Friday, March 28, 2008

Staithes Car Park




Recently I visited the small hamlet of Staithes on the Cleveland/North Yorkshire border and what a day to visit. It was during a period when little old England was getting hammered by strong winds from the Atlantic, however the wind kind of enhanced my visit and added to the enjoyment of being there especially with regard to the waves that the North Sea was sending against the rocks and breakwater of Staithes harbour. Staithes is a seaside village which is divided between Yorkshire & Cleveland by Roxby Beck with about 90% of Staithes being in North Yorkshire. In times past it was one of the largest and most productive fishing centres in England by the North Sea, however nowadays it is largely a tourist destination due to it's attractive olde England appearance. Staithes is noted for its sheltered harbour, bounded by high cliffs and two long breakwaters, a mile to the north is Boulby cliff which is the highest cliff in England. The cliffs around Staithes also are popular with sea birds and it can get a bit noisy. Staithes population has dwindled due to a lot of the cottages being owned by people from Leeds and York for example and during the winter it can appear like a ghost town with few visitors but this is a great time to visit if you can handle the stormy weather. Staithes still maintains its tradition and many of the local women still wear their Staithes bonnets (some can still be bought today in the Gift Shop in Staithes!) for the annual nightgown parade, and the Fisher Men's choir is still going strong along with local participation in the local RNLI Lifeboat. In 1745-1746, Staithes's most famous son (born in Marton near Middlesbrough), the young James Cook worked in Staithes as a grocer's apprentice where he first gained his passion for the sea. Later he moved to Whitby where he joined the Royal Navy. William Sanderson's shop, where Cooky worked, was destroyed by the sea, but parts were recovered and incorporated into "Captain Cook's Cottage". A local family has lived here for a number of generations. Should you find yourself in Staithes make sure you visit the Royal George or the Cod & Lobster for a pint of the local and a bite to eat. One last thing Staithes is famous for , it has the most dangerous car park in England as can be seen by my picture. When I was there a local resident by the name of Sandra climbed down to investigate this strange sight. ( I suspect she's a menber of the Royal Marines Reserve but the secret is out now)

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

LOL! Okay, I'd better come clean. I went down the cliff side about two-thirds of the way to try and check if anyone was in the car. Having tripped on some wire from an old fence, and then slipped in the mud, I decided it wasn't a good idea (looking at your photo now, it was clearly a very BAD idea! LOOK AT THAT CLIFF EDGE!)

Scrambled back up the cliff, switched on mobile to call the police ... battery flat! Ran home to make call instead.

Three police cars were dispatched and the Cleveland Police helicopter. Once the helicopter had scanned the area and confirmed there was no-one in the car or under the cliff, I went home for breakfast. I was starvin!

Can't believe it was so windy that day! I must be tough as old boots!!! I remember you saying it had been very windy down in Staithes and I wondered what you were talking about!

Anonymous said...

wow beautiful photos... and beautiful places!

carlos83 said...

I work for the Whitby Gazette newspaper. We would like to use one of your photographs. Could you contact us on 01947 829910

Tommy said...

No problemo's. will do Carlos.

Anonymous said...

Hey Tom, Blog Photographer Extraordinaire!

Apparently your Car Park pic was in yesterday's Whitby Gazette.

Just saw it online today:

http://www.whitbygazette.co.uk/

Tommy said...

Hi Sandy.
Wow thanks for the link ,I may have to visit Staithes more often, the pictures have proved very interesting to a lot of people especially in that fine county of Yorkshire. Nice to see you mentioned in dispatches. Hope the weather is better up there and that wuff is being a good boy.

Anonymous said...

Hi again Tom, I'm still trying to work out where you walked from that day. Staithes was obviously the turn-around point, but that must have been about midday. I'm sure I passed you and your pal about lunchtime. But you can't have walked from Durham in the morning??? And surely you hadn't been camping out in that weather?!?!?

Confused of Cowbar

Tommy said...

No mate, we were just visiting Staithes that day as on the night I had to drive back to London. The day prior we had climbed High Street in Cumbria. I hope to visit Robin Hoods Bay later in the year.

Anonymous said...

Well call in for a cuppa char when you're up this way. Can't beat Yorkshire tea :-)

Mermaid said...

Tommy 3 Lions, decided blogging wasn't for me. Found myself googling Cowbar and Staithes for hours on end and there's a mass of stuff on the Internet! Don't want to add to it! Will still follow your blog and your travels though. Take care mate, Sandie

sms said...

very nice........

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good pic.location......