Scarborough to Filey

Whilst eating breakfast in the conservatory overlooking the sea, shining in the morning sunshine, we overheard an item on local radio. Yesterday a girl lost her footing and fell from the cliffs near Filey, at the Blue Dolphin Caravan Park. She was winched up and was being treated in hospital.

This incident coloured the whole day. We were headed for Filey and would, later on today, pass the Blue Dolphin. Poppy was convinced it wasn’t safe, that we would fall, that the people who planned the Cleveland Way and wrote books about it were irresponsible fools putting innocent walkers' lives in danger.

We left Scarborough as it filled up with tourists coming out for a day of sun, sand, donkeys and fruit machines, and headed off down the coast.

We passed a pond full of frogs. I mean, full of frogs. I’ve never seen so many frogs in my life. They were big ones too, swimming in the water, hopping about, climbing all over each other in swarmy heaps, hassling a huge toad who was trying to crawl along minding his own business. It was fascinating and kind of horrifying too. The whole pond was constantly moving.

Soon after we saw a headland up ahead, Lebberston Cliffs, with huge sheer drops. A fence ran round the edge of it. 'The path better be on the inside of the fence’ Poppy said. But of course it wasn’t. The farmer who owned the crop fields on the inside of the fence had strung barbed wire along the top to discourage nervous cliff walkers from climbing over. Poppy managed to find a way over anyway,  and we walked around the headland with a fence between us.

In fact, we did quite a bit of the next part of the walk on the ‘wrong’ side of the fence.

There was a strong breeze, which didn’t help Poppy’s mood as she was sure it would blow us into the sea. When we finally reached the stone which marked the end of the Cleveland Way, she said 'OK, we’ve done it now. Can we go home?'

Selfie on the lovely beach at Filey

The train out of Filey took us back to Scarborough for our connection to Leeds, so we were suddenly back where we’d started, which was a bit weird. But now we’re home again, ready to start planning for the next trip.

10 miles

Robin Hood's Bay to Scarborough

To me it was a no brainer. The landlady at our B&B said, when the tide's out you can walk the first mile or so on the beach, missing out two steep climbs. A win on every front. Poppy said nothing.

On the way down the hill we met two small boys who asked if we were going to the beach. I said yes and Poppy said nothing.  The older boy, whose name was Daniel, said, I want to find a fossil.
His younger brother said, I want to find a crab as big as Daniel. When we'd stopped laughing and the boys had run off to their parents, Poppy said she didn't want to go along the beach.  So we separated – I took the low road and she took the high road, and I was at Stoupe Beck before her – but realised I’d dropped the dog lead on the beach and had to go back for it.

It was pretty much uphill from there all the way to Ravenscar - the village on the hill that was meant to be built up into a resort, but never was.  

We bought ice cream and looked at the outside of the National Trust shop which was shut. (Poppy wanted to buy a keyring and a postcard and was very disappointed.)

Then onto the coastal path. For most of the next ten miles the path ran along in between a fence which marked the edge of fields and a drop into the sea which was sometimes utterly terrifying and sometimes not. Sometimes only three feet wide, sometimes a comfortably wide band.  Once or twice it dropped down almost to sea level, and then climbed up again with interminable steps.

I wondered if it would get tedious, but after a while I got into a rhythm. The sun was shining and the sea was blue. There was the constant sound far below of waves on the shore, and seagulls flew above and below, calling into the still air. The salt mingled with the toasty coconut smell of gorse. If it hadn’t been for my trousers rubbing and my sore left toe, it might have become something of a meditative state.

Bet waited patiently to be let in to this look out station on the cliff top

There was Poppy too of course. At Ravenscar we encountered some flies. When we set off they didn’t go away. The sunny weather had brought them out and the air was full of them. They liked the suntan oil on Poppy’s arms. Poppy didn’t like them and complained vociferously until they went away, which was after a mile or so. She then cheered us both up by imagining a nature programme about us, narrated by David Attenborough, saying things like this: In general the species Homo Sapiens is known for its endurance, but this plague of flies is proving too much for the young female. She walks ahead of her mother mewling in protest.

All in all it was a pretty good day. It started at 6.30 when I took the dog out for a wee and looked out at Robin Hood’s Bay in the early morning light, listened to the seagulls and thought it was a sound I would happily live with.

It ended in Scarborough.

I’ve always loved Scarborough and had a secret – or not so secret – hankering to live here. Today did nothing to change that. On previous visits, walking up to the castle, or between the North and South Bays, I’ve walked past a B&B called Castle by the Sea and thought what a wonderful place it looks. Well, we’re staying there! I’m so excited! It is every bit as wonderful as I hoped. There are big wooden doors with iron hoops for handles. There are brocade cushions with tassels. We bought hummus, olives, salad, cheese, wine, smoked salmon, and ate it out on the patio as the sky went dark.

15 miles

Runswick Bay to Whitby to Robin Hood's Bay

Betty finally got to play in the sea!

Poppy decided that Runswick Bay was the best place she’d ever been to and that white houses make her happy. 

Generally a good start to the day. Bet found two boys who were happy to throw sticks for her. There were caves. The sea and the sand stretched out in the sunshine. No incentive to move on really.

But we did. We climbed a lot more steps and reached this view at the top.

We’d come up with a plan last night. We were meant to be walking to Robin Hood’s Bay which was sixteen miles away. We hadn’t really recovered from the long stretch to Hartlepool and it seemed a long way. We decided to walk the nine miles to Whitby, get fish and chips from the Magpie, and then get the bus to Robin Hood’s Bay.

Which is almost what we did. We walked to Whitby. The cliff path wasn’t as scary as yesterday. It wasn’t quite so high, nor so near the edge, nor so crumbly. Poppy had found her walking legs and was striding along. My feet were a bit sore. We saw violets and lots of speedwell.

We passed through Deep Grove quarries which Poppy decided was the best place she’d ever been.

We reached Sandsend and bought ice creams  We were eating them when I heard someone calling my name - it was Caroline, a friend from home, on holiday with her family. We chatted for a few minutes about how strange it was to bump into each other this way, then moved on.

I took my shoes off and it was wonderful to walk on the sand in my bare feet. The tide was out and we could have walked the rest of the way to Whitby on the beach. I suggested this to Poppy and she was not impressed. She didn’t want to take her shoes off and she was finding walking on the sand in her shoes tough going, too slow. So reluctantly Betty and I left the beach and we walked the last two miles to Whitby along the prescribed route of road and paths, looking forward to fish and chips.

Well, we knew Whitby might be busy, and that there was likely to be a queue at the Magpie. What we hadn’t realised was that it would be like Oxford Street in the run up to Christmas. The queue was long, and we might not have minded, except that just being in Whitby was pretty much unbearable after the lonely cliff paths. I love Whitby. I love the Abbey and the old town and the harbour and the fish and chips, the church and the seagulls and all the literary and historical associations. I just won’t ever go there on a sunny day in the school holidays again.

We bought fish and chips but not from the Magpie. We even managed to get gluten free batter for Poppy. We sat down on a bench to eat them, and then I heard someone calling my name. It was Caroline again. We said Hi. She must think we’re just eating our way down the coast.

We were all pleased to leave Whitby on the bus, even Bet. We arrived in Robin Hood’s Bay at the lovely Clarence Dene B&B, and are chilling before heading down the hill to the pub.

9.5 miles