Captain's Log

The Plan

I was on the last day of a 3 day campaign on my England Coast Path - North East Venture. Yesterday, I completed a section further down the coast between Bridlington and Danes Dyke. The first day I’d walked along Scarborough’s South Bay from the peninsula separating it from the North Bay, and headed southwards to Holbeck Hill. I was hoping to walk that  particular stretch again today. I’d got a train to catch in the afternoon, and  I’d only walked the South Bay section on the first day in case today’s walk took longer than expected and I needed to make a dash for Scarborough railway station. Today’s walk would start at Filey and follow the cliffs northwards to Scarborough. Once I’d reached the outskirts of Scarborough, I’d either head for the railway station or continue around South Bay. 

Filey

It was a 10 minute train journey from Scarborough to Filey railway station and another 10 minute walk to the sea front. Make that a 20 minute walk since I stopped off at Cooplands to get a coffee, some cake and a sandwich for lunch. There were a few walkers on the beach and on the promenade, but the place felt deserted compared to Scarborough. I headed over to the crazy golf course, not to have a round, but to visit the tall figure (12 foot in fact) standing next to it. The sculpture is called ‘High Tide And Short Wellies’ and was created by the north east sculptor, Ray Lonsdale. I’m an admirer of Lonsdale’s work and I quite like this one. It is of a fisherman with his rod. A rat is sniffing around between his wellies. It was designed as a comment on the need to look after our fish stocks. 

I quite like Filey’s sea front. It has a great beach, the infamous Filey Brig and agreeably condenses the amusement arcades and tack shops into a hundred metre section at the northern end of the promenade. It doesn’t seem to have changed much since I came here on holiday in the 1970s. The England Coast Path avoids the amusements by climbing some steps to the grassy area at the top of the cliffs. I walked along the clifftops, towards Filey Brigg. There was a strong westerly blowing. It would stay with me throughout the day. There had been lots of rain overnight and the ground was saturated. It looked like I was going to be in for a muddy day. I worked my way along the clifftops to the Cleveland Way sculpture. This marked the start (or end) of the Cleveland Way national trail. The England Coast Path and Cleveland Way would be one in the same to Scarborough and so, as you might expect, the signage on today’s route was very good. Filey Brigg heads out seaward from this point. I’d wandered along the cliffs to get a better view of it when I completed the Bempton Cliffs to Filey section of the ECP (see Filey Bay Traverse) and so I didn’t repeat it today. I looked northwards and reckoned that I could just see Scarborough. I set off along the clifftops towards it. 

Lebberston Cliffs

Initially I made good progress along the clifftops, despite the wind’s efforts to blow me into the sea. Although the grassy path was wet, it wasn’t too muddy and I got good traction. The footpath was fairly flat too. The cliffs were high here and views would opened up to the rocky shore below. The different rock layers along the cliffs were clearly visible. I met one or two walkers and joggers, but it was too windy to chat and we’d just exchange a wave as we passed.   

I soon reached a massive caravan park, although the true scale of it was only apparent when I looked at the OS map. A large number of wooden pallets had been stacked near the cliffs. No doubt this would provide  a spectacular display when Bonfire Night arrived. Just after the caravan park, the path started to get muddier and more slippery. It also started to undulate more and I was glad that I’d brought a trekking pole to steady myself. Even so, on one or two occasions I nearly came a cropper on the steep, wet muddy path. The more difficult walking conditions also put more strain on my damaged toe and it started to throb. Scarborough looked closer though and I reckoned that I could limp my way to it. I reached the headland of Lebberston Cliffs that separated Grisethorpe Bay and Clayton Sands. One or two times in the 1970s my family stayed at a caravan site at the nearby village of Lebberston. I can’t remember coming to these cliffs though. 

Clayton Bay

The footpath continued along the clifftops forming Clayton Bay. The day seemed greyer now and I wondered if I might be in for some rain. I could see a couple of surfers waiting for waves and a sailboat tacked its way across the bay. My toe was quite painful now and I hoped that the England Coast Path would stick to the top of the cliffs. Unfortunately, it dropped down steeply into a wooded area. It was pretty enough and occasionally gave a view across the bay, but the footpath was a mud-fest. I was glad when it started climbing back to the clifftops again and was surprised when it delivered me into the suburban area of Osgodby. There were a few patio tables on a grassy area and so I took the opportunity to sit down and have my lunch.   

I was only in Osgodby for about 200 metres and then the path diverted off towards the cliff edge again. There was plenty of vegetation on the seaward side and so I didn’t get a view. I escaped the trees when I came to Wheatcroft Cliff. A few minutes later I found myself at the top of Holbeck Hill, a location I’d come to on my walk a couple of days ago. I looked at my watch. Despite limping my way from Filey, I’d made much faster progress than expected and so rather than head directly for the train, I decided to follow the ECP around Scarborough’s South Bay.

Scarborough South Bay

I descended Holbeck Hill and joined the promenade. A lone fisherman was trying his luck. I had a good view across Scarborough’s South Bay. I could see the Grand Hotel and the Castle on the hill. What buildings there are around this end of the bay, are mostly derelict. I followed the Toilet fingerpost near to the base of the clifftop tram and found myself in a derelict shell of a building. The area could do with a tidy-up. Things improved after the Spa and I made my way along the promenade to Cliff Bridge and to the Gormenghast-like Grand Hotel. I looked southwards along the coast; the cliffs seemed to go on forever. It looked like I’d walked a long way today. 

The promenade became busier after the Grand Hotel. For the first time today, the sun momentarily came out and things looked a little cheerier. I felt that sense of being sensory overwhelmed with the noise, people and smells as I weaved my way northwards. I reached the Silver Dollar amusement arcade that had been my turnaround point on the England Coast Path section from the north (see the Captain’s Log, Slipping My Way To Scarborough). I’d successfully finished my walk between Filey and Scarborough. My toe was pleased.

Smuggler And Apprentice

On my way to Scarborough’s railway station I called in to see another of Ray Lonsdale’s sculptures at Merchant’s Row. This work is tucked away in a narrow street that runs parallel to the coast road (I’ve indicated its position on the map). It is called ‘Smuggler And Apprentice’ and shows exactly that; a large figure and a small figure carrying barrels of contraband. Two Ray Lonsdale sculptures in a day; that’s quite good going! I hobbled my way towards the railway station.   

It had been a good walk along the cliffs between Filey and Scarborough. My bad toe and the muddy path had conspired to make sections of the route a little tricky. The views from the cliffs and over the bays were excellent.