Robin Hood's Bay

Last Friday, we decided to have a day out. The weather is slowly turning to autumn so we're trying to make the most of every sunny day we get. Mick was supposed to be working but when we saw the sunshine after a couple of very bleak days, he took the day off. I'm glad he did as the rest of the weekend was a bit of a washout.

About five miles south of Whitby on the Yorkshire coast lies the old fishing village of Robin Hood's Bay. Where the name comes from is a mystery as there's no evidence to show that Robin Hood ever visited the village.

It was a little misty as we drove over the North York Moors and though it was still misty out to sea, the village itself was bathed in sunshine.

There's a very steep hill from the upper village to the lower and the road is narrow, just one car wide in places.

It's interesting if you go off the beaten track with little ginnels and snickets creating a maze through the back streets.

You really could get lost among all the alleys which run between the buildings.

It's such a great place for exploring as you really don't know what you might find. Take this particular alleyway, what do you think the building is on the left?

It's a second-hand bookshop. Yes, there are even shops, cafes and tea rooms to seek out if you stray from the main road.

I love all the old cottages, each one so individual. Robin Hood's Bay has been used by smugglers and it's thought that some of the cottages have underground tunnels which lead to the beach.

A view of the beach.

Parts of the beach are rather rocky rather than sandy.

There's lots of rock pools. This beach is popular with fossil hunters as ammonites and belemnites can be found here.

Archie was happy there was somewhere for him to cool off.

Archie always enjoys a walk on a beach.

There's a free museum in Robin Hood's Bay which has collections and displays of local interest. We didn't go in as we had Archie with us.

Tea, Toast and Post, the old Post Office is now a lively cafe, bar and gift shop.

Dollies sweet shop. This has been the village sweet shop since 1928.

Browns Chocolate Heaven. I'm not sure how I resisted this shop. There's a good selection of shops in Robin Hood's Bay selling everything from jewellery comprising local jet to locally produced craft gin as well as plenty of gift shops where you can purchase a souvenir.

As we were walking back we encountered two vans on the bend ahead, wide enough for just one vehicle. One was driving down, the other was driving up. Each had a couple of cars behind them so it wasn't easy for either of them to reverse. The village came to a standstill whilst they watched and listened to the expletives each of the drivers spat at each other. I'm not sure how it was resolved as we left them to it, but we did see a couple of the cars further up the hill attempting to reverse, not an easy task on a hill so steep.

The moors were still bleak as we drove home, a shame as it's usually beautiful at this time of year with the heather in bloom. It definitely wasn't shown at its best on this particular day.

As I looked out over the moors a steam train suddenly came into view heading towards Goathland Station.

I had some company. Sheep have grazed the moors for hundreds of years.

It's been a while since we last visited Robin Hood's Bay, I wasn't sure how Archie would manage the steep hill but he did remarkably well, though he did make straight for his bed when we arrived home!