Hello and welcome back to my blog 😊.
Today was the final section of the coastal part of The Cleveland Way. In a couple of weeks time Angela and I will commence walking the inland section, through the North York Moors National Park, from Helmsley to Saltburn.
The weather was sunny but not too hot, which was just perfect. Our coach dropped us off in Hinderwell, so we walked through the village to Port Mulgrave to pick up the Cleveland Way.
We were passing St Hilda’s Church so we visited the site of the Holy Well. St Hilda was an Abbess of Whitby Abbey and whilst passing through the village she was asked to pray for water – there was a drought on. Her prayers were answered and a spring appeared. The water was said to have healing properties and became a place of pilgrimage.
After a short walk through Port Mulgrave we were soon on the cliff tops enjoying the views.
Our first port of call was the picturesque village of Staithes.
The very young Captain Cook spent time here working in a shop before deciding that the sea was calling him at which point he travelled to Whitby to become an apprentice.
It would have been nice to spend more time here but we were at the start of the day and had many more miles to cover. We would be climbing to the top of Boulby Cliff -the highest point on England’s east coast.
We passed the Boulby Potash mine which still produces potash and rock salt in large quantities. The mine reaches a depth of 4,500 ft and the tunnels extend miles out beneath the North Sea. Interestingly, because the mine is so deep, it allows scientists to conduct experiments free from natural background radiation.
Opposite the mine there was a bench with an information board and a sculpture of a miner – it looked good.
After a bit of huffing and puffing we were on the tallest cliffs and heading for Skinningrove.
The views were super – I think we were so fortunate with the weather.
We passed an abandoned Alum works which was half way down the cliff.
We saw a poignant poem that a man had carved into a rock on the cliff following the loss of his wife. It must have been quite perilous to have done that given the height and small working ledge.
We continued onwards towards the village of Skinningrove – an old ironstone mining village.
Here we took a break and enjoyed a coffee.
Refreshed after a caffeine hit we left the village along the beach, sand dunes and finally up steps.
We were now headed towards Saltburn. A sculpture called Charm Bracelet lies on the cliff tops. The wheel is a nod to the ironstone mining while the charms reflect items of significance to the area.
Arriving into Saltburn we had finished our walk, however we took a walk along the pier.
From the pier we could see surfers enjoying the waves.
After the pier we walked up the steps to the town, viewed the old railway station and shops then spotted an autumnal themed knitted topping on a post box.
Saltburn has a water powered funicular railway to ascent/descent from the town to the beach so we took the ride down.
And sadly, that was the end of this particular walking journey. We had enjoyed lovely walking along this beautiful coastline and were blessed with super weather. It is a nice memory to lock away.
Happy Walking! 😊🚶
