11 May 2008

Coastin'

The last two nights were spent here:



In a traditional cottage in the tiny village of Cropton. The cottage is a funny contrast in mod-con and old-style housing. You have a brand spanking new kitchen and ditto bathroom, but you must remember to bend down to get from one room to another, lest you fancy close contact with a several foot wide plaster wall.

The local village pub provided two delicious dinners for us. And I don't mean fish wrapped in newspaper - apparently the Gordon Ramsey wave of fancy pub food has reached the upper north-east, as we had fantastic meals both nights. My only complaint was the North American size servings, which I felt compelled to finish.



Day one was spent looking for dinosaur fossils at Sandsend Beach:



And fish in the tidepools at Robin Hood's Bay:



Neither endeavour was crowned with success, though we did find several fossils of shellfish and a hermit crab for our troubles.

Lunch time was spent in and around the beautiful seaside town of Whitby, an old whaling town that is experiencing a big boost in tourism.



The town has a large and sandy beach, framed by small colourful shacks used by townspeople as their cottage on the water.



Day two was yet more exploration, much to the chagrin of the boys who seem to have a one-day-limit, before they need a day off to recuperate from sightseeing with their beloved DSes and perhaps a game or two of goof tennis.

Still, we persevered, visiting the white chalk cliffs by Flamborough Head, which are nesting grounds to millions of birds. This was quite a sight, even for cranky and hot kids, who were tired of walking.



Final stop on our way back to Ripon was Sutton Bank, which is the site of a massive white horse cut out of the chalky limestone cliff and visible from as far away as Thirsk in clear weather. Not realizing we could park directly underneath the horse, we parked some distance away, leaving ourselves a good hour long walk. The boys were not impressed, especially since as we finally got there, we couldn't really see the horse at all from our vantage point:



Fortunately, we had to walk past the grassy runway of a tiny cliff top airport, where glider planes were taking off, assisted by an equally tiny propeller plane. It was fun watching the gliders circle the hillsides in the beautiful weather, though the boys' excitement has me more than slightly worried about their future endeavours.



Today is the mandatory day of rest, as implemented by the kids, and tomorrow's plan is to pin Christopher down to get some of his shaggy do trimmed. This could be ugly - wish me luck!

53 comments:

the dragonfly said...

I love the colorful shacks! It looks like you're having a lovely time. I'm so jealous! :)

Beth from the Funny Farm said...

Thank you for letting me travel with you. Those pictures are so interresting!

Happy Mother's Day to you!

Stomper Girl said...

You should have taken me instead of those grumpy children. I would have loved all that. Well, I might have complained about an unnecessary hour's walk...

Nadine said...

"lest you fancy close contact with a several foot wide plaster wall. " LOL!

I LOVE those little colored cottages!

This blog will be so awesome for you to relive this trip!

Victoria said...

The little colored cottages are adorable!

Ahhh - DSes and shaggy hair. I know those well. Good luck with the pinning-for-a-trim. I've been unsuccessful this month. =)

Karen MEG said...

Heidi, this photos are fabulous!!!!

We are loving these shots, especially the ones with the boys. Ian cannot get over how sweet they look in that shot (and how cute is B-boy, so cool with the "Pirates" on display LOL!)

Have a wonderful Mother's Day, my friend!!


Karen xoxo

PS good luck with Christopher...we'e going there sometime this week with L-ster too. Ugh.

Aliki2006 said...

I can't believe these pictures-they're beautiful and so evocative.

Good luck with the do trim!

dawn klinge said...

Happy Mother's day. I enjoyed these pictures so much. It looks like a beautiful place.

Ice Cream said...

I want a tiny, rainbow colored shack on the beach!

Sounds like a great day out in nature. And it is good for the boys. =) And thanks for the reminder that I need to get my wooly boys sheared here pretty soon.

thirtysomething said...

Oh, how wonderful. Sublime in fact. thanks for taking us along with you in the way of pictures. I am enjoying them immensely!

Happy Mom's Day!

Kellan said...

What fabulous pictures - beautiful places!! Those little shacks are so cute! Looks like you are having so much fun - I'm glad. Happy Mother's Day, Heidi - Kellan

Jenn @ Juggling Life said...

I totally want to go there--you capture it beautifully.

We just go with shaggy around here-it's called the Surfer Look.

kim-d said...

♥HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY♥

Oh, Heidi...those pictures!!! How beautiful (and how darn cute, in the case of bare-little-boy-chest B-Boy--nothing cuter than a bony little boy chest) the coast is...I would be jealous, but right now I'm just glad I "know" someone who shares pix. I think Shaggy C looks pretty cute as is, but it will be fun to see an "after" pic :)--IF you are able to get him pinned down!!!

Lisa said...

Great pics and descriptions Heidi! I think the hair looks cute...he looks like a cute California boy!
Did you not pack enough shirts for B? ;)

Anonymous said...

Happy Mother's Day Heidi!

Annie said...

Happy Mother's Day.

Was it just me, or did I see a wonderful absense of rain?

Queen of the Mayhem said...

You truly lead SUCH an amazing life!

I am glad you share it with us!


Just imagine the memories your children with have with them for the rest of their lives!

Happy Mother's Day!

theotherbear said...

Love those little shacks by the beach. Sounds like a fabulous few days!

Nora said...

Oh! I love it! I'm totally in love with England and am not there at this moment, so this is lurvely for me to read. Thank you! And happy Mother's Day!

painted maypole said...

oh, your lucky, luck, international children

Laski said...

Amazing . . . seriously amazing!!!

Have a wonderful, wonderful Mother's Day!

kimmy said...

Those "shacks" are so colorful! Thanks for the wonderful photos and good luck with the haircut!

Kimmy

E said...

So I want to know if they are talking much about coming "home" to Canada. I use quotation marks because I sense that they have learned that home is wherever you all are together.
But are they excited about coming back? Are you?
What are the re-entry feelings like?

Misty said...

You visit the most beautiful places. I loved these pictures. It is like getting postcards!

Jennifer said...

Gorgeous, gorgeous, gorgeous! Those colorful cottages at the shore are so fantastic. And I think "fish in the tidepools at Robin Hood's Bay" is now on the list of things I must do in my lifetime.

I've so loved traveling "with" you. :)

Cathy, Amy and Kristina said...

Beautiful!! And I love those cottages.

Kellan said...

Hi Heidi - I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day! Hope you are doing well and having fun! See you - Kellan

She She said...

Looks like your having a great time. Wonderful pictures.

Happy Mother's Day!

Melissa said...

Just looking at those pictures made me sooo relaxed! So peaceful and sunny. I reminds me of Isle of White (I think that is how it is spelled) I took a holiday there and it looks like like your photos. Oh I hope you guys are having fun!

MamaGeek @ Works For Us said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
MamaGeek @ Works For Us said...

Okay, in case you got my first comment, that was somehow paste from another blog window. ANNNNYYYYWAYS.

This little adventure was again beautiful and I HOPE you make a hardcopy blog photo book out of this entire adventure for your coffee table.

Kat said...

Mandatory rest, indeed! I'm exhausted reading that. You really crammed a ton in to a few days. Wow!
It looks beautiful. And that pub looks so quaint!

Steph said...

Hope that you got your day of rest in! You definitely are fitting all of the adventures possible into your extended return trip home. Looks like a fabulous time!

Amy said...

Great pics!

Melissa said...

You asked about the Family Moment Mondays I am hosting... well I have started Family Moment Monday so I can share some wonderful family time tips. Anything from good family games, to family appropriate movies, to service projects that the kiddos can learn from. I have done it myself for a little while, but hopefully this coming monday I am going to open it up to anyone who wants to join in and post something too. Hopes this helps :)

Caffienated Cowgirl said...

Ugh, you are making me homesick for England! We had a great pub just up the road from our house that served the best food...although the local chip shop was equally good :)

Unknown said...

Oh, those white chalk hills are amazing! YOu are seriously making me road-trip hungry. What an amazing family adventure!

Mary Alice said...

Thank you for sharing the photos. I love to have the chance to "go along" on your adventures.

Christie said...

Gorgeous, gorgeous pics. Thanks for sharing!

Don Mills Diva said...

You have no idea how much I am living vicariously though you these days - thanks!

Kyla said...

You guys make me so jealous! LOL! Gorgeous photos!

Anna-b-bonkers said...

Wow! Seriously you guys know how to have a good time! The place where you stayed sounds so neat and the exploring, awesome!

I hope you had a great mothers day!

Anonymous said...

Adding "living in a colorful beach shack" to my list of things I want to do in my lifetime.

Your boys are so lucky. They'll realize that when they are older and the DS doesn't have the same mystic qualities. :)

Beck said...

Oh my gosh, I am breathless. You are so lucky.

Anonymous said...

Coastal living looks like the way to go. From the pub to Whitby to the shacks on the beach. It all looks wonderful and I so wish I could follow in your footsteps and travel right now.

Anonymous said...

How wonderful! We only get to travel once a year and always to the same place (although it is a good one). We have a friend who is just lovely and lets us share her condo at Captiva Island. It is utter and complete heaven. I love every moment and only think of home when we are nearly back in our driveway and even then I just close my eyes and try to wish myself back on that beach!

Not that I don't totally dig our house. It's great! But vacationing is just super.

Blessings!
Lacy

Barrie said...

I am so loving sharing your travels. Thank you!

Heidi said...

Those cliffs look terrifying and beautiful at the same time. I love those colorful cottages on the beach, they are soo cute.

Mighty Morphin' Mama said...

Gorgeous photos as usual! Love the glimpses of your adventures.
Hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day with your family.
take care!

kelly said...

can i tell you that i'm seriously jealous. you are definitely living my dream. love all the photos... especially the one with the beach shacks. lots and lots of fun!

Amy Y said...

The next time you decide to go on a trip like this, can I please sneak in your suitcase? I promise to lose 20 lbs before I do :)

My gosh how pretty it is there! It looks like you are having a blast!

shay said...

um..I know I've said this before, but you guys have an awesome life!

What fun! Even if there weren't enough game boy moments lol.

Laura said...

I am so envious of your adventure...thanks for sharing.