North Yorkshire Coastal Route - Pt 3

Whitby

Three miles from Sandsend lies the popular town of Whitby, a seaside town, port and civil parish in the Scarborough borough of North Yorkshire, England. Situated on the east coast of Yorkshire at the mouth of the River Esk, Whitby has a combined maritime, mineral and tourist heritage, and is home to the ruins of Whitby Abbey where Caedmon, the earliest English poet, lived. The fishing port emerged during the Middle Ages and developed important herring and whaling fleets, and was where Captain Cook learnt seamanship. Tourism started in Whitby in Georgian times and developed with the coming of the railway in 1839. Tourist interest is enhanced by its location surrounded by the high ground of the North York Moors national park and heritage coastline and by association with the horror novel Dracula. Jet and alum were mined locally, and Whitby jet, which was mined by the Romans and Victorians became fashionable during the 19th century. The abbey ruin at the top of the east cliff is the town's oldest and most prominent landmark with the swing bridge across the River Esk and the harbour sheltered by the grade II listed east and west piers being other significant features. Statues of James Cook and William Scoresby and a whalebone arch all point to a maritime heritage. The town also has a strong literary tradition and has featured in literary works, television and cinema; most famously in Bram Stoker's novel, Dracula.

I've lost count of the amount of times I've visited Whitby with the camera in tow. I tend not to have a plan in mind when photographing, preferring to 'Go with the flow' and to see where I end up on each particular day. I mean, one time I will opt to photograph up top, in and around the Abbey. Another time I may find myself in and among the shopping areas, in particular Sandgate (The Old Town), with its many old fashioned shop fronts relating to times gone by, such as Victorian Costume, Whitby Jet and Maritime, amongst others. Today I concentrated on the area known as West Cliff, which overlooks the whole of Whitby and offers excellent views across the Harbour and Piers, as well as Sandgate and the Abbey. BE WARNED - the food part of this Blog entry is coming shortly, so if you're hungry as you read this, I take no blame if you suddenly have the urge to dash out and buy Fish n' Chips. Well, come on . . . no visit to Whitby would be complete without your writer indulging in a Fish Lot, eh. So heed the warning folks - the scran bit is on the way, he he. But before I rabbit on about that I'll fill you in on the photographs I've uploaded here.

Four new photo's, taken at Whitby, North Yorkshire - April 2012.(Click image to enlarge)
1. River Esk, across Sandgate towards the Swing Bridge - taken on West Cliff.
2. The world famous Magpie Restaurant, with NO QUEUE, which must be a first!
3. River Esk, across Sandgate towards the Swing Bridge - taken at ground level.
4. Panoramic stitch - Whitby, from West Cliff.

And finally, Fish and Chips at the Magpie. There was a massive queue at the restaurant door, which is very common no matter which day you visit. Not being a patient soul when me belly is rumbling, I persuaded the other half to dodge the queue and join the much shorter one next door, at the Magpie takeaway. We didn't fancy waiting an hour in the queue, for the restaurant to open its doors to us, so common sense prevailed and it wasn't long before we were at the counter next door, placing our order. Mind you, the Magpie has an excellent reputation for its food, which often means paying a premium to get yer gob round it. Ah well, it's only money and ya can't take it with ya when your number is up, so we filled our boots and done the necessary. Fish n' Chips cost £6.70 each - aye, the robbin' bastards should have worn a mask - Dick Turpin did when he robbed folk! I nearly keeled owa when yon lassie clagged an extra pund on the bill for small tub o' Mushy Peas. When I hoyd salt 'n vinegar on me scran I half expected yon lassie to shout 'That'll be an extra ten bob, mister'. They like cash in the Magpie. But hey, all thoughts of robbery were put firmly to the back of my mind when I took my first bite of that battered cod fillet - it was the Bee's Knee's, mak nee mistake about that. Nee soggy batter, like they dish out at some of these cheap seaside chip shops, this was the Real McCoy and the fish was thick and white - neen o' this grey rubbish that the Pakistani chippy's knock out! Lush chips anarl, norra bit o' fat on them, so ah hoyd the lot down me neck and weshed it doon wi' the usual Coca-Cola. In culinary terms - it doesn't get much better than this, unless it's a full blown Indian meal wi' all the trimmings. Nee wonder The Magpie is number one - no complains from us.

And on that note, I shall bid thee farewell til the final part of my North Yorkshire Coast blog - Robin Hood's Bay.
Ash

DISCLAIMER - Should you now be rushing out to order Fish n' Chips, simply blame me and forward the bill to Ashley Corr Photography, where I shall promptly 'Return To Sender'. That is all.

North Yorkshire Coastal Route - Pt 2

Staithes to Sandsend

The short journey from Saltburn By The Sea to Staithes was approximately 9 miles, heading south by car along the North Yorkshire Coastal Route. The tiny fishing village of Staithes is a place I've visited on many occasions, mainly to photograph it from the many vantage points along its steep cliffs and hilltops. Exploring the many back streets is one thing, but it's not until you 'Get up top' that you see what Staithes is all about. From the dizzy heights of Cowbar Nab you are able to see right across the rooftops of picturesque Staithes - a sight that almost has you believing you've travelled back in time, judging by the old fashioned buildings that have deliberately been left untouched over decades (shot one). The place is oozing character - you only have to walk its streets to witness this. The powers that be must be hellbent on retaining Staithes' character so much so that planning permission for any building work must be considered very carefully. There's not a great deal in Staithes to attract the tourist to be honest, other than it's Olde Worlde existance and its photogenic attraction. Shops are very few and far between, there's a couple of pubs and the odd antique shop and art gallery. The Cod & Lobster is where you'll find a decent Real Ale, if you're that way inclined. No decent food on offer though - toastie's were as good as it got - no thanks missus, I'll give that one a rain check. On each occasion I've been to Staithes it's been blue skies all the way, but chilly also. Odd that - maybe it's like that most of the time. I have an uncanny habit of turning up when the tide is out - something that I'll have to put right next time as photographs from Cowbar Nab are much better when the tethered boats are floating on water, as opposed to sitting lopsided on dry harbour. I'll have to check the tide tables prior to my next showing.  

From Staithes we headed south through Loftus, eventually stopping off on Lythe Bank to photograph a stretch of great coastline from Sandsend, heading towards Whitby. Conditions were ideal - visibility was perfect as I photographed the coastline from Lythe Bank (shot two), next to the Church Of St Oswald. Some fine beach lay straight ahead of me, with its clean sands, so I spent a short while photographing it using a bog standard 18-135mm lens, followed by a 300mm Telephoto, to pull in the scene from afar.  This was to be our last stop before the 3 mile journey to our next port of call - Whitby. The weather was kind to us and it made for ideal photography conditions once again. Hang about and bring ya more photo's. The wait won't be too long (wink).

AC  

Polperro, Cornwall - Unforgettable!

One of the most popular places in Cornwall, the village of Polperro is undoubtedly one of the prettiest. Packed tightly into a steep valley on either side of the River Pol, the quaint colour-washed cottages and twisting streets offer surprises at every turn: the Saxon and Roman bridges, the famous House on Props, the old Watch House, the fish quay, and a photography gallery.

With its protected inner harbour full of colourful boats. Polperro is still a working fishing village, although tourism provides the main source of income. Attractions include a Museum of Smuggling and a Model Village.

Of all the and villages towns I visited in Cornwall, Polperro was my favourite. It's a place that is full of character and is almost lost in time. A photographers dream. It was a pity that the tide was out and the tethered boats were on dry dock - a still river would have finished the photographs off well, but it wasn't to be. I stumbled across a photography gallery and popped inside to view the canvasses on display. It was a surreal moment as I felt a sense of familiarity with the place. Surely I'd been here before. No, impossible - this was my first ever visit to Cornwall. Then, as I admired the stunning landscape photography on display, I noticed many of the exhibits were the work of a certain Helen Dixon. Then it suddenly dawned on me, as I realized I had recently read an article about Helen and her work in a photography magazine. I remembered specifics from the acticle in question and how it said Helen's work was on display in 2 galleries in Cornwall. I was now standing in one of them. The magazine feature, on Helen's rise to fame in the photography world, also showed a photo of the gallery interior. My sense of deja-vu as I entered the gallery obviously stemmed from this photo. I've got to say though, her work is on par with the standard that Joe Cornish regularly delivers, and he takes some beating. Not bad at all when you consider Helen Dixon only took up photography as a hobby just a couple of years ago.

When I return to Cornwall I'll make sure Polperro is top of the list when it comes to photography. I'll be sure to check the tide tables too. This was an unforgettable visit.

See ya soon, Ash