Yorkshire Coast

This post is the second from our trip to Bempton Cliffs near Bridlington.  Cliffhangers focused mainly on the cliffs and the birds that chose to raise their young there.

There are other points of interest in the locale, including the squat abandoned  structure that sits a short distance from the cliff edge.  From what information I can find (hat tip to Wargames and Walking) it used to be an RAF radar station during the war and also had an underground bunker.  The site was decomissioned in the 1980s and became derelict (in fact we saw cows wandering through the ruin).  As to what the monoliths purpose were is anyone's guess.

We were also afforded the site of a small cruise ship making its way along the coast.  It was one of those days when the sunny weather transformed the usually dull looking north sea into something more Mediterranean.

From our vantage point at Bempton, I was able to take a shot of Filey a few miles north.

This Jackdaw caught my eye on the way back from the cliffs and I thought it would make a good subject with the waving grass. The distance and the movement of the bird and the background conspired to ruin a number of shots and alas these two were the best of the bunch.

I'd never been to Bridlington before so we decided to stop off for an hour and have a look around,  It was a glorious day and very busy with tourists and fellow daytrippers which was surprising for a Monday before the schools broke up for summer.

Cliffhangers

Between Bridlington and Filey on the Yorkshire coast lies Bempton Cliffs, a RSPB sanctuary.  We decided to take a two hour drive to pay it a visit and view the spectacular coastline for ourselves. Even though it was July we were prepared for windy weather but as it turned out the sun was shining and the expected cool breeze was none existent.

The RSPB have done an excellent job in preserving the clifftops and the cliffs themselves,  A warden informed us that there were still some puffins nesting on the cliffs but unfortunately we did not get to see any, despite a man trying to impress his friend that a flock of puffins were bobbing around on the sea (not unless they had grown pointed beaks, changed colour and size!)  There are several viewing platforms and you can hire binoculars from the visitor centre to watch the action.

The sheer number of birds was a surprise, mostly Kittiwakes and Guillemots but  there were still Gannet chicks huddled on precarious ledges awaiting the return of a parent where one miss-step would result in almost certain death.

Be warned, when you have that many birds gathered together, you can smell them before you see them!

Kittiwakes high above the North Sea

A Gannet chick about to be fed by it's parent.

Castle to Coast

 During our trip back to the north east, we managed to grab a couple of hours in Northumberland, driving along the Coastal Route which stretches the length of the Northumbrian coastline.  It would have been nice to have travelled up to Seahouses and Bamburgh Castle but unfortunately time was against us so we had to stay relatively local.  Still, you don't need to travel a great distance to find some nice scenery.

The village of Warkworth is dominated by the castle which dates back to 1157.  It is a ruin, but a relatively complete and interesting one.  Northumberland has more castles than any other county in England.  If you go to school in Northumberland I will guarantee you there will a school trip to a castle.  It's the law.

 The village itself is pretty, with most of the houses made of stone.  Traffic is busier than you would expect, mainly due to the Coastal Route running straight through the village.

Clouds over Warkworth Village

Just a short drive from Warkworth is the coastal village of Alnmouth.  If you have ever driven up the A1 in Northumberland you will have seen it, built into a hillside.  Strangely, for growing up in Northumberland this was the first time that I had actually visited.

The beach is impressive, but then it is Northumberland.

Coquet Island

 

Scarborough Unfair

Now that the school summer holidays have arrived, its made me think about my own younger years and the family holidays that we used to have.  Butlins at Skegness will always be my childhood favourite (Monorail! Chair Lift!) and Scarborough - well I may have liked Scarborough but it doesn't seem to particularly like me.

Exhibit A - trip to the Blue Dolphin Caravan Park where it rained pretty much all the time and I got the mumps and had nothing but tomato soup for days.  Even winning the darts competition and the greatest bouncy castle in existence couldn't repair the damage.  I think I was eight years old.

Exhibit B, the morning of departure for a few days in the seaside town a couple of years ago resulted in me doing my back in on the morning we were supposed to travel on our non refundable booking.  The hotel was lovely, our room?  Top floor no lift.  I shuffled around Scarborough and Whitby like one of the walking dead.

Below are a selection of pictures from that fateful trip.

A baby penguin at the Sea Life Centre

These are from Whitby.