Birthday Weekend

Back in the middle of Summer when I was up to my ears in Yarndale work, I found myself dreaming of some time away from home. I was craving something peaceful and restorative to look forward to once the hustle and bustle of Yarndale was over, and as my Birthday just so happens to be at this time, well, I felt entirely justified in organising a little jaunt away for J and I. Happy Birthday to me!

So ten days ago on a sunny Friday morning, we dropped Little B at school, ran a few errands then drove a few hours across country to the North Yorkshire coast. Our destination for two whole nights away (yipppeeeeeeee!) was one of my all time most favourite-lovely-special places :: Robin Hoods Bay. I was more than a tad excited by the prospect of a) sunny weather, b) two whole days just-the-two-of-us and c) to see the sea! We arrived just after 1pm, parked the car at the top of the hill, pulled on walking boots and got straight down to the business of striding out.

This is a walk we love very much and know very well, a ten mile circular route via the village of Ravenscar. The first half of the walk follows the old railway line all the way to this fabulous hotel perched on the cliff tops. Much of the track is enclosed by trees and hedges, but every so often you are treated to beautiful glimpses of the coast....

....ooo do you see those apples?? They were possibly the reddest apples I have ever seen dangling from a tree, pure picture book!

It takes a few hours to walk from Robin Hoods Bay (RHB) to Ravenscar, the going is fairly easy but it's still rather lovely to sit on a bench and rest a while when we get there. We have already eaten our picnic lunch, but we have a flask of hot coffee and some chocolate, and we have this amazing view....

....isn't it beautiful? We are six hundred feet above sea level here, looking out over the green cliff tops towards Robin Hoods Bay, breathing in the sea air with the sun on our faces. I am blissfully happy with my lot on this sunny afternoon in mid October.

The second half of the walk is the return to RHB over the cliffs and it is not at all easy going. In fact it is the very opposite of easy going.

J and I have walked this walk a good many times over the past twenty years and we know full well that there are a great many ups and downs involving steps and steep paths. We know it. But it still catches us by surprise. Oh those steps, my goodness, we really were partaking in a full body work out. Pfffffffffff!!!

It's late afternoon now, four o'clock or thereabouts and the light is absolutely stunning. I try and focus on the beauty around me and ignore the fact that my leg muscles are positively screaming at me. In fact my whole body is kind of on the verge of collapse, and I realise (not for the first time) how unfit I have become in my forties.

Still, we manage those steep ups and downs and Robin Hoods Bay suddenly comes into view. The village looks as pretty and charming as ever, it hasn't changed very much in the twenty years we've been visiting. I long to be there amongst that tumble of little cottages, but know that we still have a good hour or two to walk yet.

Onwards we go, and oh my goodness, everything is just so incredibly beautiful at this time of day. Even though I am beyond tired at this point, I am completely bowled over by the beauty of it all. The little lanes are so enchanting in the late afternoon light!

It's been a heavenly walk, but I am very excited to arrive back at the car, ease off my boots and gently hobble down to the old part of the village to find our bed for the night.

This is such a familiar view, one that I hold deep in my memory banks and treasure very much. I've spent a few Birthdays in this pretty village (do you remember seven years ago?) and every time I come back here it's like a little piece of my heart arrives home.

Walking down through the narrow streets of the village, the sea comes as something of a visual surprise even though you know it's going to be there. When the tide is high, the waves literally lap at the bottom of the main street, it's just so beautifully coastal!

We were staying in a teeny, tiny old fishermans cottage just a minute from the sea, it was very quaint and just right for J and I. After a quick explore and a few excited oohs and ahhs (King Size Bed! Feather Pillows! Egyptian Cotton Sheets! Attic View!), we headed straight out again to one of our favourite pubs to settle down for some good honest pub grub and a few jars of the local ale.

We were awake early the next morning and watched the sun rise over the sea - the bed in the attic room faced the window so we could sit comfy in bed with a cup of tea and take in the coastal vista (cue lots of sighing with pleasure from me).

I enjoyed a little bit of early morning hooky in bed too (hooky, with an H!!!), crocheting a few rows on a new granny stripe I've just started (more about that very soon).

I really love the narrow residential streets in RHB, they are completely charming.

This street is called Sunnyside, and the blue door on the right there is the front door of the cottage where we stayed (see here for more info and images of inside the cottage)

This was Saturday morning around 9 o'clock, the main street of Robin Hoods Bay completely deserted. We were on the look out for some breakfast and found the perfect spot right at the top of the hill at Candy's Café. It was warm enough to sit outside, such a delightful way to start the day (oh, you gotta love eating al fresco, a big fresh bacon sarnie with a sea view)

Our plan for Saturday was to walk along the cliffs to Whitby, following the Cleveland Way footpath. We were thrilled with yet another warm sunny day to play with, the great weather made such a difference to our days.

It's about six miles to walk along the cliffs, and was pure pleasure all the way.

The sight of all that b l u e makes my heart swell with happiness.

Arriving at Whitby Abbey reminded me suddenly of the Little People and our walk here in May and I think I did experience a little bit of a missing-them feeling just then. Just a small one - it's really rather lovely to be away without small dependants every so often, I relished the time and freedom that J and I enjoyed together during this precious weekend of ours.

I do like Whitby. J doesn't care for it, says' it's too busy and too touristy for it's own good and he finds the crowds too much.

But I love the rooftops and the bustling tumble of the old buildings....

....and I love the busy harbour and the boats. It ticks many of my happy boxes, although I did have to agree with J about the crowds, crikey, it was soooo busy on this sunny October Saturday. We tried and failed to find a seat in our favourite pub. We tried and failed to find a seat in our second favourite pub. We wandered around a bit and purchased three modest sticks of stripy rock for our Little Peeps, then at a loss as to what to do and where to try and eat, we both agreed it was simply time to head "home".

Bye bye Whitby, you are lovely, but truthfully, RHB is way lovelier. So we caught the bus back "home" to Robin Hoods Bay and breathed a small sigh of relief. It's so peaceful compared to Whitby, so much more us.

It was maybe 3pm by now, and we were ravenously hungry after our 3 hour walk and our busy stint in Whitby. So we headed for a favourite café {Swell} where we knew we could sit out on the little terrace over looking the sea and enjoy a lovely bite to eat. I had forgotten that it was a licensed café, so on the spur of the moment J and I ordered up a chilled glass of white wine and a bottle of local beer which seemed like rather a marvellous, holidayish idea. Chin chin!

I love that when we are away together, J and I hardly ever make plans for eating and drinking, it's always pretty spontaneous. On this Saturday, our usual eating habits went completely to pot so we simply went with the flow. A late (hefty) breakfast and a very late afternoon lunch meant that we weren't really hungry at our usual dinner time. Instead, we remembered how much we do like to sit in pubs and chat over drinks, so this is exactly what we did. The pub was busy, but after a few tactical seat manoeuvres, we ended up in our favourite snug right by the window that looks directly out over the sea. It was such a pleasure to be together just the two of us. We took long, verbal rambles down a winding memory lane, reminiscing about the years gone by. It was quite simply a fabulous end to a fabulous day.

Sunday morning and we were awake ridiculously early after an equally ridiculously early bed the night before. But the early mornings at Sunnyside cottage were so blissful, I was really glad to be awake to enjoy a few hours looking out to sea. Hot mugs of tea, some crochet and another glorious sunrise and all was very well in my little world.

We were due to drive home on Sunday morning, having promised the Little People that we would be back to see them for Sunday lunch. But as we still had an hour or two before we needed to be on the road, we decided to drive up the coast a little way, to another of our favourite places : Sandsend.

I said to J that I find it strange to be so close to the sea and yet not setting foot on the beach at all. He prefers cliff tops and high up places you see, and all the walking we did gave us that in abundance. But me, I love love love beaches and really enjoy being right next to the shoreline. I love the sound of the waves and seagulls and the scent of the damp salty air. The tide was low in the morning so we had a lot of beach to stroll on before the café opened......

...oh this café {Sandside} is in the most divine location ever-ever, I mean, just look at it! Isn't it perfection for Sunday morning breakfast? We sat there on the sunny little terrace with fresh coffee, juice and bacon butties and eyes wide full of the beach and sea. It was really, really, really good. So good!

I was sad to leave of course, well I am always a little sad to turn my back on the sea and head inland. But then that's the beauty of places like this - they change so little over the years and I know without doubt that we will back to breathe it all in another day.

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Comments

[Clare]

The perfect birthday weekend
Clare x

[Christine Harvey]

We were there the same weekend, celebrating my husband's birthday. I'm surprised we didn't bump into each other. I was carrying my crochet in my Yarndale bag too!

[heidijo]

The cottage looked so you just missing a "few" crochet blankets and other bits and pieces. So need time away with my hubby too!😀

[Clare]

Happy birthday Lucy!

We'll be up there ourselves next week for half-term - love the NE coast xxxxx

[Bonnie]

Thank you for posting it. I feel happier and more relaxed after seeing your beautiful photos and reading about your trip!

[louise in Melbourne]

What a wonderful birthday weekend getaway! Thanks for taking us on a tour with you. I dream of visiting all those beachside english villages one day but it reminded me that summer holidays are just around the corner down here in Kangaroo land and there's some gorgeous coastal towns around Melbourne (my adopted city) that i still haven't explored yet! Xox

[Winwick Mum]

What a fabulous birthday weekend! You were so lucky with the weather and your pictures are just brilliant. I don't really know that part of the world at all so it's lovely to see somewhere new xx

[Jad Williams]

Happy birthday ,looks like you had a great time.I lived and worked in Whitby for 15 years-great people Yorkshire folk,great scenery.I do miss it but have my compensation--3 wonderful grandsons and more time to knit and crotchet-bliss!

[Pamela Lawson]

Happy birthday and what a lovely spot.

[Miriam]

A glorious birthday get away!

[debbie de Spon]

We were in RHB, Whitby and Sandsend for our Holiday this year, plus Brid. And Harrogate and Pickering. Glorious. We found so much sea glass at Sandsend and my daughter made me a bracelet out of some of the pieces for my 60th birthday.. What a wonderful part of the world :))

[CJ]

Wow, what a lovely village you stayed in. And those glorious views over Robin Hoods Bay. It really does sound like the most wonderful of weekends, I'm so glad you had such a good time. Lots of happy memories stored I think! CJ xx

[Sue Krekorian]

So glad you were so incredibly lucky with the weather: a birthday gift from nature. Many happy returns.

[Mandy Mills]

Happy Birthday , looked fantastic xx

[Caitlin Smith]

Happy Birthday! Oh, those pics -- what a lovely perfect birthday gift. Now I am really excited to hear about your new granny stripe project (blanket?)! -Caitlin