Cloughton Day 7 - Friday 31/10/25 - Peasholm Park

For the last day of our holiday, we drove into Scarborough to visit Peasholm Park. We remembered this from years ago, but it has changed a lot. There is a car park at the lower end of the park.  Here I selected 4 hours on the ticket machine and was charged for 24.  This is one of the downsides of not being able to pay with cash. We walked along the path next to the woodland stream, there is considerable damage to some of the trees.  Some of that damage has been turned into these impressive carvings.
We left the park near the top, walking back along the roads.  Through the houses, Scarborough Castle is visible.  It's a ruin we didn't get to visit.
Sitting in the café, we were surrounded by gulls, with less than friendly expressions, as they tried to judge when someone would leave some item of food behind, or drop a crumb or two.  Meanwhile, they argued about the best position to watch from. The Leak and Potato soup from the café made a good lunch.  The baguette was warm, but the butter hard, as is mostly the case.
There were other birds on the lake, Canada geese, pink footed geese, and mallards, but the overwhelmingly most common were the gulls.
Here is a view of the lake from the café.
We did get a ride on a train, even if not a particularly large one.  The Scarborough North Bay Railway narrow gauge track goes from the park to the Sea Life Centre.  Not far, but far enough to satisfy our need for a train ride. We returned to the cottage after this, as rain was forecast.
In the evening, we drove to Bridlington for the Roy Orbison Tribute.  The theatre, is lovely, and the show was entertaining enough to be worth a visit.

Cloughton Day 6 - Thursday 30/10/25 - Bempton, Bridlington & Bryherstones

We drove down to RSPB Bempton Cliffs, on a beautiful sunny day.  It was lovely just to walk along the carefully made paths across the field to the cliff edge.  We initially went south.  There were not many different types of birds.  It's the wrong time of year for puffins, unfortunately.  We did see:
Pigeons (rock pigeons, they're known as) - grey on top, white underneath.  Flocks of them have adapted to live on the cliffs. I had to wonder, "what are their predators?"
Jackdaws - with a less pronounced grey than the ones that occupy our fields at home. And possibly Fieldfare, but it was difficult to tell at the distance we were at, they could have been more pigeons.
We had already done a lot of walking, for my dodgy leg, when Jo found a show in Bridlington, so as it's just a little further on we drove down there. Bridlington, was not a beautiful town, it was like a slightly down-market Southend.  We parked in a car park (that had been a demolition site) and rushed to the theatre to book for Friday Night.  There were still seats available, so our tickets were issued, and we rushed back to the car, with minutes to spare before the unforgiving cameras dealt us a penalty charge.
After returning to the cottage for a short time, we drove to the Bryherstones Country Inn for a big, end of holiday dinner.  The Inn is just across the valley, but the drive is a couple of miles.  I checked for a walking route, but it is not suitable in the dark.  The food was server properly hot and arrived quickly - we enjoyed our three-course meal and tea afterwards, and were very full on our return to the cottage.

Cloughton Day 5 - Wednesday 29/10/25 - Training

Today we visited the North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR).  On arrival, it looked a bit busier than I expected, we found a place in the overflow (private) car park and paid our £7 for the privilege.  I queued at the ticket office, only to be told that today, and for a few other days this week, they have the Flying Scotsman on the line.  It is doing return trips to Whitby. Had we known, that would have been a much better place to start.  It is booked by a third party, so the NYMR cannot sell tickets.

Rather disappointed, we wandered in Pickering, and St. Peter's church. Here they have uncovered some amazing wall paintings, that were covered up by the reformation.  Although now pale, try to imagine what they would have been like when freshly painted.

We came back for the Flying Scotsman's arrival in Pickering and stood on the bridge.  (see Video above).

We also saw Locomotion 1, a replica of a very early steam engine, built in 1825 by the pioneering railway engineers George and Robert Stephenson. It was especially interesting as just a couple of days before we had watched the Guy Martin programme where they built it.

 

For lunch, we walked back into town and found a café called "Feast".  Unfortunately, our meal was more like a snack than a feast. 

Goats cheese salad = a few green leaves and a small round warmed gaots cheese. 

 

We left Pickering with plenty of time, so decided to visit the Hayburn Wyck waterfall. It's a long walk down hill to the falls, and up again, but definitely worth a visit. Most of the way the path is clearly marked, and partly paved, but there are sometimes high steps and sometimes the path is missing.   We just did it in the 1 hr of the parking ticket, perhaps we were slower than we could have been, because I was in trainers rather than walking boots.  It was muddy in places.  We had gone down from the car park, but came back up a different way, directly to the pub.  Then went in (and moved the car into the pub car park) for refreshments.

 

In the evening we visited the Blacksmiths Arms, for a drink, and found ourselves in the bar for the quiz night.  Entry was £1 each, the money is donated to charity.  The pub provided sandwiches and chips for the participants.  We came 9th out of 12, with 22/40 (55%).  I was so pleased we didn't come last.

Cloughton Day 4 - Tuesday 28/10/25 - The James Heriot Museum

Are we being CATalogued?  Opening the curtain this morning, we see minder is there, peering in. Today, we made the long drive to Thirsk to visit the James Herriot Museum.  This is the main reason we came to this area for our break.

We parked in the Long Stay car park, and walked into the town (not far).  By the time we did, it was close to lunchtime.  We spoke to the poppy seller, where we had bought poppies, and asked her where was a good place for tea and cake.   She suggested we try the White Rose Book Café, so we did.  We decided a light lunch would be in order, so selected soup and a cheese scone.  We also had tea & coffee. It was very good.

Then on to the Herriot Museum.  It's in the actual house where Alf Wight had his vetinary practice.  It is a very well worked museum, much better than I was expecting covering lots of different aspects - vetinary work, the stories and the publishing process, the TV production of the first BBC series, farms and farming at the time, life in that time and place, and the main characters in the real world.  It is well worth a visit. Jo next to a statue of Alf Wight in the garden at the Herriot Museum

Thirsk is a beautiful traditional English market town. It is currently decked-out in knitted poppies and other knitted scenes for Remembrance Day.  This kind of decoration is so much more appropriate than covering the place with flags. We bought some local cheeses, from the cheese shop, pies for dinner from the butchers shop, and vegetables - beetroot, tomatoes, cucumber - from the greengrocer. This was all select your own produce, and pay at the till.  After that, it was back to the café for traditional Wensleydale fruit cake and Wensleydale cheese, which we will keep for later.  We also found a general store, where we bought a shower mat, to reduce the slipperiness of the shower. It does the job, but gives off a strong plasticy-vinyly smell that makes the small bathroom uncomfortable.

The pond at Thornton-le-Dale, almost dusk. There are multiple routes from Cloughton to Thirsk.  We took an alternative route back, so that we could stop in Thornton-le-Dale.  We stayed in a cottage called "The Owletts" some years ago, and had a lovely holiday.  We visited it, it is currently unoccupied.  We found the path behind the main road and the strip of green where I played with Brody, back in the day, when he would run for hours and not get tired.  It bought back some lovely memories.  Use this search to read about that holiday:https://3cephas.blogspot.com/search?q=Thornton

Cloughton Day 3 - Monday 27/10/25 - Whitby, a tourist trap.

Whitby Abbey, from the car park near the Co-op

Today's trip was carefully planned.  I found a suitable car park, and put it into Google Maps.  When we got close to the car park, we were met with a 'No Entry' sign, and a sharp right turn.  So an alternate car park was found.  This is the more normal approach for me, I don't usually target a particular parking place. 

We pay the fee, and walk into town.  Straight away there is a man selling a jokes magazine, we buy one, politely listening to his jokes. Then a little further on we are accosted by the man at the Dog's Trust stand.  I'm not sure that he believed that we were already supporters, but I already know most of what he says, even if I can't remember the name of my current sponsored dog. They change so frequently, as we are always sponsoring a dog that cannot be rehomed, and is usually old and sick.

"The Black Pearl"

Then, just along the quayside, a boat called the "Black Pearl" is moored.  We take a ride on the boat, a little up river, but we can't go far because the tide is low, and a ford was made across the river in ancient times that has raised the river bed too much.  So, we go seaward, but the boat is not suitable for sea journeys. It's choppy out at sea.  The breakers are running along the inside of the harbour wall.

HMS Bark Endeavour, Cook's first ship

Next we visit the Cook Museum.  It doesn't look much from the outside, but the displays are interesting and tell the story well. It is definitely worth the visit.

Jo enjoying Cod and Chips at the Angel

After our visit, we walk back across the bridge to find a fish and chip shop for lunch.  We received a recommendation from the Jokes magazine seller, but can't remember what he said.  The Angel looks good, and we are expecting every fish and chip shop to be good here.  This time we were not disappointed. It was very good.

 

 

No longer able to complete long walks, we go to the other end of the harbour and board the tour bus to take us up to the Abbey.  Outside, there is just a single caravan that houses the booking office, with just two people serving.  We have to wait ages, then we have to wait again, because there is only one terminal working for payments.  Do better, English Heritage.

 

The Abbey, above the town,
taken from the tour bus

 

There's something being planned in the Abbey, normal paths are blocked off, and other wide pathways laid out.  It doesn't really affect our time at this awesome ruin.  We can hardly imagine what it must have been like in its day, not only does its presence dominate views from the town, but up on the hill there is an important community.

With just a few mins left, we visit the nearby church, where no photos are allowed.  Inside are the original (?) box pews, arranged so that families can sit in them facing each other. There is a three tiered pulpit away from the altar, and we are reminded of the chapel at the Chelsea Hospital we visited only a week or so ago.

 

We bought ice cream at the ice cream van, then caught the last tour bus back to the car park near the Co-op, where we had left the car, but there was still time in the day, so we drove to Robin Hood's bay.  Parkin at the top we followed the path down hill, sometimes a steep slope, sometimes steps.   At the bottom we had just a few minutes left to buy tea and cake as the sun went down.   On the long walk back up, we bought cheese at the general store.

We drove home in the dusk, and shortly after arriving went outside to see the Milky Way.  Sadly, there was a little cloud and quite a lot of light from the surrounding buildings, so although it was better than home, it wasn't that good.  We couldn't even find the plough clearly.

 

 

Cloughton Day 2 - Sunday 26/10/25 - Slow Sunday

For Sunday worship, went to St. Mary the Virgin, Cloughton.  Outside is a history panel, although we did not spend a great deal of time looking at it, as worshippers were arriving.  Inside, the welcome was friendly enough, but their focus was on their main congregation.  The service of Morning Worship was led by a reader, who did a good job of leading the service and preached a well constructed sermon.  Refreshments were served in the Hall, just a short walk down the road.  They made sure we found it.   I had a long chat with the reader and the vicar, about IT, he'd worked for ICL, back in the day.  In my first job, I used an ICL 1901A.

We also learned that there are two Wayside Cottages.  One on the other side of Cloughton, nearer Scarborough, and they regularly have to swap post. 

After that, we tried to find somewhere for lunch.  We started at the pub across the road, but it was fully booked.  Then I started ringing others.  Five or six calls later, we have a table at a Marston pub - The Tunny Catch, 24 Burniston Road, Scarborough, North Yorkshire, YO12 6PH.  We keep hearing how the Pub and restaurant industry is in difficulty, pubs closing all over the place, but if I can't find a table for Sunday Lunch, it means they are all full, so should be doing well.

 

Anyway, the pub wasn't great.  We had the Sunday roast, which was not available to order on their website.  I ordered turkey. I only had 3 small pieces of Turkey - equivalent to about half a chicken breast.  Still, it was cheap, but not really what we were after.  Service was a little slow, given that they limit you to 90 minutes, waiting 30 for the food might be an issue, but for the fact that we had had enough.

Back to the cottage, for some sleep, after the wind howling down the valley kept us awake for hours.  Both of us were dozing. Meanwhile, the cottage is cold.  We don't know when the heating will come on, it is controlled from the main house.  To get it changed, we must text the host - we didn't bother.

No other activity today, just some reading, some TV, and off to bed. 

Cloughton Day 1 - Saturday 25/10/25 - Off to the wily, windy moors

View from outside the 'cottage'.

We set out about 9:35, slightly earlier, for once, than planned.  The traffic was acceptable.  The recorded miles on the car was 21599.

The first stop, planned for 90 minutes of journey time, was Brampton services.  It's an unremarkable services, but the parking is difficult, as it's laid out like a shopping centre, with parking for each shop.  The shops have signs on the door, that the toilets are only for customers - surely this can't be right for a place that thinks it's a Motorway Services! We stopped for about 30 minutes at around 11am.

Our second stop, at Markham Moor, lasted a little longer and was rather sooner than planned, at 12:30.  We stayed about an hour, as we ate our lunch. 

Shortly after resuming our journey, we encountered a traffic jam.  Google Maps took us on a diversion, back down the A1, then up the M18 and the M62.  These two motorways I had not travelled on before.  The journey remained uneventful.

We arrived 16:15, the mileage now on 21855, and were met by Anna and shown to the cottage, which is attached to the back main house.  She helped us with some of our bags, the one which I found heavy was easy for her.

The cottage door was stiff, I hate being locked in.  So we checked with Anna, and her technique was to unlock and remove the key.  This worked well for the rest of our stay.  All of our comings and goings to the car were carefully monitored by one of her cats, who would become our daily escort.

Anna had recommended the Falcon Inn as a good place for dinner.  So, at 5:30 we drove the short distance and had a lovely meal.  Our table provided a view over the coast, as the sun was going down, a passing ship was lit up, and shone brightly - quite a sight.  This strated a conversation with some other diners. They had overheard us talking about England's highest pub - The Tan Hill Inn.  We were discussing visiting it, but at 95 miles from Cloughton, it was a bit too far.  However, we learnt a little about the falls at Hayburn Wycke that was one of the local places we intended to visit.

After eating, we went to get supplies - Milk and things that were not easy to bring.  So, first stop, LIDL.  We got most things there, but not the Gaviscon, that I need for my acid reflux.

We then went a little further on to Morrisons, where I got what I needed and we also bought some petrol.

Our bedroom is in the roof, there is one small 'velux' type window with an integrated blind to close at night.  We each bumped our head only once during the week.  It was a windy night, the wind blowing around the house and across the roof meant we got very little sleep until the early hours.

The Army Museum and Chelsea Hospital

NOBODY expects the Chelsea Pensioners! Amongst their weaponry are such diverse elements as: fear, surprise, ruthless efficiency, an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope, and nice red uniforms.

The above statement is almost, but not quite, entirely untrue.

After a long coach ride to Chelsea, we finally pulled into the Chelsea Hospital grounds and disembarked. The first visit of the day was the Army Museum.  A fairly modern building dedicated to showing the British Army through history.  Time is pressing, as always on these trips, there is more to see than we can possibly get to.

Outside is a challenger II tank, in urban warfare colours.  A terrifying beast close up, but in the grand scheme of modern warfare, a bit long in the tooth.  I believe it might still be in use in Ukraine.  The museum is spread over a number of floors, we started at the bottom.  The displays were good, but the organisation of them made them more difficult to understand.  I would have preferred them to concentrate on major campaigns so I could follow through the progression.  Instead, we had a weapons display, a supplies display, a medical display, etc.

We came out of the museum after a cup of tea in their lovely restaurant and sat on the seat opposite the tank, where we ate our lunch.  We then went back in and did another floor.  The final floor was 'dashed around', and we left to wait for our tour or the hospital, set for a 13:45 meet.

The bright red uniforms are known as 'scarlets', don't call them red.  There is a particular qualification to get a room in the hospital, you must have been posted to an active theatre, though not necessarily been a combatant.  You must be single, and have few resources.  If you qualify, you are well looked after.

 Charles II founded the hospital, there is a statue of him dressed as a Roman Centurion, it is gilded, and really stands out in the main square.  The original rooms were tiny (6ftx6ft), now they have fewer rooms, but better size and certainly more than a bed and a coat hook.

The guy who led our tour certainly knew his stuff and apparently enjoyed himself.  Which makes for a great tour for those of us who know next to nothing.  The highlights are undoubtedly the great hall and the chapel.  The grounds no longer go all the way to the river, but the path down to the road is still impressive.

The most important thing though is that this charity looks after those that have given a part of their lives to their country, and would otherwise be struggling.  This is regardless of their beliefs, some may be devoted to the Pope, most are not.  They hold other beliefs or none.  There is a whole organisation around the hospital dedicated to raising funds and supporting the residents.  While we were there, they were preparing for some event in the great hall, so our access was limited.

We finished our tour late, because we had started late.  While the military men might work with precision, it doesn't look like the supporting staff quite manage the same. It seems that too much was booked in that afternoon. 

Heybridge Basin

We went to Heybridge Basin, for lunch and a short walk. We headed for Daisy Meadow Car Park.  I selected 4 hours on the machine, but was charged for 24 hours.  Only £0.50 more but frustrating none-the-less.  The Bargemasters Cabin serves drinks, snacks and light lunches.  The smoked fish charcuterie was very good.  Smoked trout, smoked salmon, smoked mackerel pate with grapes, crackers and crème fresh.  We sat under s shade by the canal. There was almost nothing going on, and as usual when I go to the coast, the tide was low.  The lady in the cabin joked about a rush coming.  There were soon others, but not really a rush.

After lunch, we walked along the coastal path and watched the Maldon Barges:

There was a little wild life, this bush, for example, was laden with sparrows.  I can see two here, when the camera shutter clicked there must have been a dozen leaving the tree, by then it was too late.  Along the path there are blackberry bushes.  Unlike the blackberries near our home, they are barely ripe.  I tried a number of small black shiny ones that refused to leave the bush.  Eventually, I found one that came away relatively easily.  It was hard, sharp and far too chewy.  Everywhere blackberries are suffering from the very dry spring and early summer.  On the path we chatted, briefly, with a lady who we would later see again.

 

We got back from our walk just in time to see the sea lock filling up with boats.  The lock connects the sea to the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation.  It can only be used when the tide is above a certain level, so there was a queue to get in.  It had been re-built around 2016-17, although much of it looked like a rebuild ought to be imminent.

At the start of the walk I booked us a boat trip on the navigation.  The sign at the Bargemasters Cabin refers you to a Facebook page.  There is no longer anything useful on the Facebook page, but there is a number to call, or a website to visit.  The website led me to a booking service, so I called the number and booked and paid over the phone - £9.00 each.

The boat was not designed for viewing, the seats facing inwards.  The allowed number of passengers was 12, but there were 15 on board.   Including a father with three children, who got the worst deal, as they had to stand.  The party of women, including the lady we had spoked to earlier, sat and chatted for the whole trip.  To differentiate her from the rest - she was the slim one.  She hardly said a word, she didn't get much of a chance.  I don't need to hear your medical problems or your family's employment problems.  Especially not in that level of gory detail.  They also complained about every other person on the canal.  We saw a number of moorhens or something similar darting into the reeds, and followed a Grey Heron back down the canal.  I could not get pictures - moving was next to impossible.

We ended our visit with tea in the Old Ship, then made our way home via Marie's Garden.  I don't know if a visit is possible, but it is easily visible from the towpath.
 

 

A towering achievement

On one of our 'Day-Out Thursdays' we went to Walton on the Naze. Every other time we have been, we have arrived at the tower end of town, and the tower has been shut. It has been one of my aims for a long time to visit the tower when it is open.  This time we arrived at the pier end of town, and almost as soon as we did, there was the smell of fish-and-chips. There were lots of teenage children milling about, their shirts had the logo of some academy that I can't remember.

Jo, enjoying a cup of tea

 The colourfully painted tables match the colourfully painted beech huts which have formed an elongated city by the sea.  It's very English seaside.

Beach huts at Walton-on-the-Naze

We walked a little along the promenade a little way and found that some of the huts were not just colourful, but also artistic.  We wondered how much it cost to rent or own a beach hut.

Artistic beach hut

 We walked back across the beach, Jo paddled in the water, which she reported as quite warm.  Then we started the long walk up a fairly gentle incline towards the tower.  For a while the going was flat.  Before the incline started, we could see the target easily, but once we began to climb, the tower disappeared behind buildings and the curve of the hill.

The walk took us a little over 30 minutes, as we arrived a bus stopped and the people who got off showed us the shortcut to the tower that google had missed, so the last 250 meters became about 100 meters.

And there it was, all 8 floors of it, and most definitely open.  

Naze Tower Notice

The Naze tower from the car park

The entrance is a café, the next two floors, accessed by a spiral staircase with enough room for one slim person at a time, have tables and chairs.  Further up, is an art gallery, with some fascinating pieces.  There are also some displays of the archaeology and geology of the area.  We had doubted our ability to get to the top.  "Eleven steps, and you're on the next floor", the lady said.  "Go and try, pay me when you come down if you go far enough"

One floor, eleven steps, move off the staircase, maybe let others pass, have a look at the view from the window.  Repeat. Further up the staircase is offset, and then further up still it spirals the other way.  

fascinating art

construction work

The greatest piece of art is the view from the top.  I posted the video on YouTube, as it is too large to be embedded here.  Please watch the video, but for a smoother, more incredible experience go there yourself.

 

https://youtu.be/q6M86kK8r-g

Guernsy Holiday Links

5 July 2025 to 12 July 2025

Day Blog Entry 1 Half Volley 2 Guided Tour 3 Ship wrecks 4 Around the island by bus 5 Back in time 6 A walk in the park 7 Castle Cornet

Guernsey Day 7 - Castle Cornet and Day 8 - the return trip

Cover your ears!  The noon day gun is a long-standing tradition in Guernsey.  We have seen it twice now.  Once from town, when the smoke appears before the bang, and now, close-up, where there is no appreciable delay.  Even though I was expecting it, I still jumped, which is very obvious when you watch the video.  It was loud! I have joked beforehand: "Get ready for ringing in the ears". It shouldn't have been a joke. We had been provided with a bus to the castle, as it is quite a way for some of us older folk to walk.

The history is well presented, I spent ages reading the boards and listening to the short videos.  The lightning strike on the powder store is the most incredible story.  The governor survived, still on his mattress, but now outside the castle, and was woken by the rain.  His wife did not survive.  After that, governors lived on the island. 

We wandered around the castle, but with both of us struggling with our knees, we didn't get everywhere.

There are some lovely little gardens in the castle.  They are all kept in the style of their original owners.
 

We were one of the few couples who came back on the bus.

After that, and some lunch, we took a bus ride to Cobo Bay.  We had intended to go anti-clockwise, on the 92 (anti-clockwise), but that particular bus is only for non-school days, so we had to go the other way around, on the 91, 30 minutes later.  We stopped at Cobo bay for about an hour.  Had ice cream, a walk on the beach, a paddle (Jo only), and a cup of tea in a tearoom.  All the while trying to find Wi-Fi, and keeping an eye on the bus.  We had a short walk to make sure we were on the right road and waited - sitting on the sea wall - for the bus. 

Cobo beach, from the bus stop

 I saw the bus coming from the other side of town, about where the hill is in the picture.  After that, it felt like a long wait.  Finally, we caught the next bus around the island and back to St. Peter Port.

 

We briefly returned to the Hotel, to get something to sit on and pick up the food we had stored in the fridge. Then it was off to the castle, on foot to the KPMG 'Castle Nights' concert.  

 We were headed to the middle ward, which was quite full as Eloise Fabbri entertained the crowd.  We were there for the next act, and by then we had found a seat as people moved around.  "The Devotees" cover songs from the '60s, '70s and '80s.  They played songs from The Who, The Beatles, Rod Stewart, and Oasis, among others.  A very enjoyable evening.  The long walk back to the hotel was very slow, as we both struggled after a lot of walking.

 

Day 8 - the return trip 

Although the flight isn't until late afternoon, there is not much that can be done today because there is that very hard deadline to meet.  So it was a quiet morning, sitting in the hotel reading and generally being lazy.  All the baggage arrangements worked, all the transport arrangements work, the flight back was lovely, we could see most of southern England as the plane turned on its various tracks.  There were lovely views of the Isle of wight and Southampton and Portsmouth.  We arrived home late evening after a great holiday.