Day: 230 23/9/00 Scarborough to Robin Hood’s Bay

Weather:  Sunny intervals and pretty warm

Distance:  22 km (13.7 miles)    Total Distance:   2958 miles

I left the house in Coventry at about 6.30am and had a pretty trouble free journey up to Scarborough.  

I had planned to go walking last weekend and even had the Friday and Monday booked as holiday but ended up cancelling it because of what had become known as the petrol crisis – a mass blockade of oil refineries protesting over the price of petrol (~80p/litre). The protests were against the high tax on petrol – more than anywhere else in Europe and had been successful in almost bringing the country to its knees.  They only lifted the protests after threatening to return in 60 days time.  It was interesting to observe that the environmental argument i.e. petrol taxes had been raised over the past couple of years to discourage people from driving and polluting the environment, were hardly aired by either side during the protests.  In the end it turned out for the best because the weather last weekend had been poor and I would have got wet walking.

I eventually managed to find some free non-residents on-street parking high above South Beach near the large and grand hotels.  It was a fine day and was warming up quite considerably so I walked in shorts from the start, taking some light trousers with me in case of rain or overgrown paths.  

It was some ten minutes walk down to South Sands where I stopped last time.  By now there were already a fair number of autumn holiday-makers out walking,  – seemingly made up of middle aged people old before their time.  Past the harbour and around the headland things got quieter but it took me another 30 – 45 minutes walking the concrete promenade before I passed the Sea Life Centre, over the river and climbed up onto the cliffs. 

There was a large fenced off area where a new sewage works was being constructed but after that it was good scenery and pleasant walking.  The path was in good condition and there was evidence that it had been recently maintained, so recently that cut grass was lying over the muddy path underneath making it a pretty slippery combination. A couple of times I almost went flying.

My abiding memory of this day was how difficult I found the climbs. I had been commuting to Derby from Coventry for almost a year and was finding it difficult to find the opportunities to do the walking I had done previously to keep fit.  I really struggled on some climbs and had to take it very slowly.    

I saw a giant mushroom that had no doubt flourished in the recent damp weather.  I also saw a tiny field mouse sitting in the middle of the path.  I stopped for a break at Long Nab where a Coastguard lookout had been made into a bird observatory.  I was sitting on the step as it was the only dry place to sit when the phone inside started to ring - strange considering I was in the middle of nowhere.  I talked to two couples during my subsequent breaks both of whom were totally enamored with this stretch of coastline. 

I was pretty tired by the time I reached Ravenscar and spotted a sign to a nearby tea shop that looked too good to walk by so off I went for a pot of tea and a slice of their chocolate fudge cake.  

After that the path veered sharply inland, onto a road  and past a hotel.  It appeared almost as if I was going the wrong way as I ended up so far from the coast at one stage but I think the path had been diverted because of cliff falls.  The section just past the large hotel was incredible muddy but things improved as the path eventually got back to the coast and dropped towards the beach.  

The tide was out so I took the opportunity to walk along the beach under the cliffs.  I passed Boggle Hole and could soon see Robin Hood’s Bay.  There was no sign of any bus stop in the town at the bottom so I walked up the very steep path up towards the car parks.  Just as I reached the top, still trying to see a bus stop, I saw a bus come sailing around the corner and pull in.  Considering I had a bus timetable in my rucksack but had purposely not looked at it for fear of spoiling the leisurely walk, I was very lucky, especially as the buses were pretty infrequent.

The bus took me to Scarborough Railway station where I had a 15-minute slow walk back to the car.  I got to the Youth Hostel at just after six but I need not have worried that they had given my bunk away because there was only one other family staying there.  I unusually said I would have the meal and it was jolly nice but I was not all that hungry because it had been a hot day and I always tend to loose my appetite in the heat.  I got chatting to a family there who lived between Nottingham and Derby.  They were into caravaning and had a lad between Sean and Gareth’s age.  I had an early night and was in bed before 9.30 pm!