Out & About …

… on the North York Moors, or wherever I happen to be.

Category: Staithes

  • Boulby ā€” a hamlet on the edge

    Boulby ā€” a hamlet on the edge

    The tiny hamlet of Boulby bathes in what seems like a vernal sun, while Staithes, at a distance, remains shrouded under the cloud of winter. The photograph aptly illustrates the hamlet’s proximity to the cliff edge, lining a coastline in constant yet sporadic recession, often marked by landslides along the Cleveland Way. Presently, there’s a…

  • Staithes’ transformation into an artists’ mecca

    Staithes’ transformation into an artists’ mecca

    In the distant past, back in 1415, when the world was a taciturn place, the medieval village of Staithes was first recorded under the name ‘Setonstathes‘. This coastal community thrived as a fishing haven during the 16th century, only to prosper further in the 19th century as local ironstone, alum, and jet mining took hold.…

  • Staithes and Cowbar Nab

    Staithes and Cowbar Nab

    A view east from Boulby Bank. The sea looks quite benign from this height but beyond the lee of the cliffs the westerly winds were whipping up the white horses. It was much worse on this day in 1885, 135 years ago, when the North Sea coast was battered by a severe storm. Whitby, just…

  • Port Mulgrave

    Port Mulgrave

    Every time I go to Port Mulgrave, it still feels very much the same, yet much has changed. The winter storms have eroded the old jetty. The harbour has become more silted, the fishermen’s huts more elaborate. Some now are clearly contenders for Grand Designs. Landslips have caused the steep paths down the cliff to…

  • Stratification at Jet Wyke

    Stratification at Jet Wyke

    A step-change today in reducing my patch for wandering. No more nipping out in the car to distant hills. William ‘Strata’ Smith was born on this day 251 years ago. He went on to develop much of the current understanding of geological science as we know it today and became known as the father of…

  • Staithes

    Staithes

    Captain Cook, you can’t get away from him around here, it occurred to me as I cycled to Staithes, Yorkshire’s most picturesque fishing village, along what would have been the route taken by the 16-year-old Cook to his new apprenticeship in William Sanderson’s haberdashery shop on the seafront. Kildale, Commondale and Job Cross, the old…

  • Staithes

    Staithes

    A picturesque former fishing village on the North Yorkshire coast. I say former because most of the houses now seem to be eitherĀ second homes or holiday lets. I rememberĀ when I first saw the sheltered harbour alongĀ Staithes Beck, it was chockĀ aĀ block full of cobles, a type ofĀ fishing boatĀ traditionalĀ to the North East coast. Today there wereĀ but four,…

  • Grinkle Ironstone Mine

    Grinkle Ironstone Mine

    A second dose of industrial archaeology in as many days. This is just inside the drift of theĀ Grinkle Ironstone Mine, near Staithes. The mine dates from 1865 and operated until the 1920s. Output ceased in 1921 but was recommenced six years laterĀ with final production in 1929. Ore was carriedĀ by rail through a couple of tunnels…