The Cinder Track

When walking down to Whitby Community College this afternoon we noticed new "old" sineage on the bridge under the railway leading to Stakesby Vale. Cinder Track refers to the old Whitby Scarborough line which apparently was unusually laid on a cinder track. The route of the old railway, which was closed in 1965, is now used as a public footpath, cycle path and bridleway. If you are feeling energetic you can walk the 21 miles to Scarborough or you could stop off at many places along the route. We often walk to the Larpool viaduct and then down into Ruswarp and back along the footpath to Whitby. Here are a couple of links that may be of interest.

The Cinder Track Walk - Scarborough to Whitby & Cinder Track Improvement Team

WHITBY is the TOP YORKSHIRE RESORT

WHITBY has come third in the top all time favourite UK seaside resorts in an independent survey of more than 4,000 people by consumer magazine Which? In the survey WHITBY is the TOP YORKSHIRE RESORT

Blackpool came first in the survey with Brighton close behind, we've never been to Brighton so can't comment but we are glad that Whitby doesn't resemble Blackpool except that it is in the north and has sea and sand! More importantly Whitby is ahead of Scarborough which was voted fifth favourite.

In 2006 Whitby was voted Britain's best seaside resort in a poll of seaside destinations by Holiday Which?. See the report in Whitby Gazette

I (Stephen) was interviewed on Radio Tees today and you can hear the broadcast by clicking on the link and fast forwarding to around 2.21 into the programme.

Pannett Park

We wandered through Pannett Park this weekend for the first time since the official reopening earlier this month and very pleased we were. It was a beautiful day and we sat in glorious sunshine, reading by the pond. There is a fabulous playground which our grandchildren make use of when they visit. The park gardens, museum and tearoom are well worth a visit if you come to Whitby.

You can read about the official reopening in The Gazette.

Recycling plant tour

We've had nothing to say for a while that would have been of interest, but today we really had our eyes opened and learnt a bit about how the recycling plant at Seamer Carr works. On first arrival we thought that the site looked disorganised, but we quickly learnt that they work within the constraints of a very tight budget based on around 5% of the council tax we each pay. They are also working within the physical constraints of the site which is adjacent to the landfill site. Starting with the landfill there is a generation plant burning the methane generated by the site and feeding sufficient electricity into the national grid  to power around 7000 homes. The processes, which are in the main automated, succesfully separate paper, cardboard, PET plastics, aerosols, aluminum and steel cans into separate areas for collection and forwarding to various companies who use the materials. The site is also a collection point for the recycled glass, although no sorting is done at Seamer Carr. We had thought that the change from separate collection of various coloured glass and clear glass to all  going into the same collections was a retrogade step, but now we know better. When the glass was separated at the point of collection there was an inevitable problem of incorrect glass being put into the bottle bank and this would then need sorting manually. Now the glass is forwarded to a plant for use and the process is now automated with sophisticated cameras aiding the sorting into the various colours.

We found the visit to be really interesting and worthwhile. If you are an SBC resident they conduct free tours periodically, see the link above for details, or maybe your own council offer similar tours if you are not from the borough. I took various pictures of rubbish, but thought that the best to use was the start of the process and the end.

An Oasis of calm in the city - RSPB Saltholme

Yesterday we went out for the day to the RSPB reserve at Saltholme, Middlesboorough. The setting seems a little incongruous with backdrops of petro chemical tanks and burning off of fumes, scrap yards and cityscapes but all you hear is the sound of the birds. We decided to go via the Seaton Carew Road from Middlesborough which meant going across the famous transporter bridge which dominates the city's skyline. This is something that Julie had never done and I last did more years ago than I care to remember but at least 40. We didn't get many photos of the birds because they were too quick for me and my camera but it is a good day out for the princely sum of £3 to park the car. The cafe area offers very good coffee and reasonably priced meals and snacks. We were also pleased at the GTBS gold accreditation, something we have in common with the reserve, and the witty information signs around the place gave rise to a few smiles. Staff were all very friendly and helpful, particularly Helen Kipling who also has her hand in another pie as she designs and makes handmade quilts and has some good ideas about memory quilts, click here to see her blog. If you would like to see some other photos of the day in Saltholme click here and you will get an idea of the juxtaposition of the city with the site.

Whitby Goth Weekend April 2010

We are sometimes asked "What is a Goth", a question we hardly feel qualified to answer. That is until this year as we have now received copies of the WGW Almanack in which Mark Smith, editor of Unscene, has given a potted history of the Goth movement together with his definition. In short it appears that it is different things to different people but in the main has grown out of Punk of the 80s. Nowadays the clothes are a big part of the scene for some, as can be seen here with David and Sue from Hertfordshire. Although there are still people who find themselves intimidated by some of the Goths we have to say that we find them to be a harmless and friendly bunch and we regularly see our first "Goth" guest Joz who calls in to see us whenever he is in Whitby, even just for the day. We will never forget his comment on the booking site, "Arrived as a guest, left as a friend". Others of our regular guests come each year as "Goth watchers" - not really to take part but simply to see the spectacle.

40s Weekend

Paddy, one of our guests, enjoying himself at the 40s weekend. Each year the event gets slightly larger and a bit better than the previous one, althogh there is still a long way to go to be on a par with Pickering's "War Weekend" each October. Ideally the Whitby event could be a bit better supported and attract a few more participants but we hope that it never becomes as big as the Pickering event. Well done to those organising things and congratulations to Dolly's Deli for scooping the best dressed window accolade.

Updated Website

Our Website

We have just updated our website and would be delighted to hear what you think. There are one or two tweaks that have been suggested but we will wait a week or so before changing anything so that we can consider any other comments. We liked the clean green and white of the last site but didn't like that it was a bit "left heavy", i.e. there was a lot of white space down the right. if you have any comments please email us.

Fancy some Tapas in Malton?

http://www.ambiente-tapas.co.uk/

On our way home from Charlie our grandson's 4th birthday party we were debating what to do for dinner. As we weren't going to be home before 7:00 p.m. we thought that we would drop off into Malton to try out the Tapas bar that we had seen previously, we're glad that we did. On Tuesday evenings they have an all you can eat buffet for the princely sum of £9.95 and we tried a little of everything on offer, more than 20 separate items. Although it is designated a tapas bar the food is Mediterranean rather than purely Spanish.

We will certainly call again when we journey back from visiting family, particularly on a Tuesday when we can have such variety at a good price.

2010 Scooter Rally

Easter weekend resounded to the sound of hundreds of scooters in every shape and size. This one belongs to Bob, one of our guests, and very authentically reproduces the image of the scooters that I remember from the 60s and 70s. The difference is that in the 60s and 70s the riders of the scooters would wreak havoc wherever they went but now the majority are ridden by middle aged men who can afford the many thousands needed to buy an original Lambretta SX200 such as Bob's. The style is there but thankfully the violence originally associated with the riders is now a thing of the past.

Read Whitby Gazette's article on the rally.