The Yorkshire Coastline

The Yorkshire coastline is stunning to say the least.  My pal Lyn at Everyday Life reminded me that I had not visited Bridlington for many years.  So on Saturday, hubby and I decided that a trip to the seaside was in order.

Brid (as we Yorkshire folk call it) had been one of the places that I had taken many a holiday as a child.  Since it's heyday, the town had slipped into decline (like a lot of English seaside towns) but the town is slowly getting back into it's stride, cleaning up it's act and once more is a fantastic place for families to enjoy it's beautiful beaches and some great old fashioned seaside fun.

 The beaches to the north and south of the town are stunning and easily accessible.   To the north, chalk cliffs start to appear.

 A couple of land trains work the promenade's and cliffs  - I have very fond memories of these from my childhood.

 Sewerby Hall on top of the cliffs is a great Edwardian House worthy of a visit.  We didn't have time today, but I think we may a camping weekend in Brid next year (as there was so many things we didn't get time to see).  The Hall houses a collection of Amy Johnson's possessions.  I remember seeing some of these when I was little and being captivated by them.

 We wandered over the cliffs to the Danesdyke - a truly magical place with a stunning beach.  We made a mental note to explore Danesdyke more thoroughly on our future visit.

 The cliffs eventually  take you to Flamborough - I was recently really annoyed when listening to Chris Evans on radio 2 (a sign that I am getting old!!) when he had seen a photograph in a newspaper of Flamborough and he admitted he had never heard of it.  Get out of London more Chris!!

 After our longish walk on the north side, we walked through the town to the south beach where some good old fashioned seaside fun was being had....

 ... and we watched the lifeboat being winched back in.   Unlike places that have a slope directly from the shore to sea, Brid's lifeboat sometimes has to be dragged into the sea by tractor as the tide can go way out.

 At the end of our day, we didn't want to leave, so we did a 10 minute detour in the car to see the birds at Bempton Cliffs.  The RSPB has a centre here, but when it is closed, you can still access the cliffs and the observation platforms and view what they call a "city population" of sea birds.

 I was miffed to have missed the Minke Whale - that would have truly made my my day!

 But the jaw dropping spectacle of these amazing cliffs teeming with thousands upon thousands of stunning seabirds was awesome enough.

 The Puffins have all gone, but the Gannets are still here making an almighty racket!

 The signs told us that their heads get more yellow in mating season to make themselves more attractive.  Gannets also have one mate for life.

 The babies eat so much that when they are ready to fly, they are too heavy, so they slide down into the sea and float around for about 10 days until they have lost some weight!

 Again, we need to revisit here with more time.

 The views from Bempton up to Filey and Scarborough are utterly beautiful.  You can just make out the "keep" of the Scarborough Castle on the photo below.

I'm already studying the diary to see when we can go back!