So we’re finally into the year of the pandemic – 2020! When the world shut down and we all started to understand how precious, and fragile, were our perceived freedoms.
But we still managed to squeeze in some travelling around the UK. In fact, being grounded meant it gives us a chance to explore the beautiful delights of our own shores.
So in July 2020 we embarked on a birthday tour of the delights of Yorkshire. Starting off in the lovely little harbour town of Staithes.
The name Staithes derives from Old English and means ‘landing-place’.
Staithes was once one of the largest fishing ports in the North East but now this gorgeous little hillside town is a base for exploring cliff top walks, rock pooling and hunting for ancient fossils on the tiny sandy beach.
Staithes has a long sea-faring history as the home of famous explorer Captain James Cook.
Staithes is sited on the ‘Dinosaur Coast’, meaning it is a firm favourite with fossil hunters and dinosaur fans from far and wide.
We have a potter on the pretty little beach but fail to spot any ancient critters – apart from the hubby . .
The blue sky and seas would almost have you fooled that we are in somewhere a little more exotic than Yorkshire.
At the turn of the 20th century, there were 80 full-time fishing boats putting out from Staithes.
There are still a few part-time fisher men and there is a long tradition of using the coble (a traditional fishing vessel) in Staithes.
We’ll be exploring the winding back streets of Staithes in the next post. Full of colourful doors and rainbow houses.
