Tuesday 24 May 2016

A meal by the sea

Nothing quite beats a day at the seaside. Whitby is an hours drive from us and when it is a sunny day I always begin to think ...paddle,sea,sand.... and when you get there it isn't as warm as it is in land and the sea is cold and the sand gets between your toes. But one thing that never fails to disappoint is the Magpie Cafe - proudly stand overlooking the harbour decked in black and white. In fact inthe dusking light it could be said to stand regally .While others come and others go you can always be sure of the best seafood on the table. It was my cousin's birthday and I could believe she had got to the grand old age of 58 and never been. Monday evening at 8pm in May you wouldn't have expected to queue .But it wasn't long before we were sat down and eagerly awaiting out chosen dishes.  I know how much choice they offer, so pre-warned is pre-armed and I had advised Gillian the night before to scale the menu via the internet. There is nothing worse than you knowing what you want and the rest of the party dilly and dallying about.  Gillian opted for a medley of hot seafood, while I went for 2 starters  the risotto with scallops  and salt and pepper squid. Never had oysters before ,that had to be remedied, I ordered one for Gillian and she dutifully got it down .In fact she decided


she quite liked it after a bit of face pulling - she always was a picky child eater !
Lets say the finally plate says it all ...and no there wasn't a pattern on the plate but what had rested before on it was truly delicious. And now the Magpie has another convert - not that it took much doing .

Tuesday 10 May 2016

A Day Out

            
A ride over the Moors to Robin Hoods Bay and Boggle Hole and back in time for tea

Quaint cottages, narrow alleyways bursting with maritime and local folklore

On your way into to Robin Hood’s Bay pay a visit to Old St Stephen’s, a church dating back to 1822 with commanding views across the coastline. The church’s interior remains virtually unaltered since it was built. Look out for the memorials to shipwrecks and maidens’ garlands

Then stroll outside and wander through the tiny passages imagining those times when houses were said to be connected by cupboards or tunnels in the cellars. In fact, legend has it that a smuggled bale of silk could pass from the bottom of the village to the top without leaving the houses. 

For a great rundown on the village’s smuggling history and the richness of the local life venture into the Robin Hood's Bay Museum, housed in what used to be the Coroner's Room and Mortuary. 

Wander down to the Old Coastguard Station which is now home to the National Trust’s Visitor Centre and find out more about the rich marine life in the bay. Around 170 million years ago Robin Hood’s Bay would have been a deep sea bed and today you can still find evidence of the creatures that would have existed back then, including dinosaurs.  

Pick up a Tracker Pack from the Coastguard Station and go on a fossil hunt on the beach once the tide goes out. The pack also contains information for carrying out a rockpool recce and a route map for a two kilometre walk along the bay and cliff path to the delightfully secluded cove of Boggle Hole


Boggle Hole, so-called as it was said to be a hiding place for hobgoblins, is also an amazing place for rockpooling and fossil hunting. Hidden Horizons can take you on a guided hunt that may well turn up some dinosaur prints as well. 

Tuesday 3 May 2016

River Rye Project

Went along to Chopgate the other night . A meeting organised by Tom Stevenson from the North York Moors National Park . Between 2017-2019 there is a large grant available so anyone who has any interesting facts to tell about it should get in touch with Tom.  We are in this area as the Little Holbeck which runs at the bottom of our garden into the Holbeck, which feeds into the River Rye, is all part of it . I have told Tom to get in touch with my dad has we had an old brick works on our land as it shows on old maps and some other intersted facts due to the land being farmed by the Monks of Byland Abbey centuries ago. There was some interesting discussion and it will be good for history to get it all logged beofre it is too late . Amy Thomas did a sterling job taking noted