2020: Year in Review

I fully intended for 2020 to be ~my year~. For the past few years, things have been unpredictable in my life due to my health. At the end of 2019, I felt that I was finally in a position where I could manage my condition enough to start rebuilding. I had so many plans for work, skills, social life – man, I’d even planned to do something on my birthday. I’ve heard similar sentiments from a lot of people this year, and I think a lot of people’s big plans were scuppered in 2020.

Despite spending most of the year in lockdown and in the midst of a pandemic, I still managed to get some things done and have a few experiences that I value so much. I did begin writing this post in chronological order but soon got fed up. Instead, I’ve sorted stuff into categories to make things a bit neater.

Covid-19

No 2020 recap will be complete without mentioning Covid-19. The biggest and fastest-moving pandemic the world has seen since the 1918 Spanish Flu, the whole planet started to grind to a halt as country after country was brought to its knees by the virus.

The year has been a weird one. We’ve all been in a semi-suspended animation, with all of our plans put on hold indefinitely while the crisis was dealt with. When Boris officially shut most everything on March 23^rd, I started having long walks (anywhere from 3.5-6 miles at a time) away from people in the countryside, and trying to keep productive as well as maintaining my mental health. I got a newfound appreciation for where I live because there’s a lot of open space where you can get a good walk and keep your distance appropriately. We were blessed with insanely good weather for months, which was a small silver lining. More exercise and more Vitamin D for us!

It was a scary time, especially as I have family in the NHS. As well as worrying for their safety, I also got to hear some horrible insights from the front lines. There was uncertainty, limited social contact, financial stress, and more. It’s had a marked effect on everyone and I won’t be surprised if it takes some of us a long time to recover, both physically and mentally. On the bright side, I did get my Yearly Purge done in record time.

After the rules were relaxed a bit and infections predictably shot right back up, a second month-long lockdown began in November. So I was back to walking outside again, having only just gotten back into a routine of going to the gym (I’d like to note here that my gym was really brilliant about hygiene and following the rules). This time it was walking in cold, grey and often wet weather which was a drag but made for some lovely early-morning misty photos.

As of writing, I haven’t gotten Covid myself, though I know plenty of people who have. My heart goes out to the people who have lost so much this year – family, friends, loved ones, jobs, homes… The list goes on. As the vaccines have become available, I’m hopeful that the end is in sight. We still have to follow the rules and there’s still a fight ahead of us but with any luck this will be under control eventually. My request to the universe is that we don’t have yet another historically significant event for a little while. Please, we’re very tired.

Travel

In January, we were all blissfully unaware of how serious things were about to get, so I spent the beginning of the year looking forward to my long-planned trip to Tokyo. I am so lucky to have gone for many reasons – our amazing half-price deals, the oncoming pandemic, being able to save enough money to pull it off, etc. Tokyo was literally the number one place on my wanderlust list, and I’ll never get over my amazing trip there. If you haven’t read the blogs yet, definitely do it because it took me forever to write them. I can’t wait to return one day and explore more of Japan.

In September, between lockdowns, I had my little trip away to Yorkshire with my mum and stepdad. Again, have a read if you haven’t already – the blogs for this trip ‘only’ took two months to write. It was nice to get away after being stuck at home for around six months. I also got to visit Whitby, another place at the top of my list, which was magical.

Work

In January, I left my volunteer position at English Heritage in order to focus solely on getting back into paid work. I had big plans about getting a job and finally learning to drive, then Covid came. Suddenly, a lot of people had lost their jobs and were in the market for a new one, making things more competitive. A lot of places stopped hiring entirely while they rode out the pandemic. It was really bleak.

Having said that, though, I did manage to apply to a few jobs throughout the year. Unfortunately nothing came of these applications, but I’m ready to redouble my efforts in the new year.

Poe & Mochi

My darling hamster Poe passed away in January, from old age. I was absolutely devastated and I still think about him all the time. He was such a comfort to me in the last couple of years, when things have been really difficult. I’d never met such an eccentric hamster who was as grumpy as I am. He was just lovely, truly one of a kind and I’ll miss him forever.

For some months, I didn’t have any interest in looking for a new hamster. I did eventually want another one, because having a tiny furry friend is good for mental health, but losing Poe was so crap that I couldn’t handle being attached to another animal just yet.

When I was ready though, there were no hamsters anywhere. Pet shops had stopped bringing in stock, as they weren’t allowed to sell live animals during the lockdown. There were plenty of independent breeders in the north of the country, or closer to London, but nothing reasonably near me.

In October, I struck gold. I called a local pet shop and they told me they were getting hamsters in and that they would be available that weekend. I got to the pet shop at opening time, as they’d warned me it was first come, first served. Apparently hamsters had been selling out on the same day they were put out on the shop floor – I know lots of people invested in pets this year, so I can believe it.

After an agonising decision (I wanted every single hamster, but that was not practical), I found him. A tiny ginger-and-white boy with bright red eyes, running like mad on a flying saucer toy. I named him Mochi, after a snack I’d really enjoyed in Japan. We got him home and left him alone to settle into his cage.

He did not give us his love easily. I had to be really patient, as he took forever to tame. Usually, we’ve been super lucky with hamsters and gotten them more or less trained within a couple of weeks. I’ve had Mochi for a couple of months now, and he’s still not entirely there yet. I can now pick him up and kiss and cuddle him, which he completely forbade before, but I still don’t trust him enough to take him too far from his cage. But I adore him – he’s hilarious, energetic and just darling. It’s nice to have a pet in the house again.

Health & Fitness

I started calorie counting in mid-August and I’ve lost 24lbs (10.0kg) so far. I still have a ways to go (and I probably put on weight over Christmas – I haven’t dared to check yet), but I’m really pleased because I’m getting on well with it and I haven’t sacrificed anything that I like to eat. I’m just being way more mindful about my intake, and exercising as regularly as I can. I feel lighter and stronger.

My Birthday

This year, I actually had the beginnings of a plan for my birthday. This was momentous as I never really bother doing anything on the day, and only occasionally will go out around the time. I was determined to go to London and meet friends and enjoy myself, but the world had different plans. I had a nice day, but it still sucked to be stuck at home and unable to see anyone. I imagine this is the story for most people, considering how much of the year was taken up by stupid Covid.

A quarantine birthday selfie

Writer’s Block

Can you even call yourself a writer if you don’t constantly have writer’s block? We’re so temperamental and inspiration never strikes conveniently. I used to write all the time, every single day. Now I’m lucky to even get 1000 words out in one sitting. It’s annoying as all hell, and something I’ve been trying to combat.

I was beginning to succeed at the beginning of 2020 - I’d just started to work out some techniques. Being a passenger in a car or bus and writing on the Notes app helped. In fact, any change of scenery seemed to make a difference. I started frequenting a local indie coffee shop and writing in there – for some reason I could focus more in that sort of atmosphere. At home I begin to get distracted very easily, so I tried Write or Die, which had some success. I always used kamikaze mode, in which pausing causes what you’ve written to unwrite itself. I also tried several speech-to-text apps, thinking that just talking it out and then tidying it up would help. However, there isn’t a lot of accuracy in this method.

When the Covid lockdown began, I couldn’t travel freely or sit in coffee shops anymore so my writing stagnated again. As a result, it took me until October to actually finish writing my blogs about the Tokyo trip. I felt like the worst writer ever.

Lately, my approach has been to write the second I ‘feel like it’, and to continue writing until I get fed up. This means that my self-set deadlines are often thrown out and I just have to go with the flow. Luckily I’m not writing for anyone, and I don’t exactly have a huge audience waiting with bated breath for my next post. Maybe with time writing will come easily to me again. I hope so.

Christmas

I felt weirdly festive about Christmas this year. I think that was the case for a lot of people because of the crap year everyone’s had. People did seem a lot more Christmassy e.g. putting up their decs early, lots of singing and wearing novelty Christmas clothes, and I saw a lot of random acts of kindness leading up to the day. It was a really nice atmosphere – even Mariah Carey didn’t annoy me as much as usual.

We couldn’t have all of the family over – there’s usually up to 13 adults, 3 kids, 2 toddlers and a handful of dogs in our home during Christmas and that was way above the ‘6 people maximum’ rule that Boris had given us. I made sure I got all of my cards and gifts to everyone before the big day, though. 

The news came two days before Christmas that my area would be going into Tier 3 right after Christmas, which meant we couldn’t go to my brother’s house for Boxing Day as we’d planned. It’s already set a bit of a dark cloud over the new year, knowing we’ll be in stricter rules again, but I think it’s necessary and important that we do this.

I still got my Christmas baking on, though! I made some lovely Lebkuchen – I make some every year for my stepmum (who is German), and always a large batch so I can eat some too. I also made chocolate fudge for a couple of my niblings, Jack Daniels fudge for my dad and stepdad, and my traditional Yule Log for the 4^th year in a row. They all came out fantastically and everyone was very pleased, including me.

We had my nan and her partner Alan in our Christmas bubble on the day, so there was only five of us. It was a really nice day, way quieter than usual. We had breakfast at leisure, spent two hours opening gifts and FaceTiming the family, and had dinner later than we normally would because we had the time to relax more. I got some lovely gifts and a decent wedge of money, and I’m so thankful for it all. It was weird not going to my Dad’s for ‘second Christmas’ on Boxing Day, and I miss all of my family very much. Hopefully sacrificing this Christmas will help towards making sure next Christmas can be normal again.

I’m not planning to do owt on New Year’s Eve because of being in Tier 3, so I’ll be drinking sparkly wine and probably not making it to midnight again.

2020 Goals Recap

Here’s a checklist of the goals I set for myself this year, and whether or not I managed to do them. I’m actually surprised at how many I’ve completed fully or partially, considering the circumstances. It’s very encouraging! This year was scary and difficult, but I definitely learned a lot about myself and what I’m capable of under pressure.

Go abroad – I am still pinching myself every day because I got to go to Tokyo. With everything that happened this year, it’s unbelievable how lucky we got. We returned from Japan barely three weeks before the first lockdown began and I’m still so grateful and relieved that we got to have that trip.

Learn to drive - This didn’t happen. Thanks again, Covid-19. However, I did begin the process at the end of the year when I got a theory test book and started studying for it. I’ve covered 4/14 of the sections in the book, regularly testing myself and getting others to quiz me, and I’m already doing well in practice tests (both questions and hazard perception). I’m determined to get my licence next year!

Save money as much as possible – Yes! Because I wasn’t out and about as I normally would be, I wasn’t spending ‘random money’ (like buying coffee, picking up things that catch my eye in the shops, etc). So I’ve got a nice bit of savings, as well as a decent amount of money in the bank. I’m hoping to use it for my driving lessons and getting my first car when the time comes.

Get back into paid work – Alas, no. I talked about this earlier in the blog post, but I want to add that I’m currently still waiting to hear back from a job I applied to. So fingers crossed that the New Year brings new work!

Go to the gym three times a week – Through no fault of my own, I couldn’t do this goal. The gym was closed for half of the year! However, I did manage to exercise 2-3 times a week, fatigue allowing. I’m definitely fitter and stronger than I was at the beginning of the year (not to mention slimmer).

Read at least 15 books – I just managed to complete this. Despite being in lockdown and not having a lot to do this year, I found my interest in reading to be a bit sapped. I finished the 15^th book in December, just in time to hit the goal. Here’s a list of what I read:

• Surviving the Evacuation series by Frank Tayell - The Last Candidate, Search and Rescue, Britain's End, and Future's Beginning
• Good Me, Bad Me by Ali Land
• Elevation by Stephen King
• The Institute by Stephen King
• The Warning by James Patterson and Robison Wells
• Billy Connolly's Route 66
• Dead Man's Hand by Mark Lock
• The Defence by Steve Cavanagh
• Autopsy Room Four by Stephen King
• Strange Weather by Joe Hill
• Anno Dracula by Kim Newman
• Haunted Japan by Catrien Ross

Continue habits/symptom tracking – Honestly, I’m going to stop putting this on my yearly goals list, because it’s become a natural part of my life now. I’ve been tracking stuff for like three years, and I find it really useful and enlightening. I will keep doing this for as long as I find helpful. I started working on a new chart book way in advance for next year and it’s minimalistic but cute – I may or may not make a post about it someday.

Do Yearly Purge – Done! As I mentioned earlier, I got it done in record time this year. I had little distraction because we were in full lockdown at the time I did it (March), so it was a breeze. I’m still managing to rid myself of things every year, which is amazing, though all of the stuff I want to get rid of is sat in boxes in the spare room because we couldn’t take it anywhere!

Eat more healthily/cut down junk food – I am calorie counting and staying within my set goals. I’ve learned new, healthier recipes and eat well-balanced breakfasts. I’m definitely eating a lot more healthy food than I probably ever have. I cut down having takeaways to once a week, if that. I still have all of the food I like, just in way more moderation.

Get a tattoo – NO AGAIN. I wanted to get one around my birthday but then, of course, Covid came along and scuppered those plans.

Blog more – I definitely wrote more blog posts this year than I have in a long time, so by sheer volume I did achieve this goal. However, I only wrote posts about the two trips I took. Meaning it wasn’t very varied content-wise. I’ll call this a ‘kind of’ completed one.

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I imagine I’m not unlike a lot of people who are glad to see the back of this year. It tested everyone in so many different ways, and there was so much loss and fear. I really hope that things begin to mend and go smoothly again in 2021 – I wish you all luck in the New Year!

Yorkshire Day 7: Whitby & Robin Hood's Bay

I had an awful night’s sleep. I couldn’t get to sleep for the longest time because I had horrible indigestion, probably due to the food and alcohol I’ve had on this holiday. My body isn’t used to all the lovely rich stuff so it had a tantrum and I felt terrible for hours. I did eventually sleep, but I felt like total crap when I got up this morning. The only thing that kept me going was knowing I was headed back to Whitby.

I managed to scrub up ok, dressing like a goth sailor complete with my new Whitby Jet necklace. We headed off reasonably early, and I was again enamoured by the dark and gloomy moors we had to drive through. One day I will explore the moors properly!

Today it was really cold and grey, suitably moody for my return to Whitby. I almost immediately regretted wearing a dress as the wind was determined to create a Monroe moment for me.

A good brisk walk uphill warmed our bones a bit, but it was even colder up on the west cliff. I was looking for a specific bench, and spotted a row of them up some stairs, looking off the cliff and into the bay. All of the benches were green and had plaques commemorating people, but the specific one I wanted stood out because it was built in a significantly more old-fashioned style. This was on purpose, to keep the bench looking as it probably would have in the 19^th century (even though this one was erected in 1980).

I walked over and the plaque confirmed that I’d found the Bram Stoker bench. Placed at the spot where Stoker was inspired to use Whitby as a setting in Dracula, sitting on the bench offers a dramatic view of the bay and the abbey ruins sitting on the cliffs almost exactly opposite. I sat there for a long while, feeling inspired and timeless, and appreciated the view. Today was much more overcast and gloomy, and it made the whole view so much more atmospheric. I wondered if Stoker had seen it on a day like this. It was a really special experience.

We meandered further around the cliff edge and came to the whalebone arch – a replica of a whale’s jawbone that replaced two real jaw bones that once stood on the spot. It was a symbol of seamen surviving whaling trips and bringing back the bacon (blubber?) in the 19^th century.

There is also a statue of Captain Cook, who was a seamanship apprentice in Whitby before going onto his more famous ‘Endeavours’ (pun totally intended). There were a couple of signs with information about both the whalers of Whitby and Captain Cook, which gave me the facts I’ve relayed here.

The view from this side of the bay is absolutely stunning. I spent a long while just looking out over the water to the Abbey ruins on the other side, and down into the harbour and little town. It’s so quaint, like going back in time – I felt similar to when I first went to the Old Town in Edinburgh.

We stopped at a cute little coffee hut called Clara’s for a hot drink. They had coffee and I went mad and had a hot chocolate. The table we sat outside was tucked in a little corner where the wind couldn’t get us, and the drinks were so warm and delicious. It was so peaceful just sitting there, sipping our drinks slowly and looking out at the grey sea. It was one of those moments in life where you just sit mindfully and take in the things around you, with your mind a pleasant blank apart from how content you feel. We all mentioned feeling this way too, so it was nice that we were all really happy.

There was what looked like the ruins of a house nearby, which we decided to investigate when we were finished with our drinks. It turned out to be a memorial garden for the bombardment of Whitby in 1914, which caused tonnes of damage and took the lives of two people. The garden was created by Whitby In Bloom and the local community, and was unveiled on the centennial anniversary of the attack. It’s a sobering but beautiful memorial piece, complete with a real unexploded shell planted right in the sitting room floor.

Our next stop was Pannett Park, about a ten minute walk away. To get there, we passed through a more residential part of the town. It’s so pretty in that area, especially the houses on the Royal Crescent.

I was gutted when a Trillo’s ice cream van drove by. I had been hoping to find them near the whalebone arch because I wanted to see if they had their pitch-black ice cream available (I’m unsure if that’s just something they do for Goth Weekend, but I really want to try some!), or just try any of their flavours because the reviews are overwhelmingly positive. Whenever I return to Whitby, I won’t rest until I get my goth ice cream!

The reason we were going to the park was to visit the Whitby Museum. I had been worried because it was closed for some time due to Covid restrictions, but luckily they re-opened not long before we made this trip. It was serendipitous because I really wanted to visit. It’s only a fiver to get in, and that’s for an annual pass! The reasonable price was impressive, especially when we went inside and realised that it’s an incredible museum.

Before the main reception, there’s an art gallery which was running an exhibition of pieces by the Flylingdales Group of Artists. The work was all beautiful, but my favourite was a painting of several old ships on a bruised, uneasy sea. It’s called Off Yarmouth by an artist named George Chambers I – having looked him up, a lot of his work is based on boating and the sea, and he has lots of really stunning pieces. Obviously in the gallery, you couldn’t take photos of the art but I had to note this one down to share.

I had thought that the museum was going to be pretty small like most local ones are, but it was surprisingly large and had so much stuff in it. There were ancient fossils that were millions of years old, which was amazing to see. Obviously you’re not allowed to touch them, but the trusting nature of the museum is great because the fossils weren’t kept under glass. This was really cool - you could get nice and close and really study the bones.

My ultimate favourite artefact (and the reason I wanted to visit the museum initially) was an alleged ‘Hand of Glory’. These curiosities are said to be made using the severed hand of a hanged criminal. When a candle is placed in the hand and lit, it will send everyone but the holder into a deep sleep, allowing thieves to come and go without detection. The only way to put out the flame is by dousing it with blood or skimmed milk. That’s the story, anyway.

The dried-up hand in Whitby museum is apparently an example of a ‘Hand of Glory’ that was found hidden over a doorway in a cottage by its new owner. Imagine moving into your lovely new house and finding a withered old human hand! Anyway, the specimen was amazing – you could see all of the bones and tendons through the shrunken, leathery skin. As a fan of all things macabre and gross, it was so interesting to look at and read about. I’ve seen preserved human hands before (relax, I saw them in a museum), but never one with a curious myth attached to it.

There was an extensive collection of Victorian items including jewellery, dollhouses, medical tools (and a random pair of dentures) and art. The jet collection was also large and included a massive, elaborate chessboard carved entirely from it.

Other things in the museum: a massive taxidermy collection, impressive and large ship models, so many cool weapons and military medals, an exhibition on hats and the Staithes bonnet, and a small collection of stuff from Africa, Turkey, China, and Japan.

Towards the end of the museum (if you go around clockwise), there’s a whole section on the history of Whitby which was interesting and a nice touch. Part of this section was a big clay model of the abbey which was handmade by a single artist – absolutely stunning.

I was happy and surprised at how much stuff they have packed in the Whitby Museum. We spent ages wandering around, but I could easily go back again and probably discover lots more things that I overlooked. I really, really enjoyed it, and definitely recommend that you go if you’re in the area.

On the way out, Martin told mum and I to look for the crocodile. Intrigued, we headed to the doorway. He wasn’t hard to spot. A small, taxidermy crocodile standing on its hind legs, with its front feet out in front, holding some cards advertising his Instagram account(!) A museum worker told us that that was Clarence, the museum’s mascot. Mum and I were instantly enamoured with him.

The taxidermy piece is over 100 years old, and stands proudly at the door to greet you. He was wearing a yellow bowtie with a white jumper tied around his shoulders, and looked very dashing. We were told that he gets dressed up in different clothing throughout the year, and that he’d soon be dressed as Dracula for Halloween. I absolutely loved this idea, and wanted to pet Clarence, but you can’t touch him due to his old age.

When we emerged from the museum, we all agreed that we were really hungry and it was time for lunch. We walked back towards the bay to find food. I was amazed when I saw a bakery just for dogs, and I wish I’d gotten some bat-shaped dog biscuits for my pup family back home. Martin soon found an enormous pork pie that suited him fine for lunch, which just left mum and I to make a decision, something we find monumentally difficult.

I had heard great things about Magpie Café, a fish-and-chips place right on the sea wall, so we sought that out. We did find it, but decided not to go in because it was really busy. It was also a bit overpriced, which was a shame. Again when I return to Whitby, I might eat the cost just to see if the food is as good as people say it is.

Mum was adamant that she wanted a baguette for lunch, but we couldn’t find one anywhere. The only place that would have had them was a Cooplands branch, but they’d run out of baguettes already. It was amazing that we couldn’t find such a simple food, and also a waste of time walking around the place.

In the end, we stopped at a café on the harbour side, right near where we were parked. It’s called Endeavour Café, and is a small, simple place. Mum settled for a panini and I had a bowl of cheesy chips, followed by a lovely chocolate brownie. The woman working there was really friendly and the atmosphere was quiet, relaxed and local. It also wasn’t absolutely rammed, so we didn’t need to worry about trying to keep our distance.

Once we were finished with lunch, we decided to leave Whitby as it was getting annoying to move around the place. This is the only issue I had with lovely Whitby. It’s beautiful and perfect, but it gets so busy and the paths and streets are very narrow so things get super crowded very quickly. We decided to stop at Robin Hood’s Bay on the way back from Scarborough. It’s such a cute little place, with a quaint seaside aesthetic. You have to walk down a gigantic hill to get to the bay itself which is treacherous and horrible, but the view from the top is absolutely lovely.

When we got to the bottom of the hill, we picked our way down the slippery cobbled slope onto the sandy bay itself. The tide was out so we weren’t too worried about being stranded on there, though there are plenty of ominous signs telling you to get back up the slope before the sea comes and cuts you off from land. There were a lot of people walking on the beach, but there was enough space to keep our distance as we strolled up the shoreline a bit. There was an ice cream van sitting there on the sand, a pop of pastel colour in the grey day, and I also saw a Husky running around. It was all very nice and whimsical. We didn’t walk for too long or far, as we were very aware of the huge hill we had to climb to get back to the car.

Before starting up the hill though, we stopped at a darling little sweetshop named Dollie’s. As well as sweets, they also sell locally-made ice cream in a variety of flavours. Martin got his favourite rum and raisin, mum got cookies & cream, and I went mad and got two flavours, cookies & cream and cinder toffee, in an enormous waffle cone. The kid making them was really generous with the scoops so we ended up with loads of ice cream. It was also a reasonable price, which is always welcome.

The ice cream distracted me for most of the walk back up the hill. We perched on a wall about halfway up to finish them off. I very nearly didn’t manage mine but my mother didn’t raise a quitter and I powered through. It was too good to waste (or give away)!

As we were slogging up the last part of the hill, which inclines again really suddenly, a guy puttered past on his motorbike. It kept cutting off because it couldn’t cope with the gradient, but he kept doggedly restarting it instead of hopping off and walking it the rest of the way. Everyone was watching his slow progress, and it took all of my restraint not to cheer him when he finally made it to the top.

Robin Hood’s Bay is really quaint and pretty. It has a really old-fashioned feel, still resembling a very local fishing town. I would love to return and explore it more thoroughly one day, but getting a little taste of it today was still charming.

I’m back at the flat now and feeling sorry that the trip is more or less over already! This is the Airbnb we stayed in during our trip. It’s a ground floor flat in a converted Victorian townhouse, so it was surprisingly huge with lovely high ceilings. It was clean and tidy, reasonably priced, and contained everything we could ever need while we were away. The wifi is excellent, the furnishings are comfy and there are three toilets.

The location was spot on – all of Scarborough was within walking distance (if you’re able to walk a few miles to the North Bay), and there are lots of nice little places within half an hour to an hour’s drive. Another bonus was that it was so quiet at night. This was surprising to me because the house sits on a pretty main thoroughfare, and there are hotels and a bar nearby. Perhaps the bedrooms being in the back of the building helped to dull some noise.

I honestly couldn’t fault it, despite my constant teasing about my ‘hallway bedroom’. If you’re ever looking for a stop in Scarborough, I would recommend the lovely Ramshill Rest. As always, this isn’t a sponsored post or an ad, I just like to sing the praises of places when they’re good.

We’re heading back home tomorrow morning. Scarborough isn’t somewhere I really had much notice for but it’s a real hidden gem, and Yorkshire in general is so ridiculously pretty. I would love to come back to the county, and also this particular area, to explore more.

Yorkshire Day 6: Back in Scarborough

We had a bit of a lie-in today, which I was thankful for. I swear I get fatigued more easily when autumn and winter comes. Martin cooked up the Fortune’s kippers for breakfast with some buttered toast. They stank the whole flat out. I was terrified of the really thin bones when I first cut open my fish – I thought it was some kind of gross hair and nearly lost my mind. On being assured that I could eat the bones and they were fine enough for my stomach to dissolve, I got past the initial fear and tucked in. I’m so glad I did because they were really tasty.

It was a slow start. We took our time with breakfast and cups of tea, then vaguely wandered off to get ready for the day. We didn’t leave the flat until midday, which is unusual for us.

This time we walked south on the Promenade, further than we’d been previously, to find the Italian garden. This was established in the early 20^th century and forms part of the larger South Cliff Gardens, formerly Belvedere Gardens. The sun was out at this point and we’d never been this way, so it was a nice and interesting walk.

There was a little rose garden on the way, but they weren’t as fabulous as they probably would be at another time of year. I think we’re in the wrong season for them to be fully blooming. There are lots of winding paths in this area, so I’m glad the gardens were signposted.

The Italian garden was really beautiful. On either side there are steps and platforms with benches, leading down into the garden itself. The flowerbeds were still a riot of colour, despite the time of year, and in the middle is a large pond with floating lily pads and a statue of the Roman god Mercury. We could hear birds singing and see lots of squirrels gambolling here and there. I took my time walking around and through the garden – it’s not very big but it’s a really pretty and peaceful place. I imagine it’s a lovely place to hang out in the summer.

There was also a magical older woman in the garden, feeding the pigeons and squirrels right out of her hand! The birds would light on her arm and take some of the seeds, and the squirrels came right up to her shoes waiting for her to bring her hand down to them. It was so amazing, and delightful to watch.

We zig-zagged our way down the cliff face in order to walk the long road back to South Bay. I really enjoyed this interlude as we passed some old abandoned buildings and chalets, as well as Victorian beach huts. The itch to explore was great but as I’ve said before, I prefer not to be arrested.

We walked down along the usual seafront, heading for the pier. We’d walked past it plenty of times but never actually gone onto it. As we skirted the harbour and stepped onto the pier, a random Chinook flew by overhead, really low. Everyone stopped to watch its progress as it flew out to sea. I have no idea what it was doing or why, but it was cool to see one so close up.

We walked beyond the little lighthouse to the end of the pier, where there were lots of benches. For a while, we just sat there and relaxed. The weather wasn’t hugely cold so it was nice to just watch the sea. We also saw another pirate ship go by – why are they everywhere here? It was also at this point that I realised I could still taste the smokiness of my breakfast kipper despite having had a can of Coke.

There is a statue standing in front of the lighthouse, called ‘Diving Belle’. I liked the punny name, for a start. It’s a steel statue of a Victorian woman preparing to dive, facing out to sea. It was placed in such a way that it’s framed by the lighthouse and the symmetry is really nice. I’ve since read that this statue is part of a pair (the other being ‘Bathing Belle’), and were made to celebrate Scarborough’s status as the first sea-bathing resort in the UK.

Mum and I wended our way in and out of the gift shops as we headed back down the seafront the way we’d come in. I love a seaside gift shop – it’s mostly the same products but it always brings back nostalgia of family holidays when I was younger, so I enjoy looking at them.

There’s a pub on the seafront that we’d been eyeing all week because it looked really old and cool. It’s called King Richard III (lol, remember when he was found buried under a car park) because it’s said that he stayed in this house during the 15^th century, before he was king. A lot of the building has been refurbished over the years, particularly in the early 20^th century, but some of the original 15^th century ground floor remains, as well as building work from the 1600’s. It had been packed every time we saw it before, so today we took the chance when we noticed it was quiet. It was a really nice place to sit and have a drink – it was dark and cosy inside, and the original rough stone walls were marvellous.

We wanted to get back up to town, so we decided to use the old Victorian tramway. It was built in 1881 and has remained mostly unchanged since then (with regular maintenance and refurbishment, of course). This was another thing we’d had our eye on all week, and – as it’s almost the end of the trip – we thought we’d give it a whirl. It wasn’t outrageously priced at £1.20 per person, and was definitely more fun than slogging up the many steps next to it. I don’t think I’ve ever actually ridden in a cliff lift like this before, so it was exciting and interesting to do so. You can’t fault the Victorians on their engineering chops (or their dedication to death and mourning).

Up in the town centre we stopped at a bakery chain, Cooplands, because I wanted to find some parkin. It’s a sort of oat, treacle and ginger cake that was invented in Yorkshire. I imagined I’d find it in this particular bakery as they only seem to exist in the north. I was in luck – I found a whole parkin loaf in there for £2! I quickly snapped that up to try later on.

We stopped for dinner and a couple of drinks at the Lord Rosebery again. This time I had a big fat burger with chips and it was delicious. It was a lot busier than last time we were there, and we didn’t have the really good table by the window, but it was still a nice time anyway.

When we came home, the flat still smelled like kippers – we had to open the windows for ages to get some of the smell out. I had a big slice of parkin and it was really delicious. Definitely want to try to bake my own at some point!

Again, I’ve just been reading and hanging out since we got back to the flat. This break has been a lot of walking, but also a lot of just relaxing. I’m feeling really good despite the tiredness, and I can’t believe it’s our last day tomorrow! We’re returning to Whitby and maybe stopping by Robin Hood’s Bay.

Yorkshire Day 5: Whitby

I actually got up early and put my face on today. I wanted to look presentable for my first visit to Whitby. We were up and out fairly early as our appointment at the Abbey was at 11 and we wanted to have plenty of time to park up and get up there. The half-hour drive was an easy one, and the views of the North Moors we drove through were very pretty and rugged.
We parked next to the harbour and near the train station. The sun was beaming off of the water and it was a pleasant, ambient temperature. We had to cross the old Whitby Bridge to get to the side of the bay that the Abbey stands on. The bridge is charming, but we were told off as there is apparently a one-way system currently being used (there was no signage, so not sure how we were meant to know this).

The place is absolutely beautiful and everything I’d hoped, except it’s really busy. Even with Covid rules. I dread to think how packed it gets in peak season in a normal year. It did kind of spoil the magic a bit for me, so be prepared for a lot of spatially-unaware people if you plan to go.

To get to the famous 199 steps, you walk up a darling cobbled street, really narrow and quaint. It’s lined with nothing but independent shops and pubs, adding to the local, cosy feel. We spied a few places we wanted to look in later on but for now we had a date with Whitby Abbey.

I lost count while climbing the stairs, but I’m sure they’re not lying about the number of them. I’ve definitely gotten a lot fitter this year as I absolutely beasted the steps (it also helps that they’re shallow in height but wide in foot space). My favourite thing was the so-called ‘coffin benches’ that appear in intervals along the railings. They look innocuous enough, a resting place for people to stop if the steps are too much, but they were actually originally used to rest coffins on as pallbearers took the long march up to the church. It was fine trotting up the stairs by myself, but I couldn’t imagine having to carry a body and coordinate with five other people up them. The coffin benches would have definitely been a useful addition.

I wanted to take a photo looking down on the harbour when I reached the top of the steps. This turned out to be a debacle as there were a lot of people, including two girls who had to take about 8000000 photos of each other in the same spot, so I couldn’t get the nice, clear shot that I wanted. Imagine not being aware of people and space around you and just blocking everyone else’s way/view – couldn’t be me.

A crap-quality photo of one of the coffin benches.

The steps lead right up to St. Mary’s church (yes, another one). It was founded in the late 12^th century, but the interior of it is as modern as the 19^th century. It’s surrounded by a lovely, spacious graveyard with a lot of Victorian graves. We were running early for our Abbey visit, so we took a turn around the graveyard. We walked around the headland and looked out to the bay and the sea beyond. Turning back from the cliff’s edge, headstones led to the church, and the silhouette of the Abbey rose up in the background. It was a very atmospheric place, even if it was still really sunny.

To actually get to the Abbey from St Mary’s, you have to walk around the perimeter of the site to the official entrance. It’s about half a mile, which we didn’t realise until we were there. Thank goodness we were early! We could have parked in the Abbey car park, right outside the site entrance, but we’re cheap and didn’t want to pay more for parking. It was a nice walk, anyway – the sun shone, and we could look at the Abbey from all angles on our way. We passed Whitby brewery and Martin vowed to get some Whitby ale to take home.

Before we went in, we used the only toilet facilities on the site. For the love of all that is holy, please don’t use the toilets unless you absolutely have to. Firstly, you have to pay 20p to get in, but they’re also horrible. They stank and seemed pretty unhygienic. I’m hoping we just caught them on a bad day, but it was unpleasant, and the toilet company sort of has you over a barrel as there aren’t any others available in or around the Whitby Abbey site.

Another mini rant I’d like to have is about people who can’t plan ahead. There was a small group of people arguing with the English Heritage volunteer outside the entrance because they hadn’t pre-booked their visit. Because of Covid-19 English Heritage, like most places, require you to book in advance so that they can carefully control how many visitors are in a site throughout the day. It’s sensible and really not that difficult, but these people apparently hadn’t even looked on the website for info and had just swanned up thinking they could walk in. I can’t imagine being so unprepared – I looked up every place I wanted to visit during this trip to make sure a) they were open and b) I pre-booked anything that required it.

Once we’d shown our tickets and been permitted entry, there’s another trek across a large field to get to the foot of the ruins. You have to take a bit of a long way around, as the marshy field has several ponds dotted around. As we were walking towards it, the sun came out from behind a cloud and lit up the wall we were facing, highlighting the wonderful brickwork. I might have almost walked into a large pond because of the distraction.

I was immediately enamoured. I knew that Whitby Abbey was a beautiful place, having seen many photos and descriptions of it. But, as always with travel, nothing really prepares you for seeing something there in front of you. It’s a surreal feeling, especially when it’s something you’ve wanted to see for almost as long as you can remember.

Me on a mission towards the Abbey.

As we came around to the side of the ruins, there was what appeared to be a stone grave in the ground. I’ve had a look around online and can’t find any information about it, which makes it even creepier. I joked about it being my bed, of course.

The ruins are much larger than they look in photos, and they are absolutely stunning. I kind of feel like the ruins are more beautiful than if the entire building still stood. I wandered around for absolutely ages just taking in all of the details. Many photos were taken, but I’ll only select a few for this post or we’ll be here all night.

Before I continue, I’ll go over some history of the Abbey. Excavations have led historians to believe that the site was settled as early as the Bronze Age, though a monastery wasn’t built until the 7^th century, when an Anglian community settled there. The monastery was founded by Hild, who was later canonised as a saint. The monastery was abandoned during Viking raids, and stayed that way until the early 11^th century when it was revived as a Benedictine monastery. In the 13^th century, the whole thing was rebuilt in the Gothic style you see today. As always, I’ve condensed almost two thousand years of history, so I’ll drop a link to the English Heritage page. Definitely have a read if you’re interested in learning more.

Of course, the reason the Abbey sits in ruins is because of Henry VIII suppressing it in the 16^th century. There’s a bit of a running theme of old Harry ruining everything, isn’t there? A lot of the west front of the site was also taken out by German bombardment in the First World War. It’s actually kind of impressive that so much is still standing.

The Gothic architecture is still stunning and intricate, with added character from hundreds of years of exposure and weathering. I could have sat up there all day – I imagine it’s a lovely picnic spot when there isn’t a global pandemic happening.

No matter which angle you come at it, Whitby Abbey offers dramatic, striking views. Depending on the way the light hits it, it can look bright and welcoming or eerie and foreboding. I especially liked this photo I took when the sun disappeared behind the clouds, silhouetting the hulking shape of the ruins.

I curse being unphotogenic and really shit at posing, but here’s a photo Mum took of me chilling. We sat for a long while, looking at the silhouetted ruins and soaking up the sunlight – despite the breeze, it was really warm.

Once we’d had our fill of the ruins, we masked up and went into the on-site museum which was fortunately open. In there, I learned a lot of the history of the site, as well as seeing some fantastic fossils and jet pieces on display. I also learned an amusing story about ammonites, which are in abundance here on the Jurassic Coast. A lot of these spiral-shaped fossils have been found in and around Whitby, and a legend sprung up around them. It’s said that St Hilda (the Hild I mentioned before) got rid of a plague of snakes by turning them all to stone. My Mum has a phobia of snakes, and became a big St Hilda fan on reading that story. We actually spotted a couple of fossils that had had snake heads carved into them, too.

My favourite thing in the whole museum, though, was a first edition of Dracula, signed by Bram Stoker. I can’t imagine how valuable that is, and I seethed with envy when I saw it.

The museum was really interesting. Because it’s smaller, we got the chance to read all of the little signs and titbits without being overwhelmed. The museum is linear and then leads to a slope that takes you down into the gift shop. I had been a bit worried about this part. I thought I might buy everything in sight. Incredibly, I managed to be fairly reasonable, though the payoff was spending forever in the shop trying to decide. In the end I bought: two magnets (one for my Dad), a handmade mug with a cool Whitby Abbey design on it, a coaster, and a little hanging decoration of the Abbey. There was so much jet jewellery, a Whitby GIN, and lots of vampire-themed things – I definitely recommend looking in there when you visit (but ware your wallet!).

Back at the bottom of the 199 steps, we turned right onto Henrietta Street to find a fishmonger I’d read about. It’s called Fortune’s Kippers and has been running since 1872, making it the oldest smokehouse in Whitby. It’s also the most authentic, using a traditional oak-smoking technique to prepare the fish. We had been able to smell the smoke from up on the cliffs, and the smell only got more pervasive as we walked down the road towards it. We were invited to take a peek in the smokehouse, and got three kippers to eat for breakfast tomorrow. I’ve never had a kipper before, so I think it’s best that my first one should be a really traditional and top-quality one.

Back down the cobbled lane to Church Street, Mum and I had to make a stop in W Hamond, the first Whitby jet shop. It sells other jewellery, but I really wanted to see the jet itself. It’s so expensive, but there were absolutely beautiful pieces in there. Cameos carved from pure jet, rings and necklaces with inlaid jet shined up to a lustre, and a magnificent spiky crown of jet and other jewels. I have no idea where you would have worn this thing, but it was so beautiful and cost over £3000. I joked that I needed this crown to sweep around the house with.

We also took a turn around the Jet Museum, operated by W Hamond. There were so many stunning pieces of jewellery and ornaments, I dread to think how much they’re worth these days. I found out that jet is in fact petrified bark from a Jurassic ancestor of the monkey puzzle tree, and is around 180 million years old. It’s becoming incredibly rare, as it’s been used as a precious stone since pre-historic times, so it’s quite valuable, and you can only get this particular jet in Whitby.

Because it’s pitch black and ever so shiny, Whitby jet was a favourite material of the Victorians to use in mourning jewellery, of which there was a lovely little collection in the museum.

There was a tiny chocolatiers called Justin’s that I immediately wanted to go into because there were chocolate coffins in the window. Before you ask, they weren’t full-sized (though that would have been amazing), but they weren’t all a uniform shape and size as they’re handmade. I got one, and also a small bag of ‘Vampire’s Dream’ fudge, which was strawberry flavoured and delicious.

In one of the many, many jet shops I found a little sterling silver necklace with a bat-shaped pendant. It had a little piece of jet inlaid on the bat’s chest and it was so cute. It was also fairly reasonably priced at £35. I vowed that I’d come back for it if I didn’t find anything else that I liked more.

We were hungry by this time and decided to find a quiet-ish place for lunch. A pub called The White Horse & Griffin soon caught our eye and we were relieved to find that it wasn’t too packed and there was plenty of space between guests. We all opted for a Whitby cod and chips dinner. Martin went mad and had a large portion, which was the source of hilarity when the waiter brought it out to him. This thing must have been a whale, I’m not kidding – it was huge. We fell about laughing when we saw it, it was so impressive.

Dinner was so delicious – the cod was as fresh as you can get from the harbour. The batter was light and crispy, not too oily. The chips were fluffy and perfectly seasoned, and the meal was served with tartare sauce and some absolutely divine minted mushy peas. I practically inhaled my plate, it was so good (and walking around the windy headland had really worked up my appetite).

After we’d finished our food and drinks, we dropped Martin at a pub called The Green Dragon (my inner LOTR geek loved this name) to sample some ales, so that Mum and I could look around the shops without boring him to death. I went back to Genuine Whitby Jet and got the bat necklace - someday I will own a huge piece of Whitby jet, but for now this will do nicely.

I had promised Caz (oldest pally, cohort on my Tokyo trip) that I’d buy her a really tacky souvenir from Whitby, and I found the perfect thing in one of the gifts shops. It’s a little statue of a cartoony Dracula, holding a sign saying ‘I ♥ blood banks’. It’s glorious and hideous and I adore it. We found Martin in a different pub, The Black Horse, and had to wait outside because it was at full (reduced) capacity.

Soon enough, the time was beginning to run out on the car so we made a decision to come back on Friday to see some other things I had on my list. We got a quick ice cream and ate them on the way back to the car park.

I was so tired when we got home. It isn’t even late, so I’ve just been chilling and reading. I’m really looking forward to going back and seeing more of Whitby on Friday. I’m also kind of hoping for a gloomier day – I appreciate the sunshine but I’m a slave to the aesthetic~

Here’s a photo of my winnings from today, minus the Vampire’s Dream fudge because that is long gone: