Robin Hood's Bay - downhill then up

Whitby left me a little underwhelmed - too busy and commercial - but just a few miles south is the utterly charming village of Robin Hood's Bay, where houses tumble down the hillside to the sea, and there still seems an echo of smugglers moving their goods silently along the narrow alleys which pass between them.

One road leads down through the village but cars are only allowed down for access, so it's another place for walking.

 Downhill first this time, then the long slog back up.

I survived all this unusual exercise by stopping  for lunch on the way down at a lovely cafe called The Cove, situated on one of the side paths. At this point of the day it was warm and the interior coolness felt more appealing than the sunlit terrace with views over the sea.

Returning to the 'main' road we headed down to the sea.

When you've reached the bottom though you have to walk back up ... Thunder was rumbling around in the distance and rain starting to fall but not enough to have us dashing for the car (though with a hill to climb I've not sure I could have dashed) 

So we ambled back along the winding paths among the cottages

Stopping to look in shop windows or at the view out to sea. Fortunately I had my umbrella handy for when the rain DID start to fall, and we didn't get very wet.

And then the sun came out again.

Wandering side to side on the flatter streets, zigzagging up the hill instead of tackling it straight on, the walk back up didn't seem as difficult as I expected it to be.

It's a place I'd love to return to and explore further, perhaps even stay there and really get to know the back-ways away from the mass of visitors.

Whitby - and so many steps!

Our visit to Whitby started on the Park and Ride bus which took us down to the bus stop by the quayside. There was a market on and the area was busy and bustling, so we headed over the bridge to the old town, then up the steps to the Abbey.

There are allegedly 199 steps but apparently if you try to count them you'll never get the same amount twice. I didn't try as merely finding the energy to walk up them seemed like quite enough effort.

Taking my time gave up the chance to stop and look behind me at the view.

At the top, fortunately, there was lunch at outdoor tables at the youth hostel, with a fine view again over the town and a glimpse of a steam train heading out towards the moors

Up close, I found the Abbey ruins less impressive than I'd expected; just a shell of a building with a feeling that much has been allowed to grass over.

Back then, down a lane at the side of the Steps. I thought this would be easier but in places it was very precipitous.

And another stop for tea on reaching the bottom

 

Brodsworth Hall Gardens

It isn't really far from Derby to Whitby - 3 hours or so - but even so we decided to stop en route at Brodsworth Hall near Doncaster. It's a really convenient place to break the journey, just off the A1, and I'm a little surprised we've never visited before.

A Victorian country house, now owned by English Heritage, it has marvelous gardens which range from formal beds and lawns near the house to a temple-style summer house, to a rockery wilderness with tunnels and paths leading up and down the slopes, to woodland and rose gardens (a little past their past when we visited) to a pergola draped in grapevines. 

And, of course, there was cake :) 

All in all a good way to break the journey - far pleasanter then the motorway services we stopped at on the way home.