In and Around Whitby
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Mailing Address
Lavender House,
c/o The Station House,
Danby
WHITBY
North Yorkshire
YO21 2JL
Email
lavender@whitbyholidayhome.co.uk
or
lavhouse@hotmail.com
UP THE COAST
SANDSEND
A couple of miles up the coast, Sandsend is a seaside village popular with the family for its great beach and great coastal view.
A good mix of sand and pebbles and with a stream that runs down from Mulgrave Woods to the sea that’s great for the kids to paddle in.
The Vikings landed here when they ransacked the area, you can discover the remains of the historic alum industry that was once important here. You can walk along the disused coastal railway and see the mounds of shale waste at nearby Sandsend Ness (The Cliff that dominates the scene); these are the legacy of quarrying lasting over 260 years. An excellent guide to the Sandsend Trail has been published by the National Park Authority.
Mulgrave Woods are a great place for the family to explore and
there are many pleasant walks available. You can access the woods on
Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday all year, except May. You may see
Mulgrave castle that is built on an earlier 13th century
Castle reduced to ruin because of the civil war, very important in
the area up to the 17th century. In the woods to the
west, there is evidence of an even earlier
earthwork motte and bailey fortress
known as Lythe Castle, best viewed in winter due to numerous trees.
Runswick Bay
Runswick Bay, much loved by both
artists and holidaymakers alike, it is a picture-postcard seaside
village.
Five miles north of Whitby, the
village is split into two parts. The few houses at the top of the
cliffs contrast sharply with the red-roofed cottages that appear to
tumble down the Cliffside. The beach is accessed via a very steep
road and there is a large public car park near the bottom.
The cottages are protected from
the northern gales by Lingrow Knowle, the crag above on the West
side. On the East side you can see Kettleness. Kettleness once had a
village that due to mining, slipped into the sea one night on
December 17, 1829, the occupants being rescued by a boat that just
happened to be there at the time! Also famous for a Roman Signal
Station, positioned nearby. The Bay in the middle saw several
actions in the First World War that sent several U-Boats to the
bottom!
Staithes
Once more known as Seaton with the historical Seaton Hall, it became more associated with the staithe (landing area) down the ravine as mineral production took over in the area that has in various forms lasted for several hundreds of years. The present day Boulby Potash mine is one of the deepest in the UK.
Many boats have been built here, from fishing boats for the well known fishing industry to boats that were needed to service and trade the mineral products to and from bigger boats and other local ports. Now with several staithe’s, the name caught hold.
Captain James Cook is one of many heroes from Staithes. This is
where he got his first love of the sea, trading with the boats
offshore, as he was then working for a grocer. Enough anyway to move
on to Whitby to further his maritime studies.
As the spectacular coastal railway arrived it brought with it many
artists for the unique beauty of the area. They became well known as
the Staithes Group.
Take a trip to Staithes Post Office where you can get books and
leaflets to help you explore the history and the sites of the area.
Cross over the foot bridge onto the west side. As you cross, look
down facing the land and you will see the area on the bank where
they found a very early staithe. Little known and hidden, History
here takes you back to the Stone Age!
Have a look the Life Boat Station; they have been saving life’s here
for well over a hundred years. The cliff that starts here ends up
further north as Boulby Cliffs, the highest in England.
On the East side when the tidies out take a trip onto the fossil
strewn foreshore, see if you can see where they struggled to cut out
a landing bay for ore boats. There are many rock pools teaming with
much of our native marine life. Remember to leave as you found and
watch that tide coming back, you don’t want to stranded here to
struggle up the cliffs. But if you start early, you can, weather
permitting, spend quite a few hours here and even walk down to the
hidden Port Mulgrave and onto Runswick Bay.
DOWN THE COAST
Robin's Hood Bay
Start by parking your car at the top of a very steep cliff and walk
down a twisting, turning, cobbled street to the Sea. On either side
of you a village clings to the Cliffside.
Robin's Hood Bay has been
known under various names and nothing exists in fact to determine
where its name really came from. Known as Bay Town, Robin Hood's
Town and Robbyn Huddes Bay.
Viking raiders settled here. Fifty fishermen lived here in 1536,
with the catching and drying of fish it was a thriving industry with
130 fishermen working here until the end of the 19th century.
More famous though was the illicit trade of Smuggling. Because of
its position between cliff and the mire like conditions for the
access the locals were able to exploit the natural conditions to
their advantage. The warren like maize of streets and even a reputed
covered bottom to top passage way from and between the houses, made
it almost impossible for the law!
As you stand in the village with the stream that splits it in two
you can just imagine how hard it was for the ‘Revenue’. Visit the
former smugglers den The Laurel Inn with its bar carved from solid
rock and explore the cobbled side streets, if you don’t get lost!
Now where is that casket of Brandy?
Low tide exposes 550 meters
of sea floor, great for fossil hunting and exploring pools. There
are 3 miles of beach at low tide, enough to walk to nearby Ravenscar.
Be careful, a swift turn of the tide can cut beachcombers and
walkers off in an instant.
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The whole place has a different demeanour when it’s foggy or storms,
high winds and seas pound the cliff sides. The sea can force its way
up the main village street. Now you can understand how parts of
Robin Hoods Bay have disappeared in the past with its precarious
position on the cliffs.
Moor to Sea Cycle
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