WHITBY 1

 

Whitby

 

 

 

 

The lovely old town of Whitby lies to the north of Scarborough. It is part of Scarborough Borough and has a population of some 13,000. It lies on the River Esk where the river enters the North Sea through the steep cliffs and forms a substantial harbour. The town is separated into two halves with the old town on the east side of the river and the newer part on the west.

The whalebone arch on the West Cliff reminds us of the whaling industry for which Whitby was  once the leading port. William Scoresby Snr was one of the pioneers of the industry and is said to have captured more whales than any other man. It was he who devised what is known as the crow's nest, the lookout on the mast head.

The history of Whitby is essentially a maritime one. Once a thriving whaling and shipbuilding port it is now given over more to the leisure industry but retains a small fishing fleet and just one shipbuilder

 

A swing bridge divides the town into two distinct parts with the older East Cliff on one side and the newer West Cliff on the other. The bridge dates to 1909 and carried the main A171 road through Whitby until a by-pass bridge
was built in 1980.
The present bridge, controlled by traffic lights, opens in two parts to allow shipping through, on the hour and the half hour. It replaced a variety of bridges - there was a toll bridge here as early as 1351.

 

 

 

The entrance to the harbour is protected by substantial breakwater piers

Alongside is a nice sandy beach nestling beneath the west cliff
and stretching for several miles to Sandsend.

 

 

A curious custom is maintained every year on the eve of Ascension Day (38 days after Easter) on the harbour side along Church Street when the Penny Hedge ceremony is re-enacted. The story unfolds in the year 1159 when the Lord of Ugglebarnby  (William de Bruce) and Lord of Sneaton  (Ralph de Percy) together with another nobleman were enjoying a day’s boar hunting in the forest around Eskdaleside owned by Whitby Abbey. Pursuing a wounded boar into a cave they found their way barred by a monk who lived there, and in the excitement and confusion one of the huntsmen struck the hermit a fatal blow. On his deathbed the monk suggested that his attackers be spared on condition that they and their heirs perform a penance by erecting a hedge in Whitby Harbour henceforth every year. Using a penny knife they were to cut a specified number of hazel boughs in the wood, ten yedders, ten stakes and ten stout stowers, which they would then bear on their backs to the harbour. There on the shore at the ebb tide they would erect the said hedge, strong enough to withstand three tides. Should this ceremony not be performed as demanded then all their lands and property would be forfeited to the Abbey. This strange ceremony is still meticulously re-enacted when at the appointed hour of 9am, two men weave the yedders. stakes and stowers into a short fence – the Penny Hedge. On completion of their task the senior man gives several blasts on a sheep horn and calls out the expiatory words three time, “Out on ye,” to complete the ceremony.

Immediately right on the east side of the swing bridge is Grape Lane.
where a house dating to 1688 overlooking the harbour is now The Captain Cook Museum. James Cook (1728-1779) was born at Marton and when his father moved to Great Ayton his employer paid for young James' schooling. When the boy left school he went to Staithes to work in a shop, but his heart was in seafaring and he soon obtained an apprenticeship with Whitby ship owners
John & Henry Walker, who were Quakers, and lived in the house in Grape Lane. Cook lodged with them and served a 3 years apprenticeship during which time he studied hard and whilst stlll a teenager he joined the Royal Navy. His potential was soon realized and the rest is history.



Captain Cook sailed in Whitby built boats on his voyages of discovery.

FILEY

 

Cayton Bay and Filey

 

 

The next accessible beach south of Scarborough is at the lovely Cayton Bay.

Sheltered by The Nab to the north and Redcliffe to the south it is popular with holiday camp visitors and surfers. Paths lead steeply down to the sandy beach from Filey Road.

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The charming tiny Victorian/Edwardian resort of Filey, situated between Scarborough and Bridlington, boasts one of the finest beaches in the country. Filey Bay stretches  for some 12 miles from the headland known as Carr Naze in the north to Flamborough Head in the south.
The Town, which is part of Scarborough Borough,
has a population of some 7000 people

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carr Naze extends in an arc out to sea by a long ridge of low rocks known as Filey Brigg to form a natural break water. Indeed, the Roman's had a substantial signal station on the headland which was excavated in the mid 19th century and it is thought that they had a landing jetty on the Brigg.

 

 

 

 

Although there is no harbour, the town's heritage remains in the declining fishing industry. The Yorkshire coble fishing boat, which has its origins in the Viking longship is still evident on The Coble Landing a slope at the end of the sea wall. The cobles are towed into the sea by a small tractor.

in the late 19th century there were some 190 fishing cobles at Filey, reduced to 17 late in the 20th century and now just a handful.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Likewise the town's life boat house is on the Coble Landing and has to be towed into the sea, originally using horses but now by tractor.

There has been a lifeboat at Filey since the early 19th century and again, tales of heroism are legend.

 

 

 

 

There is a fine promenade along the sea wall

 

Fine views can be had from the Crescent Gardens high above the promenade,

During the summer months local bands give concerts in the open air bandstand.

 

and the stone bases excavated from the Roman Signal Station form part
of the garden display.

Filey was very much a closed community and merely a fishing village until Victorian times when the village expanded to cater for the steady influx of tourists who were discovering the benefits of this exclusive spot which had become even more accessible with the arrival of the railway.
After a writer in a gentleman's magazine described Filey as a 'summer retreat for those who possess a relish for the pure exhibitions of nature and take with them a little society' it became the holiday meeting place for the landed gentry
and indeed Royalty.

 

The Crescent was constructed for those people and Filey developed into the gentile resort which it remains today.

 

The old town is  full of former fishermen's cottages perched on the cliff top at the side of The Ravine which is the road down  to the sea shore

Whilst St Oswald's Parish Church is perched on the cliff top on the
other side of The Ravine.

The Rev. A.N. Cooper  was a much loved vicar for 55 years, (1880-1935). He was known as The Walking Parson, and wrote several books about his travels both at home and abroad. He thought nothing of walking from Filey to London after Sunday evensong, returning  by train in time for the following Sunday. On Easter Monday 1887 he set off to walk to Rome and having walked to Hull he took the ferry to Rotterdam and averaging 30 miles a day he completed the journey in one month. During his walks on the continent he reached Budapest, Vienna, Monte Carlo, Barcelona, Lourdes, Copenhagen and Stockholm. His only luggage was a small knapsack containing a change of underwear and his bible.

The newer town centre is quite small with just a cluster of retail outlets.

and the ubiquitous fish and chip shop

The huge chalk cliffs at Bempton on the south side of Filey Bay are an RSPB Nature Reserve, forming part of England's largest seabird colony. Over 200,000 seabirds breed on the reserve between April and August and include  large populations of puffins and gannets. Many migrant birds also visit at other times of the year and safe view  points allow close up watching.

These huge cliffs end at Flamborough Head where the Yorkshire Wolds reach the sea. There is a small fishing fleet and access can be gained to several little coves.