A beautiful day yesterday and we decided to explore the coast. Saltburn is only approximately 40 kilometres from Whitby,but what a visual feast!
It appears that for centuries Saltburn was a huddle of fisher men's cottages and a haunt for smugglers nestling on the North Yorkshire coast .Yet in only a few years Victorian entrepreneurs have transformed Saltburn into Saltburn - by- the Sea.
Today Saltburn is at a crossroads,reinventing itself as a leisure destination for the 21st century,a haven for artists walkers,surfers,cyclists and lovers of the Great English seaside.
The town retains much of its beautiful Victorian architecture,notably its pier and a unique cliff side funicular.
Its history goes back to Roman times and the establishment of a signalling station on the south end of the beach which is now a haven for surfers.
The discovery of iron ore has transformed the region into a seaside resort for an emerging,monied class.
We walked to the railway station,had a coffee then walked down the very steep path to the beach.What a sight,it was like a blast from the past.You could hardly put a piece of tissue paper between people on the beach and the folk lining up for fish and chips,my goodness!We stood in awe.Families with their pets sunning themselves,eating fish and chips and frolicking in the water,having a wonderful time .We decided not to walk on the pier as it would have taken us an hour to get on and an hour to get off.
We lined up to have a ride on the funicular.The Saltburn Cliff Lift opened in 1884 to replace an earlier vertical hoist that took holiday makers down to the beach from the town.The lift is probably the oldest of its type still operating.
The two cars ,each fitted with a 1000 gallon water tank,run on parallel tracks.The car at the top of the 71% incline has its tank filled with water until it overbalanced the weight of the car 120 ft below and gently descents while the lower car ascends.when the car reaches the bottom its water is re-pumped to the top and the process begins all over again.The cars are controlled by a brakeman at the top.
What an experience!
We walked through the town and headed for Staithes.
Staithes is an historic fishing village under the highest cliffs on England's east coast.
We arrived and once again had to park at a pay and display and walk down a very,very steep hill to the port and beach.
Staithes has a very sheltered harbour,bounded by high cliffs and two long breakwaters .
It is a destination for geologists researching the Jurassic strata in the cliffs surrounding the village. In the early 1990s,a rare fossil of a seagoing dinosaur was discovered after a rockfall between Staithes and Port Mulgrave.
The population of the village has dwindled due to more than half of the houses being second homes owned by outsiders.
The traditions of the village are consistently upheld,some of the women still wear Staithes bonnets and there is still active local participation in the local Lifeboat crew.
In 1745-1746 ,Staithes's most famous resident,James Cook,worked in Staithes as a grocer's apprentice where he gained his passion for the sea.He moved to Whitby where he joined the navy.
We walked through the village and surrounds and then headed back up the very steep hill back to the car.
We are keeping very fit to say the very least!
Today we are going to the railway station to book our tickets on the steam train for tomorrow.
The train goes from Whitby to Pickering,encompassing the villages actively involved in the filming of Heartbeat.
We are also going to the Captain Cook Museum this afternoon.
It is raining and overcast today but still quite mild and many of the tourists have gone home!