Coastal Walking :: Ravenscar

We were lucky with the weather last week for the most part, with two out of the four days giving us blue skies and sunshine. It was a blessing, and I was so glad that we were able to enjoy two days of coastal walking amidst the two damp, grey days of pootling and pottering and trying to hide from the wind.

For this five mile circular walk, we started out from the quiet coastal village of Ravenscar which sits high above sea level with sweeping views and beautiful skies.

It's a very, very quiet place with a small population, we found the local residents to be curious and friendly.....

....and quite up-close-and-personal! Mooooooooooooooo!!

The weather was bright and breezy with a touch of the c-word - the sunlight was very beautiful and the scudding clouds were racing across the large expanse of sky, but it was c-c-c-c-c-cold up here on the cliff. We were all wrapped up warm and didn't mind the stiff wind too much. It was refreshing and invigorating in a gusty sort of a way, filling our lungs with great gulps of air as we walked.

And the light on the sea, oh my, all those multiple shades of sunlit blue filled my brain and made me very happy, I am easily pleased as you well know. It doesn't take much.

I stopped here a while, resting on a wooden bench while the rest of the family strode across a field to explore an old radar station, a relic from World War II. I chose to stay on the cliff side and have my back to the Historically Important Relics, preferring instead to feast my eyes on the endless blue of the horizon.

All too soon, our walk began to veer inland and away from the cliff edge, eventually bringing us to this old disused railway line.

The railway used to run for 20 miles along the coast here between Scarborough and Whitby, but closed in 1965 due to "increasing road competition and a consequent drop in passenger usage outside of the peak summer seasons". These days it's a popular trail for bike riders and also provides a bit of easy, sheltered sauntering for pedestrians. It was actually quite warm along here as we suddenly had bit of a respite from the cold wind. I even took my coat off at one point, holy moly!!

This gorgeous, stunning view was mine all mine as I ate my lunch that day. It's exactly what I saw from my seat in the car, wowsers, it was a pretty great backdrop for a cosy car picnic. I love picnicking, did I say that already? Someone asked me yesterday about our picnics, what we had and how we carried it all, (I loved those questions!). Well we don't eat anything adventurous, but it's satisfying and yummy all the same. I made filled wholemeal rolls stuffed with ham, cheese, cucumber, sweet cherry tomatoes, a slathering of cream cheese and a squidge of mayo. We had crisps to go with it, then there were some little red apples and chocolate-coated cereal bars for afters (these ones which we all love).

A while back we bought some super-cheap rainbow plastic plates from Ikea (these ones) - 90p for six! They are wonderful to pack in the rucksack with the picnic and a great design with the little rim that runs all the way round. It means that crisps and grapes and the such like don't go sliding off the plate when your offspring insist on eating their lunch whilst continuing to do other things. And after lunch, you can turn them upside down and they double up as neat frisbees, that's an Attic24 Top Tip for ya!! I carry all our lunch in one of these which I bought recently, it's a good size to pop in the rucksack and remarkably I can manage to fit lunch-for-five in it. Just. We all drink water to make life easy, then the idea is that after lunch we are free to go in search of a guilt-free coffee/milkshake/beer with possible cake/ice cream/baked goods as well. It works for us.

Anyhooooooooooow, lunch was done and dusted and we needed somewhere suitable for an afternoon pootle, somewhere to provide the aforementioned beverage and sweet treats. And what better place to choose than one of my all time favourite destinations :: Robin Hoods Bay.

Robin Hood's Bay is just a little further up the coast from Ravenscar so it wasn't far to drive at all. Our first stop was the pub! Yes, priorities and all that, well Little B desperately needed a wee and there is this lovely pub right at the top of the hill with a beautiful garden overlooking the bay, so it was the obvious choice.

We started out in the beer garden, but with a chilly wind gusting off the sea we decided to move inside and perch on some bar stools with our bevvies. This is a very relaxed, family-friendly pub and children are made welcome here which is always something of a relief when you have three Little People to accommodate and have your taste buds set on a pint of good local ale.

 

After some top notch refreshment, we took a wander down the steep pathway...

....emerging at the bottom of the street where the village feels as if it is literally tumbling into the sea.

The tide was high when we were there which reduces the beach to a teensy strip of sand, but as you can see from the above photo the tide had turned and the sea was already starting to recede. Once the tide is fully out, there are rock pools galore to explore here....

....these families obviously couldn't wait and were strung out in a comical line as the first of the rocks were revealed.

There has been an ice cream van down on this beach for as long as I can remember, which must be going back a good 20 years since I began coming here with J.

The Little People couldn't believe their luck when they were offered an ice cream hot on the heels of lemonade and crisps at the pub - double treats on this sunny day!

We strolled along the beach, admiring the view and the ever changing sunshine and shadows playing out over the blue of the sea. My heart was full on this afternoon.

Robin Hoods Bay is such a quirky little place, I don't think you could find anywhere more charming. The tumble of old buildings is just wonderful, with gorgeous little views and vistas around every twist and turn.

The streets are steep and narrow....

....but every so often they level out as you wind your way around the quiet little residential pathways.

Every single cottage here in the old part of the village oozes charm by the bucket load. The majority are used as holiday rentals, so there is an ever-so-slightly unreal feel about the whole place, but that certainly doesn't make it any less appealing. It really is a delightful place, and I always feel like my heart and soul is happy when I'm here. It's my happy place.

My mind (and heart) was filled with rather a large number of residential fantasies as we strolled through the village, along the lines of "...I wonder what it would be like to live there....ooo look at those cute windows, I would love to look inside.....", I do this rather a lot I've noticed, I wonder if you do to?

As we huffed and puffed back up the steep hill and away out of the village, we paused for frequent looks back over our shoulders at the coastline we were leaving behind. I don't mind leaving Robin Hoods Bay too much as I know I will always be back. It's just that kind of a place.

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ps, just for fun - these are the words of mine that the spell checker couldn't handle....

pootling, mooooooooooooooo, wowsers, squidge, mayo, slathering, frisbees, anyhooooooooooow, bevvies.

Laughing to myself at that little lot! Right, I'm off, back soon with a crochet pattern for you, just in time for the weekend.........get your 4mm hooks and odds and ends of DK yarn at the ready......

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Comments

[Jana]

Hi Lucy,
thank you for sharing these photos with us. I have never been to the UK but it's on my bucketlist right after Italy!
I love these photos so much- I felt like I was there, standing on those windy roads.
I read your blog often but don't often comment.

Your blankets and posts of crochet thrill my sense of color every time I come here. I am an artist so I LOVE, love, love color!! Or colour as you spell it. When I was young and the Beatles were a big deal I used to spell colour the British way at school and got into trouble often over it. Oh well...
Love your blog and I know that it's sad when the little ones go off to school- my grandson just started kindergarten- but you have such a lovely studio that the hours will fly- as will the years!! Trust me on that one!

[Rachael Iddon]

Hi Lucy, I meant to comment on one of your earlier posts about the North East coast. I feel slightly protective of it, even though in reality, my patch is further north in the heart of industrial Teesside. It's so good to be able to show the world that not all of the North East is a barren wasteland. Living in Teesside has it's down sides (we are always associated with the worst of everything - health, education, employment, wealth) but on the plus side, it's cheap and we can flit out the the coast and the moors or the dales whenever we like! Glad you enjoyed your trip.

[maria]

What a timely post! in a few weeks we are off to walk the Coast to Coast from St bees to Robin Hood's Bay. How exciting looking at your lovely photos.
Thank you

[Jean Barnwell]

Your photos are brilliant, Lucy. Would you mind telling me what Camera you use as I badly need a new one but hope yours is not too complicated to use.

[Kaholly]

I want to go to Robin Hoods Bay! Loved your post.

[Donna]

I love your travel posts every bit as much as your crochet posts. Your gorgeous photos make me feel like I'm there with you. Thank you for sharing all the little details that make reading your blog so much fun.

[Sarah Preston]

My little boy (4 & a half) has just spotted the Batman hoodie on Little B while I was reading your blog. He would like to know where you bought it. Lovely, lovely pictures as ever Lucy x

[Silly Little Sheep]

I have "residential fantasies" all the time!! Not all of us can be as lucky to live by the sea though :)

[Emma]

Heh, I love the cows. Cows are such funny, friendly animals. The photos in this post are so lovely, such beautiful colours in the sea and countryside. I'm glad you had such a lovely break, thanks for sharing it with us. x

[jennifer W]

oh my gosh Lucy, once again you have my mouth watering for a "pootling" break to the western coast of the UK. And just so you know, I have started to use your pootling term with some regularity now & always get a funny look. It's a real word, right?! :) Makes complete sense to me. Happy resting!!!
-jenn in kansas

[Robin Summers]

Oh Lucy I just love your photos! If you did scrapbooking you would have some stunning albums to pass on to the kiddos. I just love those painted bright doors. I would love to paint our front door a bright yellow or red! Reading your blog always flies me right to England. I really enjoy your posts and pics so much. I am so excited about your next project. I am on the edge of my seat!!

[carol partridge]

I remember a rainy day in Whitby.It had been lovely and sunny till we got there.We viewed all the purple heather on the moors from the top deck of the ordinary service bus from Hull, where we lived at that time. Then it threw it down. We had homemade cake and big mug of tea in the seamans mission. It was packed ! Still a lovely day.( blimmin long time on that bus though) Thank you so much for all the lovely photo's,Lucy.

[Lynn Dee Butler]

I so enjoy your pictures. I don't seem to have the words to describe the feelings of yearning and homesickness for these lovely places that I've never been to! How does that happen? I just delight in the colors and vistas and words of it all! Thank you for sharing.

[Penny Rongo]

WOW! What a beautiful place is Robin Hoods Bay. Loved every picture and description of your time there. I think yours is one of the best blogs around. Thank you for sharing so much of yourself. It is so very appreciated.

[Kath]

I think that's why we all love those "escape to" programmes! Gives us a chance to nosey round other people's homes and either lust after or criticise. Can't wait for the new reveal, hook and yarn at the ready.

[Carol]

Thanks Lucy, another descriptive blog with great photos.

Love reading it and I do so want to go there and possibly stay in one of those lovely little houses!!

[freaddie]

Hi Lucy. Another lovely post. You really are a very good photograper. Have you ever been to sands end?Its not far from Whitby to tne North along ther coast. There is a nice cliff top walk along the old railway line, and a really nice walk up out of the village following the beck upstream past some lovely old fishermens cottages with charming gardens. Also a great time to go in early April when the primroses are in abundance. Perhaps a bit cold in the caravan but its a dooable good day out in the car. I used to go to Sands End with my grandparents so very fond memories of those parts. Thankyou Freddie.

[Wendy]

Love Robin Hoods Bay. Had fab , chilly, holiday there with my brood. Stayed in one of those cute cottages and spent the week drooling over all of them. Might get one one day...... Loved the post, brought back happy memories.... WW

[Kristina]

lovely blog Lucy!1

[Deborah Buglass]

Thanks Lucy for the gorgeous post. We often go to the lovely places you describe. A stop for a dring at the Victoria Hotel is always a must for the fantastic views !

[Winifred Waite]

Thanks for the gorgeous photos. A lovely place haven't been there for years.

[Aida Buljina]

So lovely! Love your blog!

[Bernadette]

Gorgeous photos, Lucy! I can smell that fresh sea air all the way over here in Alabama, USA! At least, it seems that I can! LOL! Thank you! :)

[mira]

Every time I am in a new and interesting place I start dreaming about moving there. Drive my husband crazy.

[Joy]

I love your trip to Robins Hood Bay and as you say very quaint. Perhaps one day we may get to visit. Love the mmmmmoooooooooooooo cows!! xx lots of love Joy xx