Childhood Memories

We have been away on holiday to Whitby on the North Yorkshire Moors for a wonderful week to celebrate our first wedding anniversary. We stayed in an apartment in the renovated Engine Shed, which was truly special.

The Engine Shed has been sympathetically renovated into apartments and has a secure underground car park, which is handy in Whitby. The apartment had vaulted ceilings with rustic beams, beautiful fittings, comfortable furniture, and we could feel the history within its stone walls. It gifted us a great base for our week there and was a lovely place to return to at the end of each day. We had a lovely view of the masts in the harbour and the Abbey and St. Mary’s church on the hilltop.

On our first morning, the 10 am steam engine service on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway came in, blowing her whistle, and Tim went to a window to watch. Whitby is one end of the line, so they run the loco back up to the end of the train, and she is coupled to pull the carriages forward all the way back to Pickering. Tim was entranced and had a perfect view of all the action. His joy was a heart memory that will last, and there was ‘happy’ waving to the crew and the passengers on board as the train departed. This happened a few times during our week there.

We explored Whitby, the harbour, the sweeping beach, the Abbey and St. Mary’s church on the hilltop, the surrounding moors, Robin Hood’s Bay and the steam railway line. Goathland station is special, and is the station used as the school station in the Harry Potter films. Goathland village was also the setting for a popular TV series, Heartbeat, filmed between 1992 and 2010. The series, set in 1960s North Yorkshire, is celebrated in the local gift shop, tea shop and garage. Sheep amble up and down the high street and lanes with confidence, and their bleats are the backdrop to any visit there.

It was peaceful, we met some lovely people from around the world and had some great conversations. We took the open-top bus tour around Whitby (recommended by a friend I work with), caught another bus across the moors to visit Robin Hood’s Bay and Scarborough, and had time to chat, read, sit, stare and eat leisurely meals together, which included a picnic on the beach.

On 11 August, a blaze started at Langdale Moor, on the North York Moors near RAF Fylingdales, and, at its height, covered nearly 10 sq miles. When we arrived on 5 September, the peat was still burning twelve feet underground, and on our journey to Robin Hood’s Bay, the smoke was rising from across the moors. Many fire crews were involved, and farmers pulled together (as they always do) to move animals to safety and dig trenches to try to stop the fire from spreading, as the police evacuated nearby homes. There are many stories, such as the one about the farmer who now farms near Bedford, who was born on the moors and came up to help his childhood friends.

As the bus drove through the moors, we all went quiet. There are still fire crews and tractors up there, and the unmistakable feeling of community spirit. People pulling together, unbeaten and unbowed. We are all connected. ❤️

On our journey to and from Whitby, and in our week there, there was clear evidence of people pulling together, and every hedgerow, ditch, stream, and wood showed clear evidence of each local farmer’s stewardship and care for the land. Not only do our farmers grow and nurture our food, but they also care for the land we live on. 💚

Fresh food and fresh air, you can’t beat it, and lots of walking. It’s very hilly in North Yorkshire, and it has done us the world of good. ❤️