Sunday 10 January 2021

A brief escape from COVID: Christmas on the North Yorkshire Coast


A glorious winter sunrise over Runswick Bay, North Yorkshire


It will come as no surprise that Christmas this year was bound to be different for us, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. For the first time in many years we were unable to celebrate the festive season under either of our usual arrangements - in other words, with family in Norway or in some other exotic European location.

Some months ago, when it became clear that international travel would be impossible even by the end of the year, I booked a little cottage on the North Yorkshire coast, with fingers crossed that we would actually be able to travel there.

By the skin of our teeth we did manage it. The UK had emerged from another national lockdown in November, into a system of three Tiers. The whole of south-eastern England (including London) was placed into Tier 3... with the exception of our little south-western corner of Surrey. We live in the borough of Waverley, which had a lower infection rate and thus remained in Tier 2. Our destination was also Tier 2, and so we were able to drive up north on 23 December as planned. 


The lower village of Runswick Bay



Battling the crowds on Runswick Bay Beach

We had a fairly circuitous route from Surrey to North Yorkshire, avoiding Tier 3 areas as the advice was that you should not even pass through unless necessary. It's about a 6-hour drive, so we made a stop at a National Trust property just outside Ripon - Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Water Garden - to stretch our legs and eat our packed lunch. It was cold, it was raining/sleeting periodically, it was VERY muddy. But what an incredible property.

Founded in 1132 by Benedictine monks, Fountains Abbey got its name from the springs in the area. It's acknowledged as one of the best and largest Cistercian abbeys in England, and it's a testament to the quality of the construction that so much of the site is still standing, nearly 500 years after Britain's monasteries were abandoned following the dissolution act under Henry VIII's reign. 

Fountains Abbey has served as a filming location for a number of movies and TV series, and for an early Orchestral Manoeuvres In the Dark video (back in the days before they shortened their name to the more commercially appealing 'OMD'), for the beautiful single Maid of Orleans (The Waltz Joan of Arc), in 1982.


The incredible vaulted ceiling of the cellarium at Fountains Abbey


Fountains Abbey on the River Skell - founded in 1132


It's really no surprise that there is so much moss on these ruins... this is a very damp place!


One of the corridors alongside the nave

A further hour of driving brought us finally to our destination, the lower village of Runswick Bay, just north of Whitby on the North Yorkshire coast.

In December it gets dark in Britain by around 3:30/4:00pm and particularly this far north. For that reason we knew we had to reach Runswick Bay by 3:30pm because the instructions from our Air B&B host were that we should park up, go for a wander according to her instructions, and locate the cottage before attempting to unload the car. She wasn't kidding!

The lower village has nearly no vehicular access, aside from one little single-vehicle-width road along the bottom of the village, that ends in a turning circle so you can get out again. The cottages are perched on the cliffside above this road, accessible only by winding, narrow (single person width) paths and steps going up and coming down in all directions. 

We knew we'd have to leave the car in the council car park, but first we had a heart-stopping descent down what must be one of England's steepest roads - refer the picture below. Consider that it was about 2ºC, nearly dark and drizzling with rain. Heading down the road felt a bit like taking a ride on a rollercoaster and on a couple of subsequent very icy days it was a challenge getting out of the village. We had the icy conditions traction setting activated and Kevin did a sterling job of getting us up the hill in first gear, with me gripping the seat, white-knuckled, as the car slid around on its ascent. 


The road into the lower village of Runswick Bay, viewed from the beach


Once safely parked, we had to haul our luggage, Christmas decorations and gifts, and food supplies to last us the week (so that we didn't need to visit a shop) along those paths and steps which were slippery from rain, to the cottage which was about halfway up the cliff face and in the centre of the village. We made six trips in all, but it was well worth it.

So many steps... everywhere!


Inglenook Cottage (the blue one), viewed from our little terrace.
On this particular morning there was black ice covering everything - that terrace
was like a skating rink!


One of the views from our lounge room


View from the dual-level terrace belonging to Inglenook Cottage

Fine weather the next morning allowed us to get out and explore the village and beach, kitted out with thermal underwear, hats, gloves, scarves and stout walking boots. The wind was glacial but it was so refreshing to be breathing in salty air and watching the waves pounding the shore.


Stone-flagged paths and white picket fences in Runswick Bay


Many of the cottages on the coast have cute little boat-shaped planters


'POEM: You are more than every poem'
Someone with romantic sensibilities has decorated this hillside power box



One of the very cute cottages in the lower village of Runswick Bay


Steps down to the village's pub (on the right at the bottom of the steps),
sadly closed due to COVID-19


Looking back towards the village, from the beach


Such a wonderful variety of rocks on the beach in this geologically rich area


Looking back towards Runswick Bay from Kettleness,
 with the upper village visible on the top of the headland



Kevin adjusting the wood-burning stove

Christmas was a very subdued affair, obviously, but that was fine. Kevin and I celebrate on Christmas Eve, as is the custom in Scandinavia and northern Europe, and we enjoyed a mostly vegan three-course meal prepared jointly by yours truly and our dear friends M&S, and washed down with dill-flavoured acquavit, champagne and some very good Italian merlot.

On Christmas Day we drove to Whitby, hoping that it would be fairly quiet given that most people celebrate on that day. There were quite a few people strolling about, making the most of the winter sunshine before sitting down to their gigantic celebratory meals, no doubt.

I had been looking forward to exploring Whitby Abbey, which was one of the inspirations for Bram Stoker's vampire tale Dracula (many of you will know I have a bit of a thing for vampires). Sadly - though not surprisingly - Christmas Day is one of just a few days of the year when the Abbey is closed to visitors. When there isn't a global pandemic, you can also do vampire walking tours in the area; it's on the list for another time.


The ruins of Whitby Abbey tower above the town


Whitby is a lovely seaside town, and much larger than I anticipated (population approx. 135,000). We spent a couple of hours walking around, past St Mary's Church just below the Abbey, and down the famed 199 Steps from the church to the town. The steps have been in existence since the 14th century and were considered 'a test of Christian faith' for the worshippers who had to climb them to reach the church, in Yorkshire's famously inclement weather.

Whitby is also where Captain Cook trained with the merchant navy, before going on to seek fame as an explorer, and there's a museum dedicated to him.

Christmas Day lunch for us was a baked bean sandwich and a thermos of coffee, enjoyed in the crisp winter sunshine (maximum temperature 1ºC, with a wind chill factor of -6ºC), on a bench by the harbour. 



Arguments Yard is part of the old mediaeval settlement of Whitby,
which could be closed off against marauders arriving by sea.
The name is believed to stem from the name of the former owner, Thomas Argment.



Whitby has some fine architecture, including this Victorian building
which is the oldest surviving jewellery shop specialising in Whitby jet,
a black gemstone formed from prehistoric fossilised wood which is washed up on the shore
(it's the source of the expression 'jet black').
Queen Victoria was a big fan of jewellery made from jet.



St Mary's Church, at the top of the 199 Steps



Whitby Harbour - scene of our Christmas Day feast of baked bean sandwiches and a thermos of coffee!



People taking a break on their way up the 199 Steps.
We descended the steps....



... but chose the adjacent super-steep cobbled lane to head back up
to the carpark near the Abbey. Does wonders for the thighs!


On the journey home to Runswick Bay we made a quick stop at the pretty seaside village of Robin Hood's Bay. According to Wikipedia:

An English ballad and legend tell a story of Robin Hood encountering French pirates who came to pillage the fishermen's boats and the northeast coast. The pirates surrendered and Robin Hood returned the loot to the poor people in the village that is now called Robin Hood's Bay.


The Victoria Hotel at Robin Hood's Bay



The fabulous view from the Victoria Hotel's garden, Robin Hood's Bay


On our final full day in North Yorkshire we had an early, icy start for a timed entry to another National Trust property, Mount Grace Priory.  It's acknowledged as one of the best preserved Carthusian priories in England and the ruins date from the 14th century.

We were also pleased to be able to wander a couple of rooms in the former priory guest house, which was converted into a manor house in the 17th century but was extended and refurbished in the Arts and Crafts style towards the end of the 19th century. I was very excited to discover the drawing room had an original William Morris carpet, and the walls were decorated with reproduction William Morris papers.


The priory ruins at Mount Grace Priory


Madonna of the Cross statue.
Is it just me, or does she look cranky?


The Manor House at Mount Grace Priory


From Mount Grace Priory we drove on to Saltburn-by-the-Sea, which is kind of like the Brighton of the North, without the cool vibe. There's a pier - though just a pier, with none of the funfair rides and other amusements that populate Brighton Pier - and the place was absolutely thronged.

This was very disconcerting to us, having been nowhere populated by crowds for the better part of a year. OK, this area was in Tier 2 but... not terribly far away were Tier 3 and 4 areas. Despite being outdoors in the bracing sea air we kept our masks on the entire time, and pointedly preserved at least a two-metre space between us and other people. We stayed long enough to do a circuit from our car to the pier and back, perching mid-way on some rocks to eat our sandwiches, and then hightailed it away from the crowds. This, despite the alluring and saliva-inducing aroma of freshly cooked chips wafting to our nostrils from two beachside huts - a temptation we were easily able to resist when we saw the scary queues of unmasked people waiting to purchase.


Saltburn-by-the-Sea


Colourful beach huts on Salturn-by-the-Sea's shorefront promenade.
These can be hired by the day up to six months in advance - a good insurance policy
for the undependable weather on the North Yorkshire Coast


The pier at Saltburn-by-the-Sea, with hardy surfers working off their Christmas / Boxing Day indulgencies


The Saltburn cliff lift - a funicular railway with a 71 per cent incline, constructed in 1883.
Of course, closed due to COVID-19


Another view of the Saltburn pier.
There were lots of excited dogs frolicking with their owners


Our final stop on this beautiful winter day was the very picturesque coastal town of Staithes which, like Runswick Bay, has limited vehicular access and requires visitors to leave their cars in a paid car park at the top of the headland, and then make the steep descent on foot into the village itself. It's about a 15-minute drive north of where we were staying.

I had considered booking accommodation in Staithes, but ended up choosing Runswick Bay because it was the smallest village, with no shops other than a (closed) pub and café. Our aim was to limit our interaction with others, so Runswick Bay was definitely the right choice.

Nonetheless, I'd happily stay in Staithes on another visit to the North Yorkshire coast. It's delightful.


View over Staithes Harbour and village


The seaside village of Staithes is seriously cute, with painted cottages everywhere


Betsy & Bo sweet shop in Staithes 


Many of the streets in Staithes are paved with blue bricks, some in the traditional shape
and others in an interlocking hexagonal style.
The colour comes from the slag produced as a by-product of steel-making.
Sadly the company that produced these - the Tees Scoria Brick Company - was wound up in 1972,
a hundred years after it was founded


Cottages above the Staithes Beck, leading down to the harbour


Unsurprisingly, many of the cottages in Staithes have a nautical theme


Crab pots along the harbour at Staithes


A very picturesque setting for the Cod & Lobster pub in Staithes


And so we made the 6-hour drive back to Surrey on 28 December, the entire south-east of England having been put into a new, higher Tier (Tier 4) from Boxing Day.

Runswick Bay lies in the north-eastern corner of the North York Moors National Park, so the first 30 minutes of our return journey was very pleasant as we passed frosty fields of sheep and the bleak landscape of the moors, made ghostly by some lingering morning mist.



'Out on the wild, windy moor...'


Back in south-eastern England:
STAY HOME - TIER 4


In closing I cannot neglect to mention that today marks the fifth anniversary of David Bowie's death. Our Starman, Ziggy Stardust, Major Tom, The Man Who Fell To Earth, Aladdin Sane, The Thin White Duke, Blackstar. 

Each year this brings a terrible sadness to me, but I'm fortunate enough to still be discovering material in his back catalogue as although I've been a fan since childhood, at the time of his death I only had maybe six or seven of his complete albums and some individual tracks from other albums. His estate is also occasionally issuing previously unreleased material, which is like manna from heaven to Bowie's fans. 

Earlier this year I discovered a track from the 2003 'Reality' album (though it was written ten years prior to that) - Bring Me The Disco King - which I played, on a loop, for about six weeks.  I was obsessed with it. I still can't get enough of it and it's assumed a place in my top ten Bowie tracks.

Christmas and my birthday in early January yielded a few Bowie-themed gifts, healing balm for the continuing grief that connects hundreds of thousands of us across the world.

Ziggy Christmas card from Roy and Tracey

Take your protein pills and put your helmet on.
Bowie-themed jigsaw puzzle - a Christmas gift from Kevin



A birthday gift from Kevin - special 40th anniversary edition of the 1976 Bowie film
The Man Who Fell To Earth


This book was a birthday gift from one of my nieces in Sydney, Simone

Since commencing this post it's been a pretty interesting week, with the storming of the Capitol Building in Washington DC, and the UK's number of COVID-19 cases and death rate continuing to spiral alarmingly upwards. We're now in our third national lockdown, nearly ten months since the first one. It's a long time to be living under restrictions, and our short jaunt away to North Yorkshire over Christmas has been made all the more special. 

I suppose we just have to hang in there.


Keep your distance.

Wear a mask.

Wash your hands.

Stay home.

TAKE THE GODDAMNED VACCINE.



Sending you all wishes for a more positive year in 2021 - though there's still a way to go. At least we have the removal of that dangerous moron Trump to look forward to.

Until next time,

- Maree  xo