epilogue

Yorkshire, England - Epilogue

Where we didn't go posted in January 2016

Before our trip to England in October 2015, the planning stage had resulted in an over-supply of scenic destinations.

Once back home I thought about the places we didn't see and in January 2016 found public domain images to demonstrate how scenic they are. All images below are from the web.

Scarborough - The original Scarborough Fair began in 1253 under a Charter approved by Henry III. The fair soon thereafter turned into a 45-day trading event which (according to Wikipedia) attracted merchants from all over England, from what we now call Baltic & Scandinavian states, and, from other European ports-of-call. The annual Fair tradition lasted a little more than a hundred years and then began to diminish in duration & importance.

In the 1600's, acidic natural springs as found along the coast were advertised as having tremendous healing properties, and Scarborough became a premier spa-resort town, and still is today. Guidebooks say that Scarborough can be extremely crowded on 80 or 90 degree F days in June and July, and, don't try to drive into town or park there. A few miles outside of town are park & ride lots, and taking the bus is the most stress-free means for getting into town.

Scarborough Castle is a Royal fortress dating back to the 1100s and its worth taking a walk up there to see good views of the beach and the town.

note - you can enlarge any part of a picture by left-clicking in and then out again.

	wide view of Scarborough		another look		summer crowds with Castle looming above		the Castle
		on a less crowded day		rental bath houses

Whitby is another popular coastal town for Yorkshire visitors.

in the distance you can see the famous steps to the Abbey				shops & restaurants are at lower right		199 steps from town to Abbey
	another Abbey sacked by Henry the 8th		tiny beach to the north		North York Moors historic railway leaving Whitby
2014 Tour de France, stage one		annual Goth festival, see note 1		the inspiration for Dracula? see note 2		early morning at Whitby

note 1 - Whitby hosts popular annual Film and Goth festivals, playing on the Dracula theme, during the peak tourist season in June or July.

note 2 - Dublin, Ireland born Abraham "Bram" Stoker wrote Dracula in 1897, a story influenced by his visits to Whitby, by his research into Eastern European legends & mythology.

Bram Stoker (1847-1912) was from Dublin, Ireland. He attended Trinity College, Dublin, and worked for a few years in the Irish Civil Service, on the side establishing his credentials as a Theatre critic. Through fortunate circumstances, he met and gradually became a friend and stage manager for Henry Irving, the outstanding English actor of his time. Irving occasionally took plays (and players and and stage sets) on tours of US & European cities.

Irving bought the Lyceum Theatre in London, had it renovated it, and for the next 27 years Stoker managed the Lyceum Theatre, while Irving was its unquestioned artistic director. In his memoirs Bram wrote that he saw Irving play Hamlet at least 800 times.

On the side, Bram began a writing career, eventually getting 13 books published, mainly fiction. Dracula was released in 1887 and was a small success for him, but he would never have guessed that its popularity would really explode decades later, on the stage and then on the silver screen.

(Info above here is from Wikipedia or from Something in the Blood, The Untold Story of Bram Stoker, by David Skal, 2016, Liveright Publishing Corp, N.Y. which I read in fall 2022.)

Robin Hood's Bay - While no one knows for certain where the town's name comes from, history certifies that this was one of the most active smuggling ports in the UK, on the North Sea, during the 1700s & 1800s.

Legend has it that smuggled goods could be off-loaded from ships and transferred to horse-drawn carts on the outskirts of town at night, "without ever seeing the light of day", supposedly through a series of makeshift basement connections and tunnels.

Legend also indicates that parts of the old town have occasionally fallen off the face of the cliff-like terrain, into the sea.

Is this a colorful & atmospheric or even romantic destination? It is indeed, a bona-fide tourist hot spot. In the summer it is reported to be jammed with cars & people. The incredible setting IS the big draw, as are the fish & chips, if you can only find a seat at the few waterside cafes.

the town from the north		view over the heather from the south		it IS a marvelous setting		lot of Inns here
	steep hills and evident erosion		the shops (artwork from the web)		fish & chips with a view
low tide		another web artwork image

Swaledale, upstream of Richmond, is an area known for classic Yorkshire Dales scenery.

near Muker and Keld		falls on River Swale		bikers		Swaledale
			rusticated barns		sheep and a red grouse
town of Gunnerside				in fall & winter
	in the heather in August				all images are from the web (and are security scanned)

Impressive Durham Cathedral was on our destination list too until I read at our rental house guide that photography is not allowed inside. You can only purchase a fixed set of slides. The trip required about 2.5 hours of train time, each way, too.

Durham Cathedral is set in a dramatic landscape, surrounded by the River Wear & the old Medieval town. It is considered to be 'one of the finest Norman structures in England'. The intricate design & coloration of columns is an architectural reference to early Christian, or Eastern Orthodox Churches at Constantinople.

Legend has it that not a single structural or architectural change of any kind has been made since the 1130's when the Cathedral was completed. Had we gone there, we might have found out whether this is true or not.

	Durham Castle & River Wear		Cathedral & Castle		completed in 1135
		Norman columns		see walking note below

note - I read in a guide book that every morning at 9 am, a Church-lead walking guide and tourists take off for an hour's hike around the town and along the river. Durham is a small back-water town, maybe worth a two night stay. The town supposedly has a great "old world" feel and can be completely explored on foot. But the Cathedral and the Castle have limited access; the Church often has (Anglican) services, while the Castle is bound-up with Durham University buildings.

Finally, here are images of historic trains operating on the North York Moors Railroad line, an 18 mile trip through the Moors from Pickering to Whitby. The railway operates mainly during the tourist season and by October, service has dropped to weekends only. This was not one of our destinations, but I like seeing these old engines, kept in good working condition & being used to bring joy to people of all ages.

I admit that coal burning trains like the ones shown here are contributing to global warming.

	train ride through the Yorkshire Moors		Moors' heather turns purple in August
				the Sir Nigel Gresley, see below		Groathland Station

Scotsman Sir Herbert Nigel Gresley (1876-1941) designed the fastest & most elegant steam locomotives in railroad history, in particular the Flying Scotsman (100 mph) and the Mallard (126 mph), which engines are shown on the webpage for the National Railway Museum, on our last day in York.

Nigel Gresley held the position of Chief Mechanical Engineer for the London and North Eastern Railway, and later for other railway companies. His train engines "set new standards for comfort, speed, and safety", and in 1936, he received an Honorary Doctorate from Manchester University, and, was Knighted by King Edward VII for service to the Crown. (from wikipedia)

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