The North York Moors & Whitby

I rarely take paid tours of anywhere. In fact I may never have taken one before my tour of the North York Moors, Whitby on the coast, and beautiful little villages in between. What a perfect day!

It helped that the whole of the UK is in the middle of a British heatwave. Skies are clear and blue, the temps are lovely, and everyone is smiling. Add to that a spacious comfy mini-van, with only six other people, and a top-notch driver/tour guide. I can’t think of a better scenario for a perfect day.

Mark, our tour guide and driver par excellence,  loaded our little group in the Bob Holiday van. (That’s BOB as in Best of Britain, not Bob’s).  BOB Holidays As we wound our way out of the city and into the country, Mark filled us in on the surrounding history and pointed out various sites of interest. Prior to the trip, I only knew that Whitby was a coastal town and that the moors were out in the country.

The North York Moors National Park encompasses over 500 square miles of rolling hills and dales. Created in 1952, it also contains all the small villages that have existed in its boundaries for centuries. How lovely it would be to say that you live inside a national park! Even better, there are rules set up to ensure whatever existed there prior to its inception, remains. There are no fast-food restaurants, or chain stores, or shopping malls; simply lovely countryside and quint villages that takes one’s breath away.

It always happens when I have been surrounded by city noise and people and a bit of chaos. I forget that another world exists. Driving along the two-lane country roads while gazing out onto the vast expanses of green rolling hills, it begins to sink in. The first time we stepped out of the van and I inhaled that glorious fresh air and heard only the sounds of nature, I once again questioned what it is I like about cities. This was heaven.

The Moors are renowned for their bright purple fields of heather which are just beginning to bloom. In two weeks the color will stretch as far as the eye can see. What a spectacular sight that would be. But as Mark explained, at that time the roads will be packed with cars and families on their summer holidays out to experience the heather in its full glory. We had the hills and dales basically to ourselves which is a trade-off I was happy to make. 

And then there are the sheep happily grazing and resting in the fields everywhere we traveled, not a fence in sight. Up here in the moors, the sheep have free rein of the land. The farmers leave them to roam untethered year round. During lambing season, about two months ago, the farmers are up to check on the moms several times a day. And when it’s sheering time, they are rounded up and brought back to the farm. Only if there is a severe storm, are they are brought down off the hills in the winter.   

I wondered how it was possible to get them all back to their respective farms. As with all my non-stop questions, Mark had the answer. (Actually, the whole sheep thing had been part of his planned talk.) Turns out sheep never stray more than six or seven miles from home. And they tend to stay in groups. Each animal has a red, green or blue stripe painted on its wool to designate its owner. Even with sheep dogs, it must be quite a task to collect them all.

Next up was the market town of Helmsley. What I would give to live a few months in Hemsley! At least on a bright and sunny day. I was most taken by the stone cottages and even more so by the flower boxes. Surely I could replicate those back in California. It is one of the first things I will attempt when I return.

From there we descended back down the mountain, out of the National Park, and to the fishing village and seaside resort of Whitby. Aside from my normal longing to gaze out onto the sea, I wanted to walk around the ancient ruins of Whitby Abbey. I believe the first monastery on the site dates from the mid-600’s. The gothic ruins date to 1225. Whitby Abbey

In 1890, Bram Stoker paid a visit to Whitby, sat on a bench overlooking the port and across to he Abbey high on the hill. It was there that the he got his inspiration to write Dracula. I could easily see how that occurred, especially when I first arrived up on the hill with the sea mist swirling around the spooky spires.

No time to waste – this was a tour after all, I had had to get down the 199 steps and into town, grab my fish and chips, and be back at the bus pick-up in two hours. (provided I actually found the bus pick-up spot.) I had no time to spend reading about the history or going through the lovely museum.

Mark had warned us, no less than three times, about the 199 steps down to the town. Lucky for us, he dropped us off at the top. I don’t know if I would have attempted the ascent. But 199 steps down, when you have less than perfect knees, can be a little intimidating. Turns out I had nothing to fear. These were not Mayan ruin steps. Easy going, handrails, and magnificent views. I simply followed behind a group of folks at least 10 years older than me. I wasn’t about to complain.

Whitby is lovely, but I really wish I could have walked the streets at 6AM. It was noon and packed with people like me, there to take it all in. But never mind; I was in England, I was in a fishing village, and I was going to eat fish and chips.

There are several famous shops along the waterfront and they all had lines out the door. I do not wait in line to buy food. So I popped in a few doors down to Terry’s, (no line), and grabbed an order. The owner warned me about the aggressive seagulls and not to walk with an open food container. Mark had also warned us.

At this point I still had my bulky camera slung around my neck, small bag across my chest, backpack on back, sun visor on arm, and clutching my box of fish & chips. I wove in and out of the crowds, with a sharp eye out for an available seat and lurking seagulls.

Eventually I came to some ancient stone thing – not a proper seat, but that’s where others sat. An older, local woman seated next to me warned about the seagulls who would snatch your meal right out of your hand.

At this point, I normally would have stowed my camera and done something else with all my dangling objects, but that would entail putting my food carton down. The seagull at my feet served as a reminder to not make such a foolish attempt. So I hunched over, put my face into the carton, and ate a few bites. I came up for air and that darn seagull now took a step towards me, looking for a way to get a snack. I finally had enough of playing chicken with Mr. Seagull and got up to find another spot.

I eventually did, but will never again attempt a meal totally encumbered by belongings and fear of a seagull snatching.

Our next stop took us to the village of Goathland. The name of the town might not ring a bell, but say Hogsmeade Station, and everyone will know what you’re talking about. The Harry Potter folks filmed the kids leaving for Hogwarts at the Goathland Railway Station. The village itself featured in the long-running, (1992-2010), British police drama, Heartbeat. In the series, it is know as Aidensfield. I’d never heard of the series, but now will see if I can find it.

We had reached our final stop and it was time to head back towards York. The drive back took us through one-lane, two-way roads, and over the moors with one final chance to breath in the glorious air and let our senses become saturated with nature.

I really do need to go back to the wide open, quiet spaces. It’s only when I come back from such a day that I realize how loud a city really is. All that background noise that one tends to ignore is suddenly amplified, and I feel like my head will explode with all the pandemonium. I’m staying in for today. And maybe searching for a home in the moors.

Note: my links aren't loading. bobholidays.com
                  Whitby Abbey:   google it

Roman York

Medieval is nice. Vikings are nice. Gothic is cool. But I’ll take Romans over all of them any day of the week. I can’t tell you why Romans speak to me more than many other great civilizations and periods in history. Maybe it’s the togas. Maybe the Colosseum. Honestly, who wouldn’t love a culture that had invented indoor plumbing and bath houses when much of the world was still using the local streams?

Eboracum, as the Romans called York, was founded in 71 CE, on land situated between the Rivers Ouse and Foss. The Ninth Legion did the heavy lifting, and York eventually became the capital of Britannia Inferior of the Roman Empire. The boys ruled the land until around 400 CE.

Over the weekend, I was fortunate enough to go on a walking tour “Round the Roman Fortress”, with the renowned archeologist Professor Peter Addyman. He’s been digging things up here in York and writing about it since the early 70’s. The walk had been organized by the York Civic Trust. York Civic Trust (along with about twenty other different walks all lead by specialists.)

Our group was set to meet in St Samson’s Square. I had studied my York map for two whole days before the walk. Simple: enter the walled city of York through Monkgate Bar, walk a few blocks down Goodramgate, veer right at King’s Square onto Church Street, which leads you right to said square. Possibly a ten minute walk. It took me a bit longer, but at least I only had to ask for directions one time.

With our group of about fifteen interested folks, we gathered around Professor Addyman. He told us we were, at that very moment, standing on top of part of the Roman Bathhouse. He pointed off in the distance and asked us to imagine the size of a bathhouse that could serve 5000 men. It’s times like these that I long for x-ray vision. An entire Roman garrison that housed 5000 men, lay below our feet. It boggles the mind to think about the treasures and history right under your own two feet.

At one point I asked Professor Addyman if he had the desire to simply start digging down to all the Roman-ness that lay beneath. Of course he did. If I felt the frustration in not being able to look at it all, I can just imagine what someone whose life’s work had revolved around antiquity felt like.

We then took off and followed the Professor across the square, down tiny streets, and in and out of the increasing mass of visitors enjoying the sights. I thought of taking out my camera to document our footsteps, but I did not want all the people in the shots. The plan was to go back the following day, in the early morning, and take pictures. I did that, but was not quite able to find all the bits we saw.

What I did find, were the markings Professor Addyman had shown us on the street that indicated Roman walls. This was thanks to diligent archeologists who worked with the city to ensure everyone knew where the Fortress once stood. Actually, still stands. How did they figure it out? After all, after the Romans came the Anglo-Saxons, followed by the Vikings, then came Medieval times, and so on until we get to the present day tourist spot. That’s a whole lot of years of buildings, and garbage piled one on top of another. How they do find ancient things usually happens when the builders come in.

Everywhere you dig deep enough in York, you’re bound to find something other than dirt and rocks. And if you happen to be renovating a shop, or excavating for a parking lot and run into a mysterious whatever, the experts are called in. That’s one way they have found parts of Roman walls and buildings.

We stopped in front of shops where the professor had been called in during renovations. He showed us photos of what was found. In one café, they have installed a large section of thick Plexiglas on the floor so that you can sip coffee and gaze down onto remains of Roman structures.

Roman road

On another street, where all the buildings are connected to one another, he pointed out that one building was sinking slightly to it’s right, while the adjoining one sunk left. That is because it is directly on top of a Roman wall.

Several times her pointed out a slight slope in a street, that led to a flattened area. Roman walls again. Roman concrete does not sink.  

On either side Monkgate Bar, (one of the entrances to the walled city of York that still stands), one can climb up stone steps and walk the wall. Down at street level, there is a secret, locked plywood door next to the steps. The professor had the key and led us in to a narrow patch of overgrown thistles and grass. What we now stood in front of was the longest standing exposed Roman wall in the country. (if I make historical mistakes, it’s because I did not take notes….unlike a fellow adventurer who wrote down everything in a small notebook.) And down at the bottom of this wall was the actual stamp of the Roman journeyman who had help build it a few thousand years before.

The Minster, the massive Medieval cathedral, sits atop the Roman Legion’s headquarters. It was in the courtyard in front that Constantine was proclaimed emperor in 306 CE. It is marked by a rather dashing bronze sculpture of the emperor, for which the sculptor may have taken a bit of artistic license. Professor Addyman related the story of when he saw the artist’s model for the sculpture. He noted that the sword was incorrect; that Roman swords did not have the cross-piece guard on the hilt. He assured the artist that Roman swords only employed a round ball at the gripped end. All the same, it is quite lovely. 

Constantine the Great

It truly was a fabulous walk. And again I asked myself why I had not gone into archeology. I suppose I might never have been able to decide which culture I would want to explore every day for the rest of my life. Would it be the Romans? Or maybe the Egyptians? Very possibly the Mayans.

Summer Solstice in York

The plan was to get out of the house at 4AM to document Summer Solstice 2018. Why? Because I can do it here. Never before have I been in a location where the first rays of sun are apparent at 3-something AM.

I am a morning person. I get up with the sun and the birds. Perfect mornings for me begin at 5:30 AM. That happens for a few months of the year in Northern California. And then it slowly descends into the hades of late fall and Daylight Savings Time. You can imagine how thrilled I was when the sun woke me up at 4AM. The problem is, I never get enough sleep.

It also doesn’t get dark-dark until after 10:30PM. Five hours of sleep is not what my body needs. Then again, I tell myself, I don’t have to be at work, don’t have any appointments to make, and if I get a little spacey from lack of slumber, who cares?

But I do wonder if I would ever be able to adjust to minimal night-time. I had always thought that the folks up in the polar region had the best of it; nearly 24-hours of sunlight in the summer. I do well in bright sun, really well. The same cannot be said for grey skies and diminished hours of sunlight. I might be able to go to sleep at the correct hour – after all, it would be equivalent to taking an afternoon nap. It’s the early morning sun that would not allow me to stay in bed. I grew up hearing rise and shine as the early morning tinges of daylight crept though the window. I feel like a sloth if I get up by the time the sun is bright in the sky; not that I ever do that.

One has to remember that all this glorious daylight will be supplanted by an equal number of days of gloom and darkness. However little winter daylight one gets in California, it’s nothing compared to what they get in England. I won’t bother going into the climate differences and the other reasons this would not be a long-term country-of-choice. For now, it’s all about sunshine and ancient history.

All kids in America grow up reading about ancient civilizations, but it remains a completely abstract idea. If you are on the west coast, a one-hundred year old building is old. Find a coin from 1902 and you’re thrilled. I ran across an old beer can buried in the dirt a few months ago and actually saved it. And then you come to a place like York.

I am not equipped to write about the history just yet, if ever. All the bits about the city’s 2000 year history I have taken in over the past week have become a cauldron of historical data swirling around in my head. And that’s just fine with me. I know that York had Romans, and Saxons, and Vikings, and Tudors, and this church and that church, and conquerors, and tradesmen. I can’t remember if I have heard anything about witches, but I’d bet they figure in here at some point in time.

Often, when I am out walking, I come to a dead stop and gaze at the buildings and the street. I’ll touch an ancient Roman pillar and marvel that it had been carved centuries in the past. Or stare up in disbelief at the York Minster’s Great East Window – the largest medieval stained glass in the country.  It is totally incomprehensible that it could have been erected in the 15^th century.

As usual, I get lost every single day wandering through the twisty turn-y streets that encompass the center of York. Possibly, if I paid more attention to where I was walking, I might get my bearings. But I am constantly distracted by the quaint buildings and cobblestone streets, and imagining the lives that have passed along these same routes for centuries.

Tonight I will be up until at least 11PM. I don’t like to miss an hour of the solstice. Maybe tomorrow I will be able to stay in bed until 6 in the morning, but I doubt it. Why waste sunlight when you don’t have to?