From the Tees to the Humber, a ride along the Yorkshire Coast and back
Paddy's Hole to Spurn Head
For some time now I have been contemplating riding the length of the Yorkshire Coast and back, (a mini end to end if you like). I put the idea to my mate and he was all for it. Arrangements were made,B & B's booked, Permissions from spouses sought and obtained and then we were set to go. We opted to ride North to South because the leg from Whitby to Paddy's Hole at the mouth of the Tees is quite challenging and we felt that we should tackle that first.
Day 1, Whitby to Teesmouth & return.
Distance 57.2 miles Alt gain 3970ft Weather Sunny at first, rain later.
We met at our usual meeting place before setting out on the first leg of our jaunt and were very soon into the first major climb of our trip along the Yorkshire Coast and back. My trip almost came to an early end then, when a council refuse vehicle forced me into the grass verge as we were climbing Lythe Bank. Fortunately no harm was done and so we continued on our way. A few more miles and we were climbing again, this time up Old Boulby Bank to the radio mast which, standing at 669 ft just happens to be the highest point on the East Coast of England. The climb was well worth the effort though just for the view over Staithes and along the coast. A few minutes more and we descended the steep hill into Skinningrove, I can never make up my mind whether 'The Grove' is a seaside town trying to be an industrial village, or the other way around. Falling somewhere in between, Skinningrove is not pretty, but it has an excellent beach. The next place of note was Saltburn where we avoided the notorious climb up to the town by riding around the sea wall and making for Marske by way of a cycle track through some allotments and a housing estate. The route passes a cemetery 'St Germains' which contains the remains of Capt Cook's father who died not knowing that his son had been killed shortly before. We were now on level ground as we followed the coast to Redcar which is definitely a seaside town, though like many, it has fallen on hard times. However, the local council is making an effort to improve matters with various improvements in the town. A couple more miles brought us to the South Gare where we decided to stop for our packed lunch and we had the pleasure of watching a ship enter the Tees, seemingly only a few dozen yards away. Our trip back to Whitby was by the same route, stopping for an ice cream on the way. About 6 miles from home we were caught in a heavy rain shower and recieved a thorough soaking, but being so close to home we did not bother with waterproofs and just pushed on. As we descended Lythe Bank we ran into a tailback of traffic and discovered that there had been an accident and it appeared as if a cyclist had been involved. It looked quite serious with a number of emergency vehicles present and the scene screened with a tent of some sort. Perhaps it was not as bad as it looked because I have not seen any mention of the accident in the local paper and nobody that I have spoken to about it seems to know anything. Whoever it was I wish him/her well, A sombre end to a great day.
Click on photos to open
Day 2. Whitby to Bridlington
Distance 55 miles Alt Gain 2,600 ft Weather Mild with sunny spells
At 09:00 we met at my house where my Mrs had cooked a full English for us to start our days ride and about an hour later, fully fortified, we set off to join the Cinder Track for Scarborough which was about half way to our destination. Most of the riding surface is quite reasonable but I could not but help noticing that the only tarmac sections are at either end where locals walk their little doggies, while the section towards Ravenscar certainly shook my fillings loose because it was so rough. By the time we reached Scarborough Mal was ready for his caffein fix so we stopped for coffee & cake at a greasy spoon on Ramshill Road before carrying on along the South Cliff to Cayton Bay. From here much of our route to Bridlington was on or near the A165 which is quite a busy road. Fortunately there were cycle tracks and minor roads to keep us away from most of the traffic. As we passed through Filey I had the misfortune to have a visit from the puncture fairy so we lost a few minutes while I changed the inner tube, but we were soon on our way again. After that we made good time through Speeton, Bempton & Flamborough and on to our destination for the day at Bridlington. We found our B & B easily enough but were a little surprised to find that many of the properties in the area appeared to be in a very poor state of repair but ours was fine and the host, 'Harry' was very welcoming indeed.
Day 3. Bridlington to Withernsea via Spurn Head.
Distance 64.5 Miles Alt Gain 910 ft Weather Overcast, a little sun, cooler.
This was going to be a longer day for us because we intended to cycle all the way to Spurn Head before returning to Withernsea where we had planned to spend the night. During the course of the day we covered 64.5 miles but only climbed 910 ft which is only a little more than I climb on my 5 mile commute to my part time Job. The volume of traffic was also very low so we had no trouble cruising along at almost double our usual pace and in what seemed to be no time at all we stopped at Withernsea for a short break on the sea front where we had a sandwich. Our final leg to Spurn Head was more of the same, Level roads and little traffic, and before we knew it we had the Humber Estuary before us and Licolnshire in the distance. To get to the end of the peninsular we had to take the service road which serves the Lifeboat station and the Humber VTS building from where the shipping in and out of the port is controlled from. The road itself was badly damaged during a tidal surge in December 2013 and a whole section was washed away and never repaired. As a result we had to take our bikes along the beach for about 1/2 mile before regaining the road. Besides the missing section othe parts of the road were several inches deep in wind blown sand which made it impossible to ride. If I ever return to Spurn I think I would find somewhere to leave the bike and proceed on foot which in any case I think would be a much better way to see the area. After we had wondered around a little and taken some photos, it was time to head for our digs for the night and eventualy, home
Days 4 & 5. Home via Bridlington
Weather Changable Distance 99.2 Alt Gain 2882
Our journey home was to be over a similar route to the outward trip. On day 4 as we approached Hornsea we overtook an old lady on her bicyle making her way to do her shopping. I have no idea what here age was but I reckon she could have given me at least 10 years or so. A few minutes later, Mal, for some reason stuck out his right arm and turned right into what turned out to be a cul de sac. Natuaraly, I followed. Once we had discovered Mal's mistake and were waiting to turn back onto our correct route, our little old lady , sweetly smiling, pedalled serenly by. A little further on we approached a junction and again, took the wrong turn, we realised our mistake and turned round just in time to see the same old lady parking her bicycle outside the local butchers shop to do her shopping. Hanging our heads in shame we went to look for some coffee. We had a little time in hand and decided to push on through Bridlington and visit North Bay at Filey before returning to our B & B but as we passed along the seafront it began to rain and by the time we got to Sewerby we realised that we were in for a soaking but we pushed on regardles. A little later the chain on Mal's bike came off and jammed in the rear mech (not for the first time) so we spent a few minutes in the rain sorting that out before carrying on to North Bay where more to get out of the rain for a few minutes than anything else, we had yet another coffee in a rather unwelcoming cafe before going back to our digs. Harry, our host was most sympathetic when two wet bedraggled cyclists arrived dripping pools of water all over his front porch. After unloading our bags, Harry sorted the bikes for us while we went to our respective rooms for a very welcome hot shower. The following morning dawned bright and sunny so after our breakfasts we loaded up and set off for home. Neither of us fancied the noise and bustle of the A165 again so we decided to miss out on Filey and head North by way of Hunmanby before rejoining our outward route at Cayton Bay and onward to Whitby.
End of a great few days. (Taken on Whitby Viaduct)