Category: Yorkshire Coast
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High Lingrow: From Wartime Deception to Agricultural Use
At Port Mulgrave today, where the weather could not make up its mind, shifting between sunshine and snow flurries. Lingrow Cliffs is just that little headland across the bay, not really anything special, especially at low tide. But near its highest point—named, with great imagination, High Lingrow—there was once a Second World War bombing decoy…
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Port Mulgrave: A Harbour of Erosion and Memory
The last time I ventured down Rosedale Cliff to Port Mulgrave was sometime before the world discovered a new way to grind to a halt — the dreaded COVID. Shortly afterwards, a landslip completely wiped out the path. Today, visiting the beach was not on the itinerary, but fate – in the form of National…
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Tales of Runswick Bay: Treasure, Tragedy, and a Hobgoblin
Ah, Runswick Bay, a charming spot on the Yorkshire coast. A sweeping sandy beach curves dramatically towards the village, which clings precariously to the hillside like it is not quite sure why it‘s still there. Originally, the village was a little further, perched towards the rocky headland. That was until 1664, when a ground-slip sent…
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Rosedale Wyke to Ruin: The Decline of Port Mulgrave
Every time I visit Port Mulgrave, I am struck by how little it changes—save, of course, for the gradual but ceaseless gnawing of the harbour by the North Sea. Today, I didn’t manage to descend to the beach, not that I missed much, for from Rosedale Cliffs I could see quite plainly that the old…
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Landslides and Lost Steps
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…
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Runswick Bay’s Ironworks Beneath the Cliff
Today I was at a National Trust property near Runswick Bay, a hidden gem previously unknown to me. Spanning a 5-hectare meadow, this land is a tapestry of ragwort, thistles, docks, and the occasional blackthorn and willow saplings, all requiring occasional management. The property also boasts 4.5 hectares of precipitous, overgrown cliff and approximately 225…
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A Tale of Two Mermaids
Staithes, a charming fishing village known for its historic harbour and cliff-clinging houses, is also the setting for a peculiar old tale. During a fierce storm, with local ships sheltering in the bay, two mermaids battled enormous waves until they were exhausted. Seeing the lights of the village by Cowbar Nab, they struggled to shore,…
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A Descent to Blea Wyke Point
I have never been an adrenaline junkie. The thrills of white-water kayaking or downhill skiing have never quite captivated me. However, present me with a new place to explore, and I find myself wholly satisfied. The bold headland of Blea Wyke at Ravenscar, standing at an elevation of 180 metres, presents terraced undercliffs cascading one…
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Boulby — 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…
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Pig-Iron to Steel: Skinningrove’s Industrial History
Have you ever pondered the origins of Skinningrove, nestled in this sheltered valley leading to the North Sea? What led to its establishment there? I certainly have. Back in 1873, when the Loftus Iron Company first erected two blast furnaces on that hill overlooking the valley, the iron-smelting industry was already thriving in the Cleveland…