Day 5 Saltburn to Whitby

Hi all. The signal is pretty good tonight, it ought to be, I'm sitting on the top of a chuffin great hill. I made it to Whitby Youth Hostel, it's a long trek, can't check it exactly as bikehike web site has reached it's daily permitted quota of map views. I'll check it tomorrow, but I reckon it's around the 18 mile mark.

I ate my breakfast in an antique shop this morning, well it seemed like it. The landlady has a passion for buying nick nacks from charity shops. There was all manner of ornaments, fancy jugs, and glassware, she said she is in the middle of cataloging it so she can store it away in boxes. I hit the road at 9.15am. There aren't any people on the pier this morning. There is a lift which ferries people up and down the steep hill from the road to the beach. It isn't working at the moment, so the carriages are parked halfway down the track. 

 I went down the hill to pick up the Cleveland Way path. Goodbye Saltburn.

 There's a lot of steps to climb up. I like looking back to where I have just come from.

I've got a long walk now along the cliff tops high above the North Sea. You can see this monument from a long way off. It's made of heavy cast iron. There used to be a lot of iron mining around here.

 This information board tells the story of the mining.

 Just across the field are the ruins of the fan house. This used to provide the clean air down the mines. There is a path to go and have a closer look, but I didn't go.

A quick look over my shoulder, I came along the top of that cliff over there. 

 The village down there is Skinningrove. There are fantastic views from up here.

That's where I'm heading. Some of the paths are perilously close to the edge. I try not to look straight down.

 As you come into Staithes you come down a very steep and narrow road. There is not much water coming down at the moment, but when it rains heavily torrents come rushing down.

 All the houses are perched on the hillside either side of the Beck.

Pretty white painted cottages. 

The pub was busy, I wanted some chips to take away but was told they would be 20 minutes. I couldn't be bothered to wait, and carried on.

I looked for a shop to buy a bottle of pop, but there wasn't one. I'm not going to pay ridiculous pub prices for a soft drink. The little houses along the cobbled streets looked nice.

At last somewhere to buy a drink, and a Mars Bar. This is Runswick Bay, and they have a tea room. People were sitting relaxing enjoying the sun. People were out walking with their dogs. It was lovely. I sat for a while and ate some bread and cheese which I had been carrying around with me. 

The Cleveland Way goes along the beach for a while at this point. Now you can see the whole of Runswick.

Just along the beach is a gully, this is the path. Some rocks have been washed down in the recent storms, and I had a bit of a scramble. That boulder lying in the middle of the stream is a stepping stone to the steps on the other side. A bit of rock climbing needed.

It was a hard climb up, but the higher you go the views just get better. Runswick looks like a tiny model now. More steps to climb, and I was puffed out when I got to the top. Two people who had gone up just before me were sat on a bench, so I joined them to get my breath back. 

Time was getting on I needed to keep going, no time to stop at Sandsend. I hit Whitby at about 6.30pm, and went to the Co op supermarket to pick up some supplies for dinner, and for lunch tomorrow. One last photo, the harbour at Whitby. There are more pictures on my blog because I have been here before. If you put Whitby in the search you will find them.

Then I had the 199 steps to climb to the Youth Hostel, which is situated next to the Abbey. I have a bed in a dormitory, it's an en suite room with six beds, but there are only two of us in it. There are a lot of school children here, but they must be in another part of the building, because I can't hear them. I will have to go for breakfast at 7.30am because they are due down at 8am. I don't want to get caught up in the scramble for food.

I've really enjoyed today, met some people and had a natter, good weather, fantastic scenery, what could be better. Hope tomorrow is just as good.
Toodle pip.