The coast offered a respite from the mist that, I understand, shrouded the moors today. This is Port Mulgrave, once a bustling harbour east of Staithes, where ironstone was shipped to the foundries of Tyneside.
The descent from the cliff top at Port Mulgrave to the harbour below is no easy task. The path, worn by the daily passage of men who once laboured on the quays and gantries, has deteriorated over time.
The quays are barely visible now, and the harbour has become a small enclave for fishermen, their huts, boats, and tractors scattered along the shore. I have often wondered how they managed to bring their tractors to the beach—perhaps they winched them down as they did with the 20-foot, 17-ton catamaran in 1995. The descent remains difficult, as the steps used by the ironstone workers are long gone, and the fishermen’s makeshift paths often fall victim to landslides.
During a visit in 2020, the National Park had improved the path and installed a galvanised steel staircase. Yet, even this has succumbed to the forces of nature.
The route down to the beach is officially designated as a Public Footpath, though it is now temporarily closed by the National Park pending the creation of a new path. Meanwhile, the fishermen continue to navigate the 90-metre cliff with the aid of a well-placed, though tattered, length of polypropylene rope.
The photograph shows evidence of two recent landslips, though one appears to be older, its surface already covered with vegetation.
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