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
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.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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......
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Am i allowed to fall in love with you? :P
My husband and I are very opposite. While this would be a very happy and ideal holiday for me, he will be bored to death! I'm waiting to see how my toddler grows up to be. If she goes my way (fingers crossed) then we can simply drown his protests in our happy shrieks!
This is all so beautiful and you make it sound even more so.
Posted by: Neha | June 04, 2015 at 12:42 PM
amazing
Posted by: silvia | June 04, 2015 at 12:41 PM
Lovely blog. Brings back happy memories of the end of our Coast to Coast Walk last summer which ends in Robin Hood's Bay :)
Posted by: Sharon Moore | June 04, 2015 at 12:28 PM
Ooooh amazing. Stop making me jealous! Can't wait - only six weeks and then we're back in the UK as well!
Posted by: Nienke | June 04, 2015 at 12:08 PM
Ops that should have said schhhhh! Not school!
Posted by: sue | June 04, 2015 at 12:01 PM
What a lovely blog. I have really enjoyed reading about your recent trip and walks. It's a beautiful area and brought back so many happy memories from our trip there a couple of years ago. Saltburn by the Sea with the yarn bombing and Robin Hood Bay, a quaint little village... School don't tell too many people. Lol
Posted by: sue | June 04, 2015 at 11:59 AM
What a lovely post! Your family jaunt is so sweet all the while so typical of a family trek anywhere. Love the pictures of this town, your "new" words and esp. the concept of having water so you can later have a treat (or two). And Bermuda also has some lovely trails which were once railroad lines, very familiar. Thanks for sharing!
Posted by: Betty A. | June 04, 2015 at 11:55 AM
Looks lovely Luce :) I love Robin Hoods Bay too, although its ages since we have been. Your picnic sounds scrummy! I think I'll let you be in charge of picnic provisions when we go out next week! See you soon. Loads of love xxxxx
Posted by: Sarah | June 04, 2015 at 11:54 AM
Just love Whitby !!
Posted by: Helen | June 04, 2015 at 11:52 AM
I actually love walking along disused railway lines too - has the same nostalgia and don't-need-a-map attraction of canals.
I love the higgledy-piggledyness of Robin's Hood Bay but I have never been to Ravenscar.
Plate/Frisbee tip - clever!
Posted by: Claire | June 04, 2015 at 11:44 AM
Absolutely love Robin Hoods Bay. We visited a few years ago and could barely drag my son away from the rock pools.
Posted by: Handmade in Israel | June 04, 2015 at 11:42 AM
Love your family adventures!
Posted by: Pam roach | June 04, 2015 at 11:42 AM
A wonderful read Lucy. Many thanks for sharing your world with us
Posted by: Sharon Brown | June 04, 2015 at 11:41 AM
Thanks so much for answering my picnic questions. I do like the idea of a "reward" coffee/beer/ice cream.
That little town, oh my how gorgeous.
cheers Kate
Posted by: kate | June 04, 2015 at 11:30 AM
Robin Hoods Bay is one of my favourite places in the UK. Although I live in a beautiful part of Spain I still do miss my home town of Scarborough and those lovely coastal villages nearby.
I don't miss the weather though ;-)
lovely blog post Lucy......I feel a bit homesick now
Posted by: Kate Dengra | June 04, 2015 at 10:58 AM
Beautiful pictures.
Have a nice weekend.
Lisa
Posted by: Lisa | June 04, 2015 at 10:58 AM