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Caption: Toby's Travels A Dachshund Visits North Yorkshire
May 2017
Caption: In early May my bags were being packed again as I accompanied the Humans for a week in North Yorkshire. It is an area of the country that they had been to many times but this was to be my first foray north.
On the way up we spent a few hours exploring the remains of Fountains Abbey, a Cistercian monastery near Ripon.
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Caption: This abbey must have been enormous!
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Caption: Hmm, I wonder what's down here?
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Caption: An attempted #doortrait, only I wouldn't look at the camera and it's obvious that Human is behind that pillar!
Caption: After a long day of travelling and exploring we were excited to arrive at Forge Cottage in the pretty market town of Helmsley. We could not have asked for a more welcoming or cosy place to spend a week.
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Caption: On Saturday we stayed close to home and explored Helmsley.
Dominating the town's skyline are the ruins of its medieval castle. Initially constructed of wood in the 12th century, it was greatly altered by the de Roos family during their two centuries of ownership.
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Caption: It was sold to Richard III but he preferred to stay at the nearby Middleham Castle. After Richard's defeat at the Battle of Bosworth (and subsequent burial in a car park 😂) the castle was returned to the de Roos family by Henry VII. However, within 30 years this family had died out.
Caption: During the Civil War the castle was held by the Royalists before being surrendered to Parliament. After the surrender the castle was slighted - a deliberate act that seeks to render a fortification useless as a fortress. The mansion, however, survived.
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Caption: In the late 17th century a politician and banker named Charles Duncombe bought the castle and after his brother-in-law inherited it, the castle was left to decay and a new country house was built overlooking it. The castle is now cared for by the English Heritage and is exceptionally dog-friendly!
Caption: After our explorations at the castle we needed some sustenance and this was provided at a lovely cafe called The Cocoa Tree. Not only did they let me inside, but the owner gave me some bacon and ice cream! It was delicious. HuGrandad went for a weirder combination, fruitcake and Wensleydale. Human has still not recovered from the sight or thought of this!
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Caption: When in Yorkshire.....
Caption: As a town we found Helmsley to be very accommodating towards its four-legged visitors. Lots of shops gladly welcomed me in, including Fat Face, the Duncombe Park shop, a jewellers, a lovely doggy shop and Elijah Todd, a newsagents with two resident mini wires of its own (Dexter and Poppy).
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Caption: Helmsley Market Place
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Caption: The previous two days had been filled with events from history and this was to continue on Sunday, only this time it was more modern conflicts that we would be focussing on.
Caption: Eden Camp Museum is on the site of a World War II prisoner-of-war camp and housed (at different times) Italian and German POWs and served as accommodation for Polish forces.
In 1987 it opened as a 'Modern History Theme Museum' with each hut on the site explaining a different aspect of, predominantly, WWII.
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Caption: Trying out an air raid shelter.
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Caption: Experiencing an air raid...Human thought this would be too scary for me so I waited outside with HuGrandad.
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Caption: On Monday I was told that I would be taking my first ever ride on a train, and not just an ordinary train, but a steam train!
Caption: The North Yorkshire Moors Railway runs between Pickering and Whitby. The line originally opened in 1836 but was one of many routes declared uneconomic by Dr. Beeching and closed in 1965. Just two years later a preservation society was formed and by 1973 services were being run between Pickering and Grosmont. It wasn't until 2007 that trains ran regularly to Whitby.
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Caption: I really wasn't sure about riding on a train and had to snuggle for the entire journey.
Caption: Goathland Station has been used extensively in film and TV (indeed, the ITV series Heartbeat was filmed in the village). We recognised it as being Hogsmeade Station in the Harry Potter films.
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Caption: What shall we call this one? A #milkchurntrait maybe!
Caption: We awoke to yet more grey skies on Tuesday, but at least the wind had dropped, so we decided to be brave and headed to the coast.
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Caption: In its heyday, Scarborough's beaches would have been crammed with holidaymakers, but not so on a chilly May morning!
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Caption: I still don't fully understand the sea. Here I am trying to be King Canute!
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Caption: To get to the town I experienced another new type of transportation...the cliff tramway. I didn't like that much either.
Caption: After sniffing out a dog friendly cafe for a spot of lunch (Emma's Coffee Lounge) it was time for a trip on an open-top bus along the sea front to the north bay. Oddly enough, given my views on trains, I do enjoy a ride on the bus.
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Caption: One of the most well-known attractions at the north end of the resort is Peasholm Park. Opened in 1912, the park is heavily influenced by Japanese culture.
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Caption: Nearby is the North Bay Railway, a miniature railway that runs for just under a mile. It looked like great fun but, given how I hadn't overly enjoyed the previous day's journey, the Humans decided today that we would just be spectators.
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Caption: All aboard!
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Caption: My plan for another run on the beach was scuppered by the high tide.
Caption: Apart from on Friday, the weather had been rather grey and cold, but on Wednesday we finally awoke to cloudless blue skies. Determined to make the most of the glorious weather, we set off for Whitby.
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Caption: Whitby has many famous landmarks including the Abbey, the whalebone arch and the 199 steps. We began with the steps!
Now, being a short dog with a long back, steps are far from safe or practical for me, so Human had to carry me up all 199 steps! She could not run to the top, unlike Dracula.
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Caption: Thank goodness for the benches...although apparently they were originally resting places for coffins!
Caption: The view was most definitely worth it, though. From the top you have sweeping views across the town and out to sea.
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Caption: From the top of the steps it is just a short walk to the remains of Whitby Abbey. A monastery was founded on the site in the 7th century by Hild. What we see today is what's left of the 13th century gothic-style church.
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Caption: There were lots of opportunities for various #ruintraits (is that what we should call them?!) Unfortunately I'm not as obliging as my friend Harris (@copperline) so most of them had to be passed on!
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Caption: Rocking my @slumberinghound lobster bandana.
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Caption: After a quick visit to the tea rooms it was time for me to be carried back down the 199 steps to the town! We made our way along the quaint Church Street and over the river to the west side of the town.
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Caption: Unsurprisingly there were yet more steps for me to be carried up as we ascended the Khyber Pass (yes, that is actually the name of the road) to reach the Whalebone Arch.
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Caption: An arch has been on this site since the middle of the 18th century, recognising the importance of the whaling industry to Whitby at the time. The present bones were erected in 2003.
Caption: Also on West Cliff is a monument to Captain Cook, who trained with a shipping firm in the town before joining the Royal Navy. Contrary to how it looks on the following photograph, not helped by the sun being in the wrong place, he is not having a crafty cigarette - I think he's holding a compass.
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Caption: Another day, another Cistercian abbey! By the end of the week it is fair to say that I had become quite a spiritual sausage. Thursday was another fabulously sunny and warm day. After a potter around the town of Thirsk (famous for being where the real James Herriot had his veterinary practice) we decided to visit Rievaulx Abbey.
Caption: Founded in 1132, Rievaulx was the first Cistercian abbey to be built in the north of England. This order originated in Burgundy and sought to follow the Rule of St. Benedict, the blueprint for monastic life.
Days were long with monks rising at 1.30am and retiring at 8.15pm in the summer. The surroundings were austere as the order favoured simplicity.
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Caption: Shrine of Abbot William, the first Abbot of Rievaulx.
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Caption: Pretending to be monks!
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Caption: We can't finish this story without a shout-out to the amazing dog-friendly pubs, cafes and tea rooms that I was welcomed into during the week.
There is a list on the following page, but you might need to scroll down (we visited a lot!)
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Caption: HELMSLEY
The Cocoa Tree (treats provided)
Porters Coffee Shop
The Royal Oak (biscuits given)
PICKERING
Olivia Rose (treats provided)
GROSMONT
Hazelwood Tea Rooms
GOATHLAND
Goathland Warehouse Tea Room (I got a sausage here!)
SCARBOROUGH
Emma's Coffee Lounge
Peaches 'n' Cream
WHITBY
Crumbs N Cobbles
THIRSK
Bliss (I got a sausage here too)
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Caption: Holidays are so tiring...I need another to recover!
THE END
