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The
Palladium Pigsty
Can
you imagine going away for a few days to return home
to find a hot pipe in your bathroom had burst and
pumped out water all over the room and the kitchen below?
Rosie
and Al will because that is what happened to them when
they went away and came back to find a not insignificant
amount of damage. Fortunately the property was insured
but until such time as the work had been carried out
it was an unsuitable place to bring up two small boys.
Consequently, they moved into our cottage for
five months.
As
a Thank You, they gave us a voucher to be used with
the Landmark Trust- a holiday company with some rather
unusual properties on its books. Because of other
things going on, we were unable to use the voucher in
2010 and opted instead to go over to the east coast
for Margaret's birthday in late May this year. The
destination was Robin Hood's Bay- somewhere neither
of us had been but both wanted to explore.
The
chosen property had been a pigsty. But that is
something of an understatement, a bit like saying the
Queen lives in a house. It was a Palladium
Pigsty,
the like of which I had never seen before and don't
expect to see again. Not huge but certainly built
in the grand style, resembling a mini Greek Temple.
And nicely converted if in a somewhat old fashioned
way- no shower, no microwave oven, no TV and not even
a radio. But who needs such things when there
is a bath, an ordinary oven with hobs and plenty of
books and jigsaws? !!
Monday
23rd May
We
had booked to go over on the Monday, not to arrive before
4 p.m.. However it is an understatement to say
the weather was horrendous. There were dire weather
warnings right across the north of England- this was
certainly not the day to be travelling across the moors
unless your journey was absolutely necessary. After
a lot of thought we reluctantly postponed our journey
to the following day, the forecast for which was much
improved.
Tuesday
24th May
As
predicted, the storm had passed and we set off early.
The weather improved as we travelled east via
Hawes and down Wensleydale. We stopped for coffee
and a walk round Leyburn then took the route round to
the north of the Cleveland Fells to arrive at the Pigsty
in the early afternoon.
Inevitably,
our first exploration was a stroll down to Robin Hood's
Bay and around this attractive little village nestled
into the cliffs.
Next
was a drive to Whitby and an unplanned walk around the
east bank and up the cliffs to the ruined abbey before
returning back to the Pigsty for supper and jigsaw.
Wednesday
25th May
Margaret's
birthday so breakfast and presents in bed for her!
Thereafter
we had a stroll along the old railway line, now a cycle
track as far as Ravenscar. Although not steep,
it is the longest continuously uphill path I can recall.
Ravenscar
is a funny place. It never really happened. It
was planned to be the next Scarborough but after building
a hotel, a railway station and a few shops, development
stopped. We had a light bite in a cafe that told
the story, then returned along the Cleveland Way, diverting
to take in an Alum
factory famous
for taking the piss (literally) out of Newcastle and
London in order to mix with the local mineral in order
to fix the colour in cloth. An old pill box, unusually
open to the public, make a convenienty backrest for
a coffee stop.
We
left the official Way for a short section in order to
walk on the beach. The tide was receeding and
it was too good an opportunity to miss. Erosion
of the cliffs continues to be a problem.
We
cut back up to the Pigsty before reaching RHB. The
total 10.3 miles and 1,597 feet but hadn't felt like
it, In fact, it was a very pleasant stroll!
That
evening we enjoyed an excellent meal at the Wayfarer
Bistro at the top of RHB.
Thursday
26th May
The
weather was not so good. Rain was looming so we
drove to Staithes. The first view is not
very preopossing as the horizon is dominated by the
potash mine, the tunnels running deep and out to sea.
Dropping
down the hill to the coast was rather different. A steep
and narrow fishing village.
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Margaret
had stayed here as 15 year old with her
friend Ann whose father was a member of
the Staithes group of painters as well
as Head of Leeds College of Arts.
She
had not been back since so was not able
to recall where their cottage was but we
did find an art gallery dedicated to the
new Staithes painters. The person
who served us (yes, we made a birthday present
purchase after a break for a fresh crab
sandwich) had some recollection of Eric
Taylor as a portrait painter.
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Next
stop Saltburn-by-the-Sea. The weather was again
threatening rain. We took the funicular down to
the pier and headed out to sea but didn't linger. Instead
we returned to a nice cafe with a good view across the
beach to the surfers.
Returning
to Robin Hood's Bay we were really looking forward to
a pizza carry-out from the butchers only to discover
that it was early closing day and it was shut. Fortunately
the chippy down near the front recognised a business
opportunity.
Friday
27th May
Robin
Hood's Bay
Home
day. First a brief visit to Robin Hood's Bay then
return via the back of Scarborough and across to
Helmsley for lunch- it was market day and quite the
busiest place we had seen all week . Next stop
Aysgarth for afternoon tea and to plan a future visit.
Then home.
A
grand few days, thank you Rosie & Al.
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