Egton

Whitby's crowd has thinned out since the Bank Holiday Monday, when we arrived on Sunday it was even difficult to get into the car park, but not difficult to park near the cottage in Flowergate.  So the desk unloaded fairly easily.  Next day taking the bed down was fairly easy and so the desk is installed in the attic and the computer has a home.  Sadly the computer is having problems, though it works normally on most stuff, little things keep happening, my Microsoft Word has disappeared, photos won't load up and icons refuse to reveal their source, all annoying.  Maybe I need a new computer, spent £100 last year on having the programme taken off and then reinstated, so it would probably be cheaper to get another laptop in the end......

Yesterday went for a drive after shopping, took the little lane down to Grosmont, whenever I am tempted by cottages in the country, this lane always tells me another story.  It clings to the side of a fairly steep deep valley, and is a bit of a roller coaster ride, the gardens of the occasional cottage cling to the side of the valley. Absolutely beautiful of course, and especially late spring with little lambs gambolling around and cowslips in the hedgerows.  We did not stop in Grosmont, a small stopping station for the steam train but went on to Egton; wide green verges back on to an ideal Yorkshire village with neat houses of Yorkshire stone. Sat outside the Wheatsheaf, and watched the house martins wheel and dive in a clear blue sky.  Next to us a company of sparrows flew in and out of bush busily doing sparrow work.  The landlord said that inside one of the rooms in the pub it sounds like an aviary for they occupy spaces within the roof.  The pub which was also very pretty, seemed to have had the old village school attached.

The moors are dark, dark brown, from Horcum Hole, and there has been a big fire on Fylinsgdale Moor, so a blackened charred landscape greets you on the left, this, believe it or not, was caused by a spark from the steam train which I mentioned earlier.  The train can be seen cutting through the ravine that dissects the moor at this stage - dramatic landscape.

Monday evening we wandered down to the quay, along the arcade centres on the front, and then had a cone of chips from the Magpie.  People were of course queueing to go inside the restaurant, mostly people eat the fish and chips from this famous restaurant, but it offers a whole menu of different fish with new potatoes and vegetables or salads, it is a  pity this side of the business is somewhat neglected.