North
Yorkshire Heritage Coast
Description:
The heritage coast runs the length of the North York Moors National
Park, as far as the old smuggling village of Saltburn, almost on the
outskirts of Middlesbrough. The coastline is a dramatic one of rugged
cliffs dotted with small fishing villages.
The Cleveland
Way National Trail runs the entire length of the heritage coast, and
provides exhilarating walking along the cliffs. Wildflowers abound along
the clifftops, particularly cowslips, wild violets, and knapweed.
The cultural
centre of the heritage coast must be historic Whitby. The town is home
to Whitby Abbey, established in 657 AD by St. Hilda. A relative newcomer
is the parish church of St. Mary's, one of the finest Anglo-Saxon churches
remaining in Britain.
It was
at the Synod of Whitby in 664 that the Celtic and Roman branches of
the Christian church met to hammer out their differences, which resulted
in the triumph of the Roman tradition. On a more literary front, Whitby
Abbey is also famous as the place where Bram Stoker's Count Dracula
landed when he first came to England.
The cliffs
around Whitby provide another of Whitby's historic treasures, the rich
black rock called "jet". Jet has been mined and carved here
for centuries, and at the Whitby Jet and Enamel Workshop visitors can
see craftspeople at work and purchase jewelry made of the rare mineral.
The cottages
of the fishing village of Staithes hug tightly to the cliff-side above
the harbour. In 1745, 13 of these cottages were swept out to sea in
a ferocious storm.
The National
Trust resort village at Ravenscar is perched on cliffs some 630 feet
above the sea. Ravenscar was a Victorian development intended to rival
the seaside resorts of Whitby and Scarborough. The scheme never came
off, but the visitor centre in the town gives a notion of the original
vision. The dramatic location of Ravenscar gives wonderful views across
Robin Hoods' Bay to the old smuggling village of the same name.
Area
Countryside attractions:
North York Moors National Park
The smallest of the National Parks, the North York Moors
comprise a high plateau bounded on the north by the Plain of Cleveland
and on the south by the vales of Pickering and York. On the north
and south the moors are etched by deep valleys, or dales, and the
eastern boundary of the park ends in a spectacular coastline.
More
...
Cleveland
Way National Trail
The Cleveland Way is a walk of contrasts. For most of its route it runs
through the wild beauty of the North York Moors National Park. Reminders
of a colourful past abound along the trail, from the remains of the
marvelous Cistercian abbey at Rievaulx to the ruins of Roman signaling
stations that dot the coastline. More
...
Attractions
in North East England
Maps:
OS Landranger series #94
Top Links:
Yorkshire
Coast - from Yorkshire Net
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