26 May 2023
We arrived early at a lovely little seaside fishing village called Robin Hood’s Bay and therefore managed to miss most of the crowds. This is another Yorkshire village where you leave your car parked at the cliff top and walk through the steep lanes on foot, down to the water’s edge. This village has a history of smuggling, and there are networks of passageways where their goods were passed through. Mum was on the lookout for smuggler’s vessels, but I think the ones we saw were all innocently fishing! The cottages in the village are so cute and picturesque, with tiny little gardens that can fit a couple of sun chairs, and many with amazing views over the ocean. Most of the cottages seemed to be accommodation, and we imagined how much fun (not!) it would be to drag suitcases and food down the tiny alleyways. It would be worth it though – but you would want to stay more than just a couple of nights. The sun was shining and when we got back up the hill to our car, it was reading 28 degrees! Wishing I hadn’t given Roger my shorts to take home.
We then drove over the Moors (at one stage looking across the valley to our accommodation in Aislaby) and through the North Riding Forest Park to Pickering Castle. We passed some modern buildings in the middle of nowhere, and Mum had many conspiracy theories about them. It turns out she may have been right because one of them had a RAF sign and police cars at the locked gate. The 13th century Pickering Castle is a ruin but was intact enough to easily see the two moats, the defensive wall, the halls, the chapel, and many of the living quarters. The views from the centre tower over the Moors were stunning. Pickering itself had a lovely main street filled with old buildings, and what seemed like a hundred cafes.
In an effort to see more of the Moors, we travelled down some
beautiful, and very narrow, little country lanes. As we rounded one rather
tricky corner, we were treated to the surprise view of a ruined abbey – of course
we had to stop. It turns out that we had stumbled onto Byland Abbey, which was
once one of the greatest monasteries in England. The abbey itself and the
surrounding buildings cover a huge area, and seemed to me to be on a par with
the Whitby Abbey that we visited a couple of days ago. Byland Abbey was larger
than Whitby Abbey, and a lot more ruins of the other buildings are still visible,
though less of the abbey itself. It is looked after by English Heritage and a
team of volunteers, and there is free entry and free car parking. Nestled in a
valley, surrounded by bush, it is truly a remarkable sight. Travelling off the
beaten track does pay off, even if some of the roads get a tad tight.
We have now arrived in Rainton, where we will stay for the
next couple of nights. From here we will be able to explore the Yorkshire
Dales.
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