Jo’s Monday walk : Surprised at Skinningrove

Dedicated to Skinningrove Homing Society

Dedicated to Skinningrove Homing Society

Skinningrove used to be a bit of an ugly duckling.  Situated on the north east coast of England, midway between picturesque Staithes and Saltburn-by-the Sea, it has fierce competition in the beauty stakes.  You have to turn off the coast road to go looking for it, and many would not trouble.  The village is trying to attract it’s share of revenue from tourism and, with the help of a leaflet entitled ‘Skinningrove Valley Trail’, that’s where we’ll be walking today.

Our start point is by the jetty, built in the 1880s to serve the ironworks which is the reason for the village’s existence.  My leaflet describes it as looking forlorn, but funding has been acquired to renovate the jetty.  The process was just beginning at the time of my walk.

The beach by the jetty
Crossing Skinningrove Beck

A straggle of houses and fishing boats decorate the shoreline.  A fisherman nods ‘good morning’ and carries on painting his tired looking boat, soon to have a new lease of life.  Crossing Skinningrove Beck into the village we come swiftly upon the tribute to the Homing Pigeon Society, which reminds us that using pigeons to carry messages dates back to Ancient Greece and Rome. Locally the birds are known for their heroic activities in World War II.

IMG_5519

Moving into the village, we head along Stone Row
With its pretty cottage gardens

Across the beck from Stone Row you can see man-made caves, which were carved out to shelter hospital patients when bombing raids took place during the war.  And then the first of my ‘surprises’.  On the bridge, a mosaic which illustrates the story of the village.

IMG_5525

A few 'tangoing' poppies, a bench and the tip of an anchor

A few ‘tango-ing’ poppies, a bench and the tip of a rusting anchor

And looking back, the man-made caves

And looking back, the man-made caves

The Square is a designated Conservation Area.  Former Timm’s Coffee House stands importantly on the corner, now converted to a guest house, ‘Moonfleet’, rather sadly.  Part of the building is Grade II listed, having started life in 1704 as Skinningrove Hall. In the 19th century it was developed as a hotel by the Maynard family, who named it Timm’s Coffee House after the coffee houses that were then popular in London.

With an 'unusual' bench, for Jude?

An ‘unusual’ enough bench, for Jude?

Another of my ‘surprises’ coming up next.  I spent many a happy minute exclaiming over the mosaics on the side of Riverside Building. It began life as a school in 1884 and remained so till the late 1990s.  Since then it has become a base for community projects and activities, and is run by a group of volunteers.  I pop back for a cuppa and a gossip with the locals at the end of my walk, but for now let’s just enjoy the mosaics.

This one looks at the floods of 2000

This one illustrates the major floods of 2000

Click on any photo to open the gallery

You may recognise the homing pigeon
The floods were extensive
Aren’t the details great?
Like the Adverse Weather team!
And the digger
The cars floating in the streets
And the rescue helicopter

The building is no work of art, but the efforts of Glynis Johnson and the school children who were involved are delightful.  There are two themes- the floods and the Story of the Merman. Allegedly a ‘sea-man’ was once caught by the local fisherfolk.  He lived on raw fish for a number of days but then managed to escape.  Sometimes, when the sea is calm, a hideous groaning can be heard and the fishermen are afraid to go to sea!

The Story of the Merman

The Story of the Merman

The floods of 2000
The village
And a watchful dog

Skinningrove was a mining village, though the evidence is harder to find these days.  The rust red water in the beck vividly testifies to the presence of iron, and the remains of an entrance to the mine can still be seen.  I had intended to visit the Cleveland Ironstone Mining Museum but was not convinced that I wanted to go underground.  During the war the mine was regularly used for shelter, and a school log book entry for 9th September, 1915 reads “Owing to Zeppelin raid and the children having been in the mines a good part of last night, we have been obliged to close school today”.

I later discovered that the guided tour takes an hour and a half.  At Christmas, Santa delivers his sack of toys along the miner’s track, without any necessity to go below ground.  Maybe I’ll come back then!

Present day entrance to the mining museum
Former mine entrance

One more ‘surprise’ in store.  A mural on Doorstep Green portrays ‘Evolution of Life in the Sea’. It was created by Philippa Threlfall, using materials from Skinningrove beach, and with the help of children from the former Rosecroft School.

Again, click on a photo to see it in detail

The Valley Trail climbs out of the village and across the A174 (a busy road), following the beck into Whitecliff Wood.  Curiosity impelled me to take a look, but you could simply retrace your steps.  Over the road I pass by an animal sanctuary, where the animals appear quite content.  The adjoining house has lupins by the fence and I pause, remembering my mother, who always had roses and lupins in her garden.  The trail soon peters out as the beck flows through a culvert under the railway embankment.

Following the beck
Looking back at the site of the former Kilton Mill
Into the woods
The lupins
The disappearing beck

Back in Skinningrove, I find the friendly ‘staff’ in Riverside Building in a lull between customers.  I consume the cheapest toasted teacake and mug of coffee I’ve ever had, while they tell me about life in the village.  Everything is done on a voluntary basis and they pool their expertise. Apparently a little gift shop is set to open up soon.  If you pass that way, drop in and say ‘hi’, and you can pick up a leaflet on this trail.  Here they are, on Facebook.

Heading for home now, but not before I take a look at ‘Repus’- the fishing coble which serves as a memorial to those lost at sea.

Spanking new fencing adorns the seafront
And another ‘unusual bench’
Leads the way to the ‘Repus’ memorial
The coble, facing out to sea
Steering for shore

The last bench reminds me that this is the midway point along the Cleveland Way, a 110 mile walk between Helmsley and Filey.  Now there’s a challenge!  If you prefer something a little easier, why not drop in on Jude for her Bench challenge?

I’m a little further down the coast today, walking on the cliff tops at Whitby, so I may be late in answering your comments.  I suspect you’ll have plenty to keep you busy in the meantime. Thanks for reading!

walking logo

Once again I’d like to say a huge thank you to those who have contributed to making my Jo’s Monday walk a success.  If you’d like to join in, click on the logo for details.  Time to put the kettle on and settle back for a read.  I think I need some toast, too.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………….

A busy spot, the Gare de L’Est!  Please take your time and watch the video.  Thanks, Drake!

East- entrance to Paris

Hope you had good Canada and Independence Days, all those who celebrate it!

Cee’s Which Way Challenge

Inspirational shots from Amy!  She’s on holiday this week.  Treats in store!

The Antelope Canyon

A lighthouse, and some stunning thrift?  Cornwall, of course!  Many thanks, Jude :

Pendeen Watch

Wild thyme and Lady’s Bedstraw, from Tish, but not very much sleep, unfortunately!

Return to Windmill Hill: Of Grasshopper stalking, Lady’s Bedstraw and other random discoveries 

Meanwhile Pauline is up at the crack of dawn to capture the sunlight on the water :

Early morning walk along the beach…

And Ruth has gone to the other extreme.  Both extremely beautiful!

A walk in the moonlight

Thank you for finding time to read these wonderful contributions.  I hope I haven’t ‘wittered on’ too long.  Maybe something shorter next week? (though this trail is only a mile and a half long) Grab some sun, if you can, and I’ll see you then.

 

140 comments

  1. I was in Lille once, and there’s a massive statue (Au Pigeon Voyageur) to all the pigeon carriers and handlers who died in the war. Releasing pigeons was illegal in northern France, so their handlers were shot if they were caught.

    On another note, what happened to Nadal? Have you recovered yet?

    Like

    Reply

    1. Interesting titbit of information, Richard. 🙂
      I think I may be of the opinion that Rafa might need an addition to his coaching team. Agassi or Johnny Mac would be awesome.

      Like

      Reply

  3. Those little out of the way places to a person as observant as you can be wonderful.
    You do not need tourist broachers to point things out to you.
    You see and show more than any tourist advertisement.
    It was a pleasure being shown around the Skinningrove area by you.
    Love the first picture and the unusual seat and all the mosaic and the info was interesting and to the point.

    Like

    Reply

  6. I absolutely love those mosaics, Jo. My best friend is an artist and she is often contracted to create mosaics for the small townships in this area. I’m sending her this post 🙂

    Have you ever thought of wearing one of those ‘step counters’ on your walks? I’d love to see how many steps you take in a month (thousands!!) 😀

    I also wouldn’t have wanted to go underground. I don’t like those kind of spaces. I once went to an underground power station way south of here buried in snow. It was interesting but scary and I wouldn’t be jumping at the opportunity to do it again 😉

    Like

    Reply

  7. For not having any expectations, Jo, the rewards were gratifying. The mosaics , memorial tribute and information on the homing pigeons makes this a worthy place to visit. You can see and feel the heart of the community. And of course, lovely poppies doing the tango. Another enjoyable walk and I have enjoyed reading the other walker’s contributions. 😊

    Like

    Reply
  8. Pingback: Above not only the water | Le Drake Noir

  9. full of fascinating details and such variety with some great shots (love the iron water) – by contrast I merely strolled

    Like

    Reply

  11. another lovely walk with so many beautiful surprises, Jo! glad funding is helping this hidden treasure come alive. lovely flowers! as always, thanks for sharing 🙂

    Like

    Reply

  12. What a fabulous place, total respect for them for making the effort to make their village so lovely. The mosaics are wonderful, and the community spirit is evident in your words and photos. A perfect walk and I think they’re going to give Staithes and Saltburn a run for their money. A brilliant bench too 🙂

    Like

    Reply

    1. I’m glad they’ve found some money to tidy the place up a bit, Gilly. It’s a former colliery village and was a little ‘care worn’, but as you can see the location is good, and the spirit is definitely there. 🙂 Thanks, hon.

      Like

      Reply

    1. It’s a place with a lot of individuality, Indah, and I love that 🙂 It does need some money spending to improve parts and I’m glad that’s happening.

      Like

      Reply

    1. If you compare with some of its more affluent neighbours, Bebs, but it’s trying to catch up. Not too hard though! They’re very independent minded 🙂 Thanks, hon.

      Like

      Reply

    1. Truly! It’s a former mining village and there was precious little money in those. But plenty of grit and determination. And obviously talent, in this case. 🙂 Thanks!

      Like

      Reply

  17. Lots of beautiful things here. The mural on the bridge is amazing and that wonderful view back towards the caves is just the kind of place where I experience my greatest sense of peace, so thank you for another fantastic walk 🙂

    Like

    Reply

  18. So many wonderful things to see! Loved the details you showed in the mosaic and murals. Wonderful flowers too. Hard to imagine working in a hospital and having to take your patients to caves to keep them safe. I am grateful not to have been in a nurse in such extraordinary circumstances.

    Like

    Reply

    1. What they lived through in those wars doesn’t bear thinking about, Sue, but it bred ’em tough! I love the pride in the place and the mosaics were pure delight to me. Thanks for your company 🙂

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  19. No, a new place for me too. But it looks enchanting. I love to find villages where they have such a strong community spirit. The mosaics are a delight, and I’d spend hours examining them. Do you know who makes the mosaics? A local potter perhaps? And the Coble memorial is most touching. Thank you for the benches – you guys are finding much more interesting ones than I have! I am going to have to come up your way for a week and you can take me to all these lovely off the road places. Thank you Jo for a delightful walk on this wet day.

    Like

    Reply

    2. We were very lucky down at Whitby. The rain didn’t come in till just before 3, when we were starting for home. Sunny at Wimbledon! 🙂
      I don’t know of a pottery in the village, Jude, but possibly somewhere along this coast. There are all sorts of crafts going on. Remember Staithes craft gallery? I could Google the 2 ladies who are named in the post. Might give me some clues. It was a great little walk, in a village that many would think of as ‘shabby’.

      Like

      Reply

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.