This was the next stage of a walk from Saltburn-by-the-Sea to Skinningrove – the last post.
There’s a free car park right next to the sea in Skinningrove, so take your pick of the lovely beach (to the north) or walk along the cliffs to Staithes, which is what I did.
It’s up a steep set of steps but the view on the way up and at the top is more than worth it…
In the distance, there’s Hummersea House…
But first, it’s nice to make a new friend:
It turns out that Hummersea House has an interesting history linked to its inhabitants, the development of geology and the geology of the area in particular, which is rich in metals:
Besides that, the view is spectacular (if a bit steep)!
I spotted the sign for the Alum Quarries, now owned by National Trust, so I diverted off the Cleveland Way and into a blasted landscape.
It’s a very alien landscape and I half expected to see some monster out of ‘Doctor Who’ appear around the corner. But even here, a bleak and alien place, has examples of love:
Then it’s a scramble to get back up to the Cleveland Way.
Back on to the cliff top…
A little further on, there’s a poem by ‘Ted’, written for his lost love:
Pauline
In Spring I saw you
Your eyes shone like dew
In summer we shared
A love we had so true
In Autumn they told us
There’s nothing we can do
It became winter when you left
Ted
There’s an article from the local newspaper about the poem.
Then it’s onwards to Staithes.
Towards the end, there’s a tribute to the miners whose hard work has reshaped the landscape. Apparently some of the mines are still used for Dark Matter Research:
And another friend made… too quick for the camera!
I haven’t really done Staithes justice in the last few pictures. By that stage I admit to being ‘knackered’ but it’s a beautiful place which I will return to.
Then it was the bus back near to Skinningrove. You’ll notice how some of the streams run orange because of the mining of iron ore in the past:
