Season's Greetings

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Can't believe that it's 4 years

We have come to the end of another season and closed our doors until February, except for a few days over New Year (for which we still have a couple of vacancies). Now is the time that we will get those maintenance jobs done and, of course, take some rest and go on holiday ourselves.

Working for Toyota and The British Library now seem like light years away and a different lifetime.

Unkle Joz at The Whitby Bookshop

Jonathan Rhodes aka Joz or Unkle Joz was the first Goth to stay at The Waverley in many years as the previous owners wouldn't accept them after an incident with some black hair dye and stained grout in a shower.

Joz's first stay was in April 2006 since when he has become a regular guest and a friend who calls to see us whenever he is in Whitby.

Today he was at The Whitby Bookshop signing copies of his new book Distended Reason which was a follow up to his first book The Dark Alternative. Both books are collections of tales with an appeal to those who like supernatural or as the latest book's strapline indicates "A disturbing miscellany."

Hopefully when Joz becomes the male J K Rowling he will still remember his friends and call in for the odd tea or coffee. Joz can be found at www.myspace.com/unklejoz and if you would like to buy a copy of his first book click on this link The Dark Alternative - GOOD LUCK JOZ

Captain of Queen Mary 2 shows his respect

Today's Whitby Gazette reminded us that Cunard's flagship liner Queen Mary 2 was passing within 1 mile of our shoreline today and we could hardly believe that the liner would be passing Scarborough at 2:45 pm and Whitby at 3:00 pm, but it must be true as it was printed in the paper. Having been buffeted by the very cold wind coming in from the sea we decided to have a coffee at the Pavilion while we waited for the ship's eventual arrival at 3:30 pm, passing the harbour 10 minutes later.

It was hard to believe that something afloat a mile offshore could look so big, very impressive. It is also hard to believe that you could actually see the bows of this giant moving up and down ever so slightly on the North Sea swell, no good at all for Julie who feels seasick in the harbour.

The captain sounded the ship's horn as a mark of respect to Roy Weatherill, a Whitby lifeboat volunteer who died in June. The captain of QM2 was a friend of Roy. There is an online report in the Gazette and selection of photos will appear in Tuesday's edition which you should be able to find from the same link.

Falling Foss & Midge Hall

Several guests have told us about the tearooms at Falling Foss and as we had nobody arriving today we had time to check it out for ourselves. What a lovely place to live and make a living. The house is aptly named "Midge Hall" but we weren't really bothered by the little blighters (we don't know if this is the reason for the name though).

There is a 7 mile circular walk starting at Littlebeck which we will try to do in the not too distant future. Even if you don't fancy the walk take a look at the site for some fabulous photos.

The tearooms are open from early March until late October and then on some weekends or by arrangement. A large cafetière of coffee (enough for 2 mugs each), a lovely homemade scone with jam and cream plus an Italian chocolate slice only cost £5.60.

Wake Up, Freak Out – then Get a Grip

One of our friends involved with Friends of the Earth and Plastic Bag Free Whitby has sent us a link to an interesting and thought provoking film Wake Up, Freak Out – then Get a Grip. Worth taking 11 minutes and 35 seconds out of your day to watch!

Malton Food Lovers Festival

Yesterday we went to the Malton Food Lovers Festival where we sampled various local delicacies ranging from Whitby scampi to funeral cakes, no we'd never heard of them either. We later called in at Malton Relish in the Market Square and ordered figgy pudding for Christmas, a very large one! If it doesn't all get eaten at Christmas we freeze it and then have a second helping around July - yummee!!



After looking around we called into St Michael's church off Market Sq and had a coffee, no set prices just donate as you feel. There was a lovely lady in the entrance to the church selling her large variety of homemade preserves and we were discussing the difference, or lack of, between lemon curd and lemon cheese. As many of you who have stayed will know, Julie makes her lemon cheese/curd for breakfast and we tried to find a way of differentiating the two terms only to find that most commentators say that they are the same and it is a regional variation. Not so according to our lady at St Michaels, Lemon Curd has grated rind and therefore is "with bits" whereas Lemon Cheese is sieved and therefore smoother and is often used in pastries such as lemon meringue. You live and learn...



Here's looking forward to next year's festival.

See in 2010 at The Waverley

What a fabulous house

Last weekend was Heritage weekend and we visited this Georgian house on Upgang Lane. It has been brought back to life by its current owners who have done a great job. You couldn't claim that it had been restored to its former glory as some areas were modern. Many of the original features have been saved and it is now a beautiful house which operates as both a family home and B&B. It is a gem in the area as most similar properties have unfortunately been converted into several flats. We didn't visit other Heritage properties this year as we have already seen the others in town in previous years. It is an interesting time to visit a favourite area to see inside properties from a bygone era, many of which are still in daily use.

International Plastic Bag Free day

Those of you who know us will be aware that we are involved in the Plastic Bag Free Whitby campaign, and by default we obviously support International PBF day on 12th Sep.

Please try to remember your alternative bags, not just this Saturday but as a routine. The start of PBF in UK followed Message in the Waves, a BBC film by Rebecca Hosking, click on the link to see more about the film.

While we are on Green Issues why not take a look at the the 10:10 site.

WHAT IS 10:10?

10:10 is an ambitious project to unite every sector of British society behind one simple idea: that by working together we can achieve a 10% cut in the UK’s carbon emissions in 2010.

Being a Green Tourism Business Scheme member we have already done most of the things suggested, but we continue to look at ways of improving.

The row goes on

Sadly the clash of Regatta and Folk Week has developed into an unfortunate public debate/argument. You can read about it in yesterday's Whitby Gazette. If you have an opinion you can either add your views to those already expressed or cast your vote about whether the two events should coincide.

Coastal Flavours of Whitby

We are lucky to live in such a vibrant and busy town and we were pleased to see a new event come to Whitby, particularly as it involves food!! Irene Myers has done a fantastic job at organising this event which hopefully will become an annual one, or better still twice a year. We bought some fabulous chocolates from Lauden Chocolate of Leeds and some very tasty extra virgin rape seed oil from Gold from the Wold. The mugshot on the right is Graham Collinson who was manfully looking after an information stall at the event. Graham owns Discovery Accommodation but has sneakily started competing with B&Bs by offering a breakfast option as well, just goes to show that you can't trust anybody!! (Only joking Graham). For more information about the Coastal Flavours of Whitby, see the article in Whitby Gazette. Can't wait for next year...

Folk Week

We were fortunate to have Pete Morton, one of this year's performers, staying with us. Having obtained tickets we had been to see Pete earlier in the week at a small venue but he was also part of the final 4 hour concert in the Pavilion. One of our regular guests told us about a particular song of Pete's called "Another Train" which had been an inspiration to him whilst undergoing treatment for throat cancer. This is obviously a popular song as when Pete asked for requests it was by far the most called for, if you would like to hear it, or see the lyrics, click on the link above. All in all it was a good concert and Folk Week, many said their favourite yet.

It is a shame that the Folk Week and Regatta clashed and it would be a bigger shame if this caused the organisers to shift Folk Week to another town. Without any doubt Folk Week is the biggest single event in the Whitby calendar, rivaling Goth Weekend for popularity but unlike the gothic event it is a full week of activity that takes place all around town. It isn't viable to have two major attractions on at the same time.

Christmas in August

What a strange way to spend a sunny August afternoon! This year is our fourth in Whitby and we haven't been to any of the Folk Festival events until this week, but on Tuesday we broke our duck when we went to the Conservative Club to see Pete Morton (more of him in tomorrow's blog). As we had the tickets and we'd enjoyed Tuesday we thought why not see what else is on. That is why Christmas came early as today we went to see John Kirkpatrick in his concert "Christmas and Crumpets". John is a former member of the 70s band Steeleye Span. It was certainly a different way to spend an afternoon, listening to a Christmas concert while the sun shone outside, surreal but fun!!

Regatta

Once again the Red Arrows were the stars of the Regatta closely followed by the finale of the usual firework display from the East Pier, it was a shame about the light pollution from the fair though. Undoubtedly most people enjoyed themselves and as ever the Arrows were amazing, although we cannot help but consider the environmental impact of the event with the air display, fireworks, electricity used for the fairground etc...This year, and apparently next, the event clashes with the annual Folk Week causing problems both for businesses and visitors. It would be nice to think that for 2010 the organisers would not stubbornly stick to a conflict of dates which benefits nobody other than the Regatta who gain extra revenue from the large influx of Folkies and their followers. There is no need for the dates to clash and it is far easier to move the Regatta than Folk Week. Hopefully Scarborough Borough Council, Whitby Town Council and other authorities will see sense and not allow the same situation next year. Rant over, later this week we will write about the Folk Week.

Bridge Centenary

There have been no postings to the blog for a while, that is because people in Yorkshire say "If tha's nowt to say, say nowt" we've had nowt to say recently.

On Saturday, however, Whitby's swing bridge centenary was celebrated in style with a splendid event being organised by WDTA who must be congratulated on their efforts. The Cleveland police band and Marske fishermen's choir entertained and many of the organisers and other locals turned out in their Victorian regalia.

John Freeman, one of the main organisers, has a great art gallery in the old town which is well worth a visit.

Click here for more photos.

Whitby Gazette coverage

Guests see air ambulance rescue

Our guests Mark and Sue witnessed a rescue of a 58 year old man who had fallen into the harbour on Sunday evening. A local man who works on the local speedboat went into the harbour to help save a man who had fallen off of the quayside. His colleague called the emergency services and the air ambulance took the unfortunate man to Scarborough hospital. Sue always has her camera to hand and some of her photos are online in our images section from a previous visit earlier this year.

The report of the rescue is in the Whitby Gazette.

World Champion milkman!

Paul Mendelsohn, our milkman, teamed up with his brother Mike to win the World Quoits Championship pairs at Beamish museum. Mike also won the singles. A full report is in the Whitby Gazette.

Quoits is a traditional sport played in most of the villages around Whitby and can be a pleasant way of spending a Monday or Thursday evening watching one of the league matches at local pubs.

Quoits appears to be an easy game and the rules are quite simple but the precision with which these guys throw a 6lb ring of steel is amazing to watch.

Street Choirs Festival comes to Whitby

The "Street Choirs Festival" has come to town and, despite the weather forecast, the sun has been shining. Singers from around the UK have descended on Whitby to sing at various points around town and to compete at the Pavilion this evening. Tomorrow there will be a farewell picnic on the beach, weather permitting. We enjoyed walking around and stopping off at the various places to get some free entertainment. An interesting and new event for Whitby, but sadly the festival has a new venue each year.

http://streetchoirwhitby.org.uk/

Waiting for a kiss?

Our guests having arrived earlier than expected meant that we could go out for an afternoon walk rather than the usual evening stroll along the clifftop or into town. We walked along the old Scarborough - Whitby railway line and down into Ruswarp. We are real cheesy and always kiss as we go through a "kissing gate" so Julie was waiting for me which gave me a chance to take a photo. Even though it was lovely and sunny it was not as warm as last week which made it perfect for walking. As we came home past Pannett Park I realised that I had never taken a picture of the floral clock, ideally I should have been about 10 foot taller to get the best image, but here it is anyway.

Whitby Soul Weekender

Another music weekend in Whitby - the annual "Soul Weekender". We are full for the weekend as everyone here booked as they left last year. Much as we like soul music, our days of partying until 04:00 one day and 06:00 the next are long gone, not that they were ever there for Julie!! (She likes her sleep, beauty or otherwise)

Lifeboat weekend

Heather, a friend from Leeds, sat in the front seat of a 1959 Morris Minor on West Pier today at the first day of Whitby's Lifeboat Weekend. There were various other cars there including 4 Jowetts a few Triumphs and various others. It was a shame that the weather wasn't brilliant, but there were plenty of people around who seemed to be enjoying themselves. The car to the right is an Austin Healey 3000, a car I have always liked - this one has only done 18000 miles!

The end of the rainbow

Who cares about the rain when you get photo opportunities like this. The Abbey is Whitby's gold at the end of the rainbow and to be able to get a shot like this from the bedroom window is great.

We must like it to do 2 posts in one day!

The Land Girls of Yorkshire

Last night we went to Suddaby's in Malton to see "The Land Girls of Yorkshire" because we couldn't get tickets for Whitby Coliseum - we're glad we couldn't.


Suddaby's is a great find, particularly for those of you who like traditional local beers as it is a small family brewery with many awards. The theatre area is something else, little more than an old barn with I guess 80 seats, but absolutely perfect for the play. They even served free cheese and biscuits at the interval (and they say Yorkshire folk are tight!) We will certainly keep our eyes out for future events here and plays by Badapple or Kate Bramley. It was a good job that we rang and reserved tickets, some people were being turned away. If it is on somewhere near you go to see it, you won't be disappointed.

Crab fishing in Whitby

A couple of photos just received from the Cook family who stayed last week. Crab fishing is enjoyed by young and old alike, particularly dads. Most people go crab fishing down by the swing bridge, but the other good spot is from the bottom of the steps on Tate Hill Pier, our grandchildren caught over 30 in half an hour one time.

Strange way to spend a day off?

Nobody coming in today - a rare opportunity of taking some time out. Where did we choose to spend it? At the Harrogate Exhibition Centre where there was a coloproctology conference, not everyone's first choice!! Not as strange as it may seem though - we had gone to meet Siobhán who we had known for 6 years but never met. Siobhán (the one on the right without a pointy head) has worked for Lynn’s Bowel Cancer Campaign since 2003 a charity dear to us. We have had a great deal of involvement with the Lynn’s charity since I (Stephen) had bowel cancer in 1997.


We already had a face to the name, having seen each other’s photos over the years, but we have met at long last. We had already met Caroline, the other person in the photo without a pointy head, when we organised an entry into the Great Manchester Run several years ago - she ran, we didn't!

For more information on the charity, their work to raise awareness of this insidious disease and symptoms advice please visit www.bowelcancer.tv

Back to the 60s

Twice a year Whitby Pavilion hosts a 60s Spectacular with many bands and artistes from the era as well as tribute acts. A great bunch of people come each year, sometimes to both events, and they obviously have a great time as more often than not book for the following year as they leave. The Pavilion is packed with enthusiasts of every age, many dress in 60s outfits. We still have a couple of rooms left for September, but we're sure not for long. The photo here was taken by Malcolm Jones, one of our 60s regulars in June.

Who needs the Med?

When we get the weather that we have had for the last few days who needs the Med? We have wonderful beaches and spectacular countryside as well as beautiful villages. These photos were taken at about 6:30 today and it was still warm enough for people to be in the sea! Let's hope that this is a prelude to the summer. The picture to the left is from Sandsend towards Whitby and the picture on the right is along the pathway into Mulgrave estate at Sandsend, a place most visitors never go to see.

Against The Law! - Our Rant.

What part of this do some people find hard to understand. We appreciate that some people do smoke and there is no problem with more than 99% of them, but every so often you get an inconsiderate and selfish person who thinks that it is acceptable to break the law and abuse our home. You may have gathered that we are annoyed, just having had a group of 4 people in 2 rooms. On the first couple of mornings we were suspicious that one couple had smoked in their room, but had no evidence other than the smell. This could have been on their clothes, so we didn't challenge them. When they checked out, they simply left without saying goodbye which is most unusual. We always like to say farewell and have a chat as people go but didn't get the opportunity. Fortunately there was nobody going into the room on the day they departed as there was distinct evidence of smoking and the smell was stronger than ever. We have no problem with smokers as long as they are considerate to others and neither smoke indoors nor leave their smoking litter around. Rant over.

Another "Whitby Christening"

3 years in Whitby and our car has had its best christening ever from the seagulls!! There aren't many downsides to living in our lovely town, but the seagulls, or more what they do, is certainly one of them. The car had been parked for 5 days and became a target - other cars round about were untouched! Eh ho.

Updated website launched

After reviewing our website we decided that it needed a bit of an update and today we have just launched the new improved formula!

Tell us what you think.

We've also included a link at the top left of this blog to a diary of events in Whitby, hope it's useful.

European Blue Flag for Whitby's beaches

Once again Whitby has been awarded the European Blue Flag which is the most prestigious beach award available, as reported in today's Whitby Gazette. This is particularly pleasing after some of last year's problems in the harbour.

Bank Holiday

As everyone had checked in and we had no better plans we decided to go to Whitby Abbey to learn a bit about the worst jobs in mediaeval times. A bit corny really, but OK for the kids. Despite the clear blue skies on the photo on the left we ended up dashing back into the visitor centre to escape the rain - typical bank holiday weekend!! Town has quietened a bit now the weekend has gone, but we're expecting another busy time as this coming weekend is Line Dance Weekend with all the usual suspects coming once again. Looking at the diary we have probably had our last day off until towards the end of the season in October. No rest for the wicked! As soon as there is a day when we can get up to the Abbey for opening time we will do as I would love to get photos with nobody around, not easy with breakfasts and rooms to do!

Another great find

We seem to be blessed with good places to eat within easy travelling distance of Whitby. Today we ate at The White Swan in Pickering, our only regret is that it has taken us three years to discover it. Julie had a veal T-bone and I chose venison haunch followed by a Trio of puddings - Sticky toffee pudding, glazed lemon tart & sauce of raspberries & classic crème brulee and an espresso. If you want something lighter there is also a great selection of light meals and sandwiches. It was our first visit there today - it certainly won't be our last.

Whitby Goth Weekend April 09

Well it's the first Goth Weekend of 2009 and once again we have a good crowd in and the weather is holding up, we can't ask for more. Many people (like my mum) feel intimidated by the Goths, but we find them to be a very friendly and sociable group.

There were plenty of people queueing to go on the bungee jump which has become a regular feature at WGW, we don't have the bottle for it - neither of us fancy having our brains rattling around our heads.

There are a few more photos from around town on our web album if you'd like to look. WGW album

Other images on You Tube

Bread & muffins - and a lot more besides

Many times when we have driven down to Scarborough we have seen a blackboard sign for a small bakery near Burniston, but every time we have been there the Eco Bakery has been closed, and nowadays we are interested in the "eco" aspect more than ever. Today, after 3 years of regularly passing, we found Boundary Cottage Bakery open for the first time. They only open on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 2:00 p.m. We were greeted by Jo who had just boiled the kettle, so very kindly offered us a coffee while we sampled her delicious muffins and bread. This is a true cottage industry business as samples of Trevor's (Jo's husband) rustic furniture were also on display as were some socks made from Angorra wool. Outside the small shop, which is a converted garage, there were various jars of produce and local organic vegetables. The next time we go to Scarborough we will have to make it a Tuesday, Thursday or Saturday so we can have some more muffins and a pleasant chat.

40s' weekend

This weekend was the annual 40s' weekend with events throughout such as various militeria exhibits, displays of vehicles, flea market, dog show etc....

The weather was good and everyone appeared to be having fun. If you like this sort of thing, then think about Whitby as an alternative to staying in Pickering for their fantastic war weekend in October - it is unlikely that you would be able to get accommodation in Pickering then and you can always get the atmospheric steam train through via Grosmont and Goathland, which are both involved.

"Wot no Fog"

When we looked out of the window this morning WE COULD SEE THE ABBEY! The last three days have been misty and murky and the Abbey, which we can normally see from all of our rear rooms, was invisible. What made this worse is when we called Selby at 7:00pm last night, our daughter was sitting in the garden having a drink! This is a normal view of the Abbey.

Wall to wall people - Easter Sunday

Strange old day - one couple had to check out early due to a problem at home which meant we had a room to do, unusual on a bank holiday. As they didn't come down for breakfast they also missed their Easter eggs and hot cross buns which were appreciated by all. After lunch we decided to go down town, we can't understand why people go away for the day on a bank holiday Sunday, it was bedlam. Bumped into someone I worked with at Toyota who had only arrived in town at about 14:30 for a day trip!! Seems as though I had a lucky escape when I left 3 years ago as there are going to be lots of redundancies. We walked the West Pier and then the East Pier after we had battled our way along Church St. At the end of East Pier I had a "Whitby Christening" from one of the seagulls - whoever said that it is Lucky!! When we got back home the doorbell kept ringing as we now had a vacancy, but despite the notice in our entrance indicating a minimum stay of 2 nights everybody just wanted one! The photo is wall to wall people in Church Street, most of whom never stray off the beaten track and see the real Whitby.

Done it at last!

I wondered lonely as a cloud - NOT!!!

3 years after moving to Whitby and about 5 years after originally planning to go, we have finally done the Farndale Daffodil Walk. Since we moved here we either haven't had the time when the daffs have been about or we haven't had the weather when we've had the time, but today everyone checked out and nobody was checking in until midnight tonight so we decided to do the walk. Old Bill Wordsworth wouldn't find inspiration in his solitude at Farndale, there are around 40000 visitors when the flowers are out in spring. The walk is a very easy footpath alongside the river Dove, although it is a bit muddy in places. Click on an image to see photo gallery from our day in Farndale.

In Farndale there are a couple of ghoulish stories about queer happenings, one of which is about Sarkless Kitty whose spirit reputedly claimed many lives in Farndale until Whit Sunday 1809 when Sarkless Kitty Gartwaite's soul was laid to rest.

3 years down.

As of today we are in our fourth year at The Waverley and we are as busy as ever. We have refurbished every bedroom and the hall, stairs and landing plus our own living area. All that is left to tackle now are the lounge and dining room. Original plan was for five years and retire, but who knows?

Have started writing a lighthearted book about experiences of running a guest house but never have time to add to it, don't know if it will ever get published - or finished for that matter. Hectic times around the corner as we're fully booked over Easter.

What a beautiful day

A fairly quiet week, the lull before the storm?? At least we had opportunity to visit the gym a couple of times. Just had a walk down town in the glorious sunshine, hope this keeps up for Easter.

Today we designed and ordered a postcard which is a sepia collage of Whitby images, we love the old sepia prints of Frank Meadows Sutcliffe, not that I have a hope of emulating his prowess and that was well over 100 years ago! His large camera was made of mahogany with brass fittings and took 'whole plate' glass negatives (6.5"x8.5").


Eco Button saving since 11 March £2.05/Kg of CO2 5.98