I have again started to explore the mighty north east of England. It is one of the beautiful parts of the country you can visit.
As usual, I have used the local bus this time again to explore. It is very cheap and enjoyable as you will see the nice and beautiful countryside while exploring by bus. So to start I took a bus from my home to Newcastle Eldon square. I have bought a Day Explorer Ticket by asking the driver which will cost you £10.90 with unlimited travel by local buses in the northeast and Tyne and Wear Metro and shields ferry as well. If you are planning to go with your family it will cost you £20.60/day where you will be allowed ( 2 adults and up to 3 children). See the map below of the travel area it covers.
So from Newcastle Intu Eldon square Bus stop” A ” you take bus X9 or X10 towards Middlesbrough. It will take around 1 hour 45 mins to travel to Middlesbrough. Here is the timetable of the Bus X9/X10- https://www.gonortheast.co.uk/services/GNE/X10
Once you have arrived at Middlesbrough you take the connection bus to Whitby. There are 2 options. You can take the X93 max bus or take bus from Middlesbrough to Whitby and then take X94 towards Scarborough. Here is the timetable of X93 bus – http://getdown.org.uk/bus/bus/x93.shtml. And the timetable of X4 bus to Whitby. http://getdown.org.uk/bus/bus/4-x4.shtml. Bus X4 will take longer to Whitby. It is around 2 hours journey by bus from Middlesbrough to Robins Hood’s bay.
Lets get some information about Robin Hood’s Bay.
Robin Hood’s Bay is a picturesque old fishing village on the Heritage Coast of the North York Moors. It is a fantastic place for adults and children alike with a beautiful family (and dog !) friendly sandy beach, as well as rock pools to explore and ancient fossils to discover. Wandering through its narrow, twisting cobbled streets and alleyways, you can easily imagine the sailors and fishermen, smugglers and press gangs that walked these streets hundreds of years ago. Today it is a vibrant village, with a wide range of cafes, pubs, restaurants, small shops and places to explore, as well as many stunning coastal and country walks, cycle-paths and bridleways right on the doorstep.
There is a wide range of high quality accommodation in the and around the village, making Robin Hood’s Bay a great place to stay for a few days. With easy access to both Whitby and Scarborough, together with other parts of the stunning North York Moors National Park and Heritage Coast, where better to stay for a short break or a longer holiday.
Smuggling History of Robin Hood’s Bay
The town, which consists of a maze of tiny streets, has a tradition of smuggling, and there is reputed to be a network of subterranean passageways linking the houses. During the late 18th century smuggling was rife on the Yorkshire coast. Vessels from the continent brought contraband which was distributed by contacts on land and the operations were financed by syndicates who made profits without the risks taken by the seamen and the villagers. Tea, gin, rum, brandy and tobacco were among the contraband smuggled into Yorkshire from the Netherlands and France to avoid the duty.
In 1773 two excise cutters, the Mermaid and the Eagle, were outgunned and chased out of the bay by three smuggling vessels, a schooner and two shallops.A pitched battle between smugglers and excise men took place in the dock over 200 casks of brandy and geneva (gin) and 15 bags of tea in 1779
Robin Hood’s Bay is built in a fissure between two steep cliffs. The village houses were built mostly of sandstone with red-tiled roofs. The main street is New Road, which descends from the cliff top where the manor-house, the newer houses and the church of St Stephen stand. It passes through the village crossing the King’s Beck and reaches the beach by a cobbled slipway known as Wayfoot where the beck discharges onto the beach.
The cliffs are composed of Upper Lias shale capped by Dogger and False Bedded Sandstones and shales of the Lower Oolite.
The Wine Haven Profile near Robin Hood’s Bay is the Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) of the Pliensbachian Epoch (183,0–189,6 mya), one of four chronographic substages of Early Jurassic Epoch.
The headlands at each end of the beach are known as Ness Point or North Cheek (north) and Old Peak or South Cheek (south).
I have really enjoyed my journey and I wish you will too. It is my little initiative for the people in my community who want adventure and sometimes can not afford to see the great places because they do not have Car and an extra advantage for my lovely elderlies to use their Freedom Bus pass ( Free Bus pass) to explore the nostalgic beauties of the north of England. Please leave your comments and any questions you have regarding this journey. It can be the other way round if someone wants to visit my beloved Newcastle from Whitby or Middlesbrough they can follow the route as well. Thanks- MD
