the case, there is a small cobbled slipway to the water at high tide. The homes of the fishing families were small but close to work. Today, many of those same houses serve as holiday guest cabins.

First version without a car, second with a van. the green container on the left is used to store sand , handy for traction in winter, I am not sure I would want to walk down the hill into town if the street were icy, much less drive.

I caught an early bus and it was quiet when I arrived. But it was a beautiful Saturday, the tide was way out leaving a huge, long beach. Soon people were running their dogs, digging for clams, searching tidal pools, and generally enjoying themselves. On the inside of the breakwater on the picture below were several tile murals about the natural and human history of the area.

Cobbled slipway for getting small boats into the water. Warning signs about dander if
tide is high and the tiny creek (see what looks like a tunnel) is running hard. The people here were gathering for a program to learn about tidal creatures and perhaps fossils. I eavesdropped but didn't hear the whole conversation.