North Yorkshire - August 2001

A short stay in Malton involved visits to Scarborough and The North York Moors Railway. This was in the midst of the foot & mouth epidemic. The National Park authority were spreading outrageously misleading but cunningly factually correct info about the countryside being 'open as usual.' The best one was the case of the forest walk 'open as usual' but actually completely re-routed to be entirely on roads!?  With the countryside firmly closed, Scarborough and the railway made a welcome interlude.

Scarborough

Scarborough is a great place. It's just the right size, and is easy to get to, without being swamped with visitors, (although it does get quite busy.)  The town rises up a very steep cliff, with several cliff railways. Take some time to explore the back streets and alleyways around the castle and the harbour - very few visitors leave the sea front and the main road from the station to the coast.
 
 

The castle keep. The castle is well worth a visit and the entry fee includes a very good audio guide. More about the castle in a future gallery!	The road from the castle down into the town.
The harbour is quite quiet is a big contrast to the amusement arcades that surround this area, below the castle cliff. Some of Britain's best value half day cruises and speed-boat trips go from here. I wonder about the insurance?	The lighthouse in the harbour. Very urban, for a lighthouse.
The beach. The harbour is in the distance.	The Grand Hotel, Scarborough. This building is truly grand. It is huge. Because it is built on the cliff, there are an extra couple of floors on the front side. The building is far too big and parts of it are in a very poor state of repair. Imagine if it became like the hotel above St Pancras station? [Note - that comment was made before the start of the exciting work to restore St Pancras station and chambers. It will soon be the bustling international London rail passenger terminal.]

The view from the castle is amazing. This photo is made from 7 separate images and covers approximately 200+ degrees.  This is much reduced in size and quality  - but is still very big - could take a little while
 

Note - If you have a recent version of Internet Explorer, the picture above will shrink  to fit your window after you open it. Hover and click   to see the full image after opening it.

More from Scarborough in a future gallery.
For now - why not take a look here - http://www.bbc.co.uk/northyorkshire/features/gallery/scarborough.shtml ?

 

The North York Moors Railway

The North York Moors Railway runs between Pickering and Grosmont, where there is an interchange with the 'mainline' to Whitby. It passes through some beautiful moor-land and is ideal for walking in the forest and moors, (when open.)  Here's a few pictures. (A few more to come in a later gallery.)

Don't know much about steam trains, but this is one.	Levisham station.
I'm mot good at getting pictures from steam trains, it all ends in soot.