When I arrived at The Board in Whitby last night I was a bit hot and bothered, and I got the wrong impression. I thought it was a sort of gourmet sea food pub, but it turned out to be fairly ordinary, except for the price of the room.
This morning I wanted to take a photo of the pub and just before I could a huge delivery van pulled up outside and totally obliterated the whole building.
Last night I had to tend to both my feet which due to my stupidity had blisters because I had not stopped early enough to remove grit from my boots. So far I have used the same pair of socks from France right through to now and washed them out almost every night. They are Brasher special wool socks and have been very good, but they are now about done. This morning I put on the spare pair of Wynnster socks for the first time. My feet have been reasonably ok today.
I went down by the Whitby harbour side and asked about a cafe - it was about 7.30 am. I was directed to Vardis (I think that was the name) "...where the fishermen go..." I had a picture of salt lined faces in half doffed oilskins and all the signs of hardship at sea. On arrival there were about a dozen of them in pristine, ironed short sleeved shirts, and it looked like an IBM executive breakfast meeting. I had my usual bacon and egg butty and tea and then toddled off to the cash machine. As I returned I saw one of the "fishermen"emerge from the cafe and climb into his new £46k Merc.
From Whitby I followed the prom and then the beach to Sandsend and the Sandside cafe (tea and shortbread - very good). Here I said goodbye to The North Sea and turned left to head inland.
It was a grand walk through the Mulgrave Estate woods with Mulgrave castle, then to Ugthorpe where I gad a large pot of tea and a cheese sandwich in the pub. From here it was up onto the moors. A long gentle climb, with the heather just starting to bloom leading me up to Beacon Hill above Danby - as good a view from here as anywhere in the country. There was a camper van parked there which mildly irritated me until a child came accross and asked me if I wanted a cup of tea. They were Australians with a hired campavan and we had some good and amusing conversation.
In Danby the pub was full. They have a wedding on and three other pubs in surrounding villages also proved to be full when the landlord obligingly phoned round for me. He then told me of a farmer about four hundred yards down the road who occasionally lets people camp, and that's where I am now. I am certainly going back to the pub to eat. This has been an excellent day.
Stile count bow 21
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This would have been an enormously nostalgic walk for me but there is no hint of that from you. I take it you were far too young to remember or respond to these evocative names: Sandsend, Lythe Bank, etc. I wonder if standing bus passengers still have to get off at the latter incline and walk up?
ReplyDeleteBB - I remember it well, more than any other part of my childhood. I agree with you about the evocative names. You will have noticed my stop off in Ugthoroe. I told the story about having to walk Lythe Bank when the bus was too full to the lady in the cafe at Sandsend. I think she was about thirty years old and I don't think she could comprehend what I was saying.
ReplyDeleteI didn't progress as far as Runswick Bay and maybe it was better not to. O guess it will have spoilt in some way.