In the footsteps of Captain James Cook,RN

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Thursday 25th June
In the footsteps of Captain James Cook RN
We Kiwis should consider ourselves very lucky that Capt Cook spent time charting the waters of New Zealand and returning to England to tell of the country he had mapped and explored.If it hadn’t been Cook then who knows perhaps we would have been speaking and living some other European language and culture today!!
We have both looked forward to this day for years as Cook in a way is a bit of a hero to us and having been to many of the places he landed in New Zealand over the years it was going to be interesting to see where he grew up and learnt his trade.
So it was an early start to the day and full and hearty breakfast after our visit to the market on Tuesday.
We were ready for the road by 8.30am as we are expecting that there will a lot to see today and we will probably cover up to 400km in total by the time we get home again.
Whitby is situated on the east coast of England a little further north of Settle so we decided to do a northerly course on the outbound journey(hang on I am starting to sound like a sailor and we haven’t left) and then come by a more southerly route.
We started out on the B6479 to the Ribblehead Viaduct which we had walked around last week.The weather was good in Settle but you could see at the higher altitudes that the low cloud made things a bit darker blocking out the sun.It seems the current weather system is bringing in low cloud from the east until the sun warms the day and burns it off.Not unlike what we sometimes get with a wind off the sea from the east at home.
Gretchen reckons she had heard trucks rolling through Settle during the early hours of the morning and we thought we might meet them on the narrow road as we headed up towards the viaduct.We did meet a few but at least that was on the part of the road that was wider and by the time we made Horton-In-Ribblesdale where there is a very narrow bridge that goes at right angles and a similar railway underpass,the trucks had disappeared.They must have been coming from somewhere below the town and joining the road we were on.
The B roads are not made for large trucks and they area also not designed for people to park their cars even on one side of the road as passing by when you have opposing traffic becomes an interesting exercise where making eye contact with the other driver is a good policy to avoid any embarrassment!!
There were only a few cars parked at the viaduct this morning although we were early and perhaps people will come out in force a little later when the sky clears.
We turned onto the B6255 which climbed further up the valley.The temperature reading on the outside of Renee Renault(hereafter to be known as RR)dropped to 12C after starting out at 18C when we left Settle.
The map describes the area as a Moor,the name of which used to conjure up a desolate place in our minds before we came to this country.However,while it does has have a desolate look it is also very beautiful with scenery that stands out especially when the clouds are rolling overhead.
We only passed a few farm houses on the road as it wound its way down to the bustling market town of Hawes.After several miles of little or no habitation the sight of a town was welcoming in an odd sort of way.
I had plans to take an unnumbered road to connect to the B6270 from Hawes but we missed the sign and had to do an about turn to find it.This hasn’t happened too often and it is a testament to the well signposted roads in the UK that have seen us on the right road more often than not.Our only request would be to whoever looks after the signs to make sure the foliage is cut back from the signs more often!!!
The road took a steep climb up from the valley and then as it levelled out the small wall on the right hand side of the road disappeared revealing a sharp drop if the car left the road,which we had no intention of doing.We then arrived at the summit of the Butter Pass and with mist swirling at the higher levels there was time for a quick photo/video stop before the chill at 11C got to us.No wonder the sheep don’t get shorn that often in these upper parts!!!!
We had taken this road in search of a village called Crackpot as these odd names interest us to see who lives in there.
The road descended very sharply and a sign indicated a grade of 25%,a grade we had not experienced before in the UK.At one stage as we descended the articles on the back seat all moved forward such was the angle of the car to the road.
Once we reached the valley floor we passed through towns such as Muker and Gunnerside.We passed road signs that stated the road was not suitable for long vehicles and how right it was as the road snaked its way the villages built for horse not motorised traffic.
Then came Crackpot which turned out to be a collection of 3 houses across a small stream.We didn’t see or meet any of the locals in our short stay so we cannot say if they are “crackers” or not!!
The road followed on further down a fertile valley until we reached the A6108 and turned towards Richmond.
It was time for a stretch of the legs and Richmond turned out to be a much larger and interesting town than it first looked.There was a lot of history there with the remains of a Friary in a park and a Georgian(from that royal period) style theatre still in use today.
There was also a substantial castle above the town square that looked worth a visit but we opted instead to go down a trail to the river and follow it down to the old railway station now converted for a number of varied businesses to operate including a micro brewery and a twin cinema.
The building had been restored to a very good condition after trains ceased here a number of years ago and we must say we were impressed with what had been done to it to make it the attraction it is today.
As we crossed over the river bridge there was a sign giving the history of this part of the river where in days goneby women who contradicted their husbands were tied to a stool and given a good dunking!!!!Gretchen reckons the shoe would be on the other foot today with all this woman’s lib stuff!!
Time was ticking on so we left Richmond behind and started on a more cross country course to the coast south of Middlesborough at Saltburn-by-the-Sea(can you imagine what it must be like writing your address each time if you lived in this town).
Here there was a wide sandy beach that was probably the best we have seen in the UK so far.The weather was warm with a breeze off the North Sea and although there was no one in the water there were dozens of schoolchildren on an outing enjoying the fresh air and sunshine.
We decided lunchtime was due and so found a park on the esplanade that gave us a god view of the beach and headland and ate our lunch of sandwiches enjoying the view.
The road then followed the coast closely rising and falling giving views of the North Sea from time to time until we reached the seaside village of Sthaite.At first we almost didn’t see the tourist sign that indicated that this village was where Cook had started his apprentiship as an 18 year old.So we made a turn after we had passed through the outskirts of the upper part of the village and drove down the hill towards the sea.
We saw the next important sign too late and carried on down the steep hill to the part of the village that was at the seashore.
In the days when this village was being established the mode of transport was foot or horse and cart and the very narrow and still cobbled road was not designed to take cars.The sign had read that there was no parking in the seaside part of the village!!And as we drove further through the narrow street and encountered other vehicles that had not read the sign either we wondered how we were going to be able to turn around and drive back to where we needed to park at the entry to the village on the top of the hill.
As it turned out a good 4 point turn and Gretchen got RR facing the uphill again and we were off.
So we walked the steep road back to the village and strolled amongst the rows of narrow two storied houses where Cook worked his early years.The house that he lived in with the man who he was apprenticed to has been designated by the National Trust.
With the afternoon rolling by it was off then to Whitby the town we associate more with Cook as it was where he spent much of his life and also where the ships he sailed on his voyages of discovery were built.
We made for the harbour to find the area alive with hundreds of holidaymakers and the car parks full almost to overflowing.We hadn’t expected the town to be such a popular place to holiday or visit.
We strolled along the inner harbour although it was hard to picture what the atmosphere would have been like in the 1700’s with all the modern day holidaymakers milling around.One of the things that has occurred here in more recent years is the addition of amusement parlours so we found ourselves trying to avoid our eyes of them as tried to soak up and imagine what the harbour basin would have looked like when Cook lived here.
There is of course a statue to Cook standing proudly on the headland looking out to sea and we noted that there were inscription plates on the base from both the NZ and Australian governments given at the time of the 200th year anniversary of his first voyage.
Despite the unexpected holidaymakers in the harbour basin area we felt fulfilled in our visit and brief exploration of the harbour and we headed further south with the idea of dropping in on Scarborough before turning west and driving home.
Gretchen had had the notion that Scarborough was a delightful English seaside town and although there were some grand looking houses as we drove down to the South Bay and Harbour her thoughts on the town changed when we saw the seemingly endless amusement parlours and tacky shops selling stuff only holidaymakers starved of a close seaside to their usual home would want.This place was not what we imagined so we didn’t stay long but took the road that would take us two thirds of the way west back across England to Settle.
After passing through numerous small market towns or villages we stopped at the town of Thirsk in the large market square and after looking at the pubs on offer chose the Blacksmith Arms for a couple of half pints to slate our thirst before we took on the last 40 or so miles to home.
The Blacksmith Arms has gone to the top of our list of most authentic pubs we have visited as the interior was so original with a ceiling so low in parts that I had to stoop for fear of cracking my head.
Once we reached the outskirts of Skipton we knew we didn’t have far to go and we arrived home just on 12 hours after we had departed in the morning.
It had been a long but another very memorable day and satisfying that we had immersed ourselves for a brief time in the footsteps of Captain James Cook RN.

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Photos

The Butter Pass near Hawes
On the way to Whitby

Road to Crackpot
We couldn't find anyone to see if they were crackers!!

Richmond Railway Station
Now the trains no longer run here several small businesses including two cinemas operate from the station

The Friary,Richmond
Or what is left of it

Seaside village of Staithes
Where Cook started his apprenticeship

Coastal town of Whitby
Home of Cook before his voyages of discovery.Also the town where the Endeavour was built

Cook's statue(plus seagull)
In Whitby above the harbour and looking out to sea(the seagull would not move whatever we did!!)

The Busby Stoop B&B
One for our very dear friends in Welly,the Busbys!!They are even naming B&B's after you!!