Jo’s Monday walk : Whitby cliff tops

St. Mary's Church, suspended on the cliff top

St. Mary’s Church and Whitby Abbey, suspended on the cliff top

Now, I know what you’re thinking!  ‘This lady is obsessed with cliff tops and water’.  And you wouldn’t be very far wrong.  After the cliffs at Sagres in the Algarve, and last week’s Seaham walk, it’s becoming a recurring theme.  I do try to vary my walks for you, but I can’t help being just a little biased.

This week we’re going down the North Yorkshire coast to Whitby.  Last time I took you there we went window shopping.  It’s a small town that has something for everyone, but my favourite part is unquestionably up on the cliff, looking down.  First we have to get up there.  We’ll tackle the steps pretty soon, to get them out of the way.  Your reward can be fish and chips afterwards. Agreed?

The car park is right next to the marina- a good place to start

The car park is right next to the marina- a good place to start!

I love the eye-catching colours of the boats
Smart as paint!
And today there's a treat! The swing bridge is opening.

And today there’s a treat! The swing bridge is opening.

In all my years, I have rarely seen this sight in the bustling little port.  A crowd gathers to watch the sailboat go by, and as the gates swing shut again, a queue forms to cross over the bridge.  A delightful party of small schoolchildren with cheery blazers were being corralled by their teachers. I’d have loved a shot but they were too fidgety!  Over we go, to be met by a confusion of signs.

There is a confusion of signs! And can you see the bubbles coming out of that box?

I thought these bubbles were with the schoolchildren, but apparently not!

And then it's the steps!

Then it’s the steps!  Only 199 of them

But don't worry! You can stop to admire the view.

But don’t worry! You can keep stopping to admire the view.

It's lovely in either direction

It’s lovely in either direction

Here's an interesting place to live!

Here’s an interesting place to live!  Next to Caedmon’s Trod

And at the top St. Mary's Church is beckoning

And at the top, St. Mary’s Church quietly waits

Whitby has been welcoming visitors for a long time.  The earliest record of a permanent settlement is 656AD, when an abbey was founded on the East Cliff by Oswy, the Christian king of Northumbria.  Viking raiders destroyed the monastery that followed, and for 200 years the site lay desolate, until after the Norman Conquest of 1066.  The area was then granted to William de Percy who, in 1078, donated land upon which was constructed a Benedictine Monastery, St. Mary’s Church and the town and port of Whitby.

The name Whitby comes from Old Norse, meaning ‘White Settlement’.  It was here, in Whitby Abbey, that the earliest recognised English poet, Caedmon, a former cowherd, lived and worked. The town has a strong literary history and famously features in Bram Stoker’s Dracula.

Set on the River Esk, Whitby has a sheltered harbour, and in the 18th century the port was a thriving centre for shipbuilding, whaling and the transport of locally mined alum and jet.  The jet became very fashionable when Queen Victoria adopted it for her mourning jewellery on the death of Prince Albert.  Whitby jet shops still feature prominently in the cobbled streets today.

The clouds are gathering, so it's time to move on

The clouds are gathering, so it’s time to move on

We pass the entrance to the Abbey ruins

Pass by the entrance to the Abbey ruins

And out on the cliff top, look back at Whitby Abbey

And out on the cliff top, look back at Whitby Abbey and the pier

Ahead of us lies Saltwell Nab

Ahead lies Saltwell Nab

And beyond that, Whitby Holiday Park, balanced precariously on the cliffs

And beyond that, Whitby Holiday Park, balanced precariously on the cliffs

At this point you can turn inland and follow a path back to the coast road, but I wanted to see more.  We are only 1 mile out of Whitby, and 5 miles further down the coast is idyllic Robin Hood’s Bay.  I continue on, along the Cleveland Way.

Whitby is still visible in the distance

Whitby is still visible in the distance

And below the bay glistens

And below, the glistening bay

While colourful Cinnebar moths flutter at the cliff's edge

While colourful red and black Cinnebar moths explore delicious yellow cowslips

Another treat in store next- a former lighthouse and fog-horn station

Another treat awaits – a lighthouse and a fog-horn station!

‘Hornblower Lodge’ is now a holiday cottage, but was formerly a fog-horn station, fondly known as the Whitby Bull.  The original horn was switched off in 1987 but before that it worked in conjunction with Whitby High Light.  The lighthouse is only 13 metres high but is positioned on the cliff top, 73 metres above high water level, with a range of 18 nautical miles.

The lighthouse also has holiday cottages to let, details included in the link.

High light

Whitby High Light

Wouldn't you like to live here?

Wouldn’t you like to live here?  I would!

Or how about 'Hornblower Cottage'?

Or how about ‘Hornblower Cottage’?

A lane heads inland from the cottage, taking you past farmland, and soon you are back on the coastal road.  You can follow this all the way back to Whitby and visit the Abbey, if you like.  It’s well worth a visit, and there is a restaurant on site.  Or you can save the visit for another day and take the footpath to your left, just past the Holiday Park sign.  This will bring you back into Whitby, threading your way down through the houses to end up almost opposite your start point.

Heading back to Whitby

Heading back to Whitby

Down the steps through the houses

Down the steps, and past the houses

Back at your start point, at the harbourside

Till you’re back at our start point, by the harbour

These are the newest lobster pots I ever saw!

These are the newest lobster pots I have ever seen!

Speaking of lobster, I seem to remember we had an agreement?  Whitby is full of fish and chip shops but ‘Hadleys’ is a favourite of mine.  Always busy, I don’t know how the girls stay so cheerful.  You’ll find it on the corner, just over the swing bridge and before the Whitby steps.

No, I haven't forgotten! Believe me, they are really good

A little expensive, but very good

Just one last photo, for Jill, who thinks my skies are always blue

Just one last photo, for Jill, who thinks my skies are always blue!

The downpour drove me inside the excellent Tourist Information Centre, right by the car park, but it didn’t last for long.  Or I could have gone shopping for Whitby jet.

What do you think?

What do you think?

My walk is about 6 miles in total, or the shorter version 4 and a half.  I hope you enjoyed it.  If you don’t drive, Whitby is easily accessible by rail from Middlesbrough.  This link will give you lots more information about the area, to encourage you to visit.

walking logo

I’m so lucky this week!  Meg has agreed to be my tour guide to the Wilanow Palace in Warsaw  :

http://morselsandscraps2.wordpress.com/2014/07/20/a-stroll-through-the-gardens-at-wilanow/

And she doesn’t mind a spot of rain, either  :

http://morselsandscraps2.wordpress.com/2014/07/13/walking-in-the-rain/

Drake introduced me to Svendborg in Denmark.  What a beauty!  :

http://ledrakenoir.wordpress.com/2014/07/14/an-old-port-out-to-the-world/

Please don’t miss Jude’s Logan Botanic Gardens.  You will be bedazzled!  :

http://smallbluegreenflowers.wordpress.com/2014/07/14/garden-portrait-logan-botanic-garden/

Sylvia is running out of time for her beach walks, but don’t be sad!  :

http://anotherday2paradise.wordpress.com/2014/07/15/another-nostalgic-beach-walk-for-jo/

And I got deluged at the falls with Amy- and loved it!  :

http://shareandconnect.wordpress.com/2014/07/16/jos-monday-walk-multnomah-falls/

Pauline (you know her as Pommepal) has sent me a post all the way from Canberra, down under  :

http://pommepal.wordpress.com/2014/07/20/welcome-to-cool-climate-canberra/

And I thought I’d just update you on Elaine  :

http://elainemcnulty.wordpress.com/2014/07/16/yorkshire-3-peaks-challenge-the-update/

That’s quite a lot of reading for you so you’ll need a cuppa (or two!).  I promise to find you a flat walk for next week.  If you’d like to join me, just click on the logo for details.

170 comments

  1. Ahh, Whitby, one of my favourite places.
    We spent a week at Whitby Holiday Park early June again. I just love your photos…..memories…..I really must get around to blogging about it 🙂

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  3. What a beautiful walk, Jo! This may be one of my favorites! And I’m really looking forward to the fish and chips as a reward at the end. What beautiful views and I can even smell the salt air! I wish I were there. 🙂

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    1. I’ll book that lighthouse cottage for a week, before you go to China, Cathy 🙂 Can’t guarantee the sun though. Thinking of which- what will your weather be like in China? Another humid place? Oooh, you’ll be packing soon! Hugs 🙂

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      1. Ok, Jo, I’ll take that lighthouse cottage for sure! The weather in China will be much like Hanoi in Vietnam. It’s subtropical, hot and humid, but it does get quite chilly in winter. Colder than Oman, I think, but much more humid! I hope I’ll survive it. I sure wish I could find a job in cooler climes! 🙂

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  4. Such a pleasure to join you on your travels, Jo – and I’m not just saying that because fish and chips were on the menu (although that helped!). Love that Jill is expanding our blog horizons!

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  6. I would love to live on top of that cliff with an amazing view of the sea and everything around it. A beautiful coastal town with so much to see, to relax and enjoy life. Have a blessed weekend.

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  7. A really great walk and photos, Jo. You must be the fittest person on two legs, with all this walking you do. I’ll race you up those steps. 🙂 I’ll have the medium cod & chips. Do you think I’d like the Black Sheep Ale? 😕

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    1. You’d win on the steps, Ad. My excuse is I stop to wave the camera about 🙂
      Do you like dark ale? I don’t mind but I have to be in the mood for it. I had a glass of white with my cod. Oops, you’ve caught me drinking again!

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  9. If I ever get that far North again Jo this will be a must do walk … or at least part of it . It would be great to stay in that old light house …. as you say climbing those steps is worth it for the view over the terracotta tiled rooftops . Funny I never imagined it like that somehow .. it’s got the med look .
    Now look here Jo it’s only mid morning but I’m already feeling the tummy rumbles with that Fish menu board . Nothing beats like having them at the seaside though 🙂

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    1. I was out on another ‘Monday walk’ this morning and I had a crab sandwich somewhere rather special, Poppy. That’s as much of a clue as you’re getting for now. 🙂 I don’t normally live so handsomely but I do try and see ‘a bit of life’. 🙂
      Should I tell you that you can cheat and drive up to the Abbey? But then you won’t have earned those fish and chips.

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  10. Pingback: Jo’s Weekly Walk: Mas en peel | V A S T L Y C U R I O U S

    1. It’s a beautiful abbey and the visitor centre is superbly done. When I’ve tried to paste your walk into my next Monday’s walk it won’t appear! How strange is that? You must be a Gremlin 🙂 🙂 I shall keep persevering. I have until Monday to solve the problem 🙂

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    1. Hi Kathryn 🙂 You have me confused, though that’s nothing new! No link that I can find, and I’ve just visited your blog and the last post is 1 Day 1 World. What am I not seeing? 🙂

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  14. Pingback: Jo’s Monday Walk: Lan Su Garden | The World Is a Book...

    1. Not as fit as I’d like to be, Laura, but there are plenty of resting places up those steps, and even a couple of benches! Apparently the wider ‘steps’ are there so that they can rest when carrying a coffin up to St. Mary’s. A bit morbid, but very practical.
      I didn’t actually walk as far as Robin Hood’s but there are photos in the link of that stretch of coast, which is even lovelier, would you believe? 🙂
      Hope the recuperation’s going well. I’ll be right over.

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  17. I was there with you, honestly, just now catching up from the rear, had a few pit stops on the way, but got there in the end, phew! Okay…just catching my breath…right! Now, to say, how much I enjoyed this amazing walk, I love Whitby and haven’t been for many years, so thank you very much Jo for this beautiful reminder. Your photographs are always so beautiful. I took one of a Cinnebar moth on a flower by a lake near us recently but it doesn’t look as good as yours! And yes, I would so love to live by the sea in that house 🙂

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    1. I’m all for buying that lighthouse and letting out rooms, Sherri, so long as I can keep a sea facing one for myself. You can come and have that cuppa and we’ll watch the waves. 🙂
      Jude thinks it’s a different kind of moth? 5 spotted something. Her comment’s further down and I can’t remember exactly. They entertained me for a while chasing them around the flowers, whatever they were. 🙂

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      1. That’s a deal Jo….let me know when, I’ll head up there and you can put the kettle on 🙂
        Ahh yes, just found Jude’s comment (she’s great about naming things isn’t she?).I’ve never seen them or heard of them. When I first saw them our way I thought they were some kind of bloodsuckers, but that’s because I’m paranoid about insects of any kind! This evening we were sitting outside (and how often do we get to do that here at night without freezing?) and a moth flew into my ear. I am actually afraid of moths so of course I let out a scream. The poor neighbours must have wondered what on earth was going on!!!!

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  20. I love the map below, with your visitors to your blog’s locations. I also love boats, ships and water, grew up by Lake Erie, but had grandparents who were from across the ocean. They liked us to see the ocean, too. I love the lighthouse photograph, along with the thoughts you shared in this post! Great place to visit today!

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    1. Lovely to have you visit me. I can’t remember now how I acquired that map but it must have been quite simple. I’m not clever at the technical stuff, but I liked it too. 🙂
      I don’t understand how anyone can resist a lighthouse. They make my spirits soar. Thank you for all your time today.

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