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Working in Whitby
  • Happy Days Travel
  • Mark Wade

Working in Whitby

A working sojourn in the beautiful North Yorkshire seaside town of Whitby. Read more
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  • Trip start
    October 4, 2023
    Working in Whitby

    New beginnings!

    October 4, 2023 in England ⋅ 🌬 14 °C

    On the flight back from Nairobi on September 7th, I started looking for work to earn the money for our next big trip starting in June 2024. Our intention was to stay at home and work locally. We were quite looking forward to a winter spent walking on the beach, visiting the cinema around the corner, and watching the sand racing. However, best-laid plans and all that …

    During a whistlestop tour of the UK catching up with friends and family in Surrey, Cornwall, Devon, and Lincoln, we had no joy from the job applications we put in for positions in Mablethorpe. We needed a rethink. So, we started looking for winter work on a campsite. It wasn’t ideal as most winter seasons end in March which would leave us with a two- or three-month gap before our trip. However, I saw a job advertised in Whitby and put an application in. We got a positive response straight away from Chris, the owner, asking us to have a phone interview. Ahead of the phone call, I did some research on his site, York House Caravan Park. As I was reading, something was ringing a bell. I had a thought that our friends, Imelda and Phil, who we worked with briefly in the South of France for Venue, had some connection with York House. So, I messaged Imelda and it turned out that they still work there! The job we had applied for was to replace them when they went off on their winter travels!! What a coincidence!!

    After that, things moved quickly. Imelda and Phil sang our praises to Chris. By the time we had our interview with him, it was a done deal and he offered us the job on the spot. The position had been advertised to end at the end of March. When we told him we were available until the end of May, Chris said he was happy for us to stay on until then. Perfect!! We had a start date of October 6th with an invitation to arrive a couple of days earlier to get set up. Imelda and Phil weren't leaving until October 31st, so we would have a good handover period.

    So, after an unexpectedly short stay at home, we were heading for Whitby in Bertha! It’s a place I have visited several times, mainly during my childhood. Mark has been once before. We went with my Mum and Dad a few years ago. It’s a lovely seaside town with a long and interesting history. We were looking forward to exploring more of the place.

    We had our big awning with us as we would be staying in Bertha for a few weeks before moving into the apartment that goes with the job.

    The photos attached to this footprint are of our setup and York House Caravan Park. The site has 81 privately owned static caravans, around 40 hardstanding touring pitches, many grass camping pitches, 8 camping pods, and a bar and restaurant. There is also a six-room hotel. All of the hotel rooms are let out to contractors for the next couple of years.    Read more

  • Working in Whitby

    An eventful first working day!

    October 6, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Today was our first working day. It’s been lovely catching up with Imelda and Phil. They know the way we work and the systems here are very similar to those at Naburn Lock, so little training is needed. The transition is sure to be smooth. We are working together today and tomorrow. After that, we settle in to a three-day on, three-day off pattern until they leave at the end of the month. This is also how we will work it when they come back on March 1st. It seems like the perfect arrangement. We will earn enough to pay for our trip and have plenty of time off. It’s a win-win!!

    So, everything was going very well today until things took a sinister turn! Chris, the site owner, went off around the park to try out the new buggy he had just acquired. It was the first time he’d driven it. Phil had tried it out and warned Chris that it felt a bit lightweight and could topple over. Undeterred, Chris set off to the top of the park. Unfortunately, in the car park at the very top of the site, the vehicle overturned and pinned Chris underneath it! Mark and Phil dashed up there to lift the buggy off him. It was clear that he had broken his leg and that he had sustained a head injury. Because it would take too long for an ambulance to arrive by road, the Air Ambulance was scrambled and, after assessing him, Chris was airlifted to hospital in Middlesborough. We had barely met him and now he was away from the site!

    Chris was to be in hospital for the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, the four of us kept the site running.    Read more

  • Working in Whitby

    A bus tour around Whitby

    October 12, 2023 in England ⋅ 🌧 13 °C

    Today was our first day off. Luckily for us, it was a beautiful sunny day! We made the most of it by catching a bus from the village into Whitby. Once there, we hopped on the sightseeing bus which took us on a tour of the town.

    These are some of the photos taken from the top deck.    Read more

  • Working in Whitby

    Visiting Whitby Abbey ruins

    October 12, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    We hopped off the sightseeing bus to visit Whitby Abbey. We are members of English Heritage so it didn't cost us anything to go in.

    This great Benedictine monastery was founded in the late 11th century. It dominated the headland and the town below until 1539 when it was surrendered to Henry VIII's commissioners as part of his 'Dissolution of the Monasteries' programme. Sir Richard Cholmley, aka 'The Black Knight of the North', bought the freehold to the abbey land in 1555. He dismantled the monastic buildings of the abbey for their materials, though the shell of the great church remained standing.Read more

  • Working in Whitby

    St. Mary's Parish Church

    October 12, 2023 in England ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

    Whilst we were on the headland, we visited St. Mary's church. The views from there down into the town are stunning!

    Whitby's parish church stands on the headland above the town, very close to the Abbey ruins. Built in the early 12th century, nobody knows why it was sited on the headland rather than in the town itself.

    The church has the most extraordinary interior. It is probably unique amongst English churches in that every space is crammed full of 17th- and 18th-century box pews and galleries.    Read more

  • Working in Whitby

    A boat trip out into the North Sea

    October 12, 2023 in England

    We decided to take advantage of the good weather and go on a short boat trip. There are several boats 🚢 that run 20-minute cruises around the harbour and out into the North Sea 🌊. It only costs £5 per person. It's lovely to see the town from a different viewpoint!Read more

  • Working in Whitby

    A walk through Whitby

    October 16, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 7 °C

    We had a day off today. Mark stayed on site to continue cleaning and painting the apartment, ready for us to move in. I caught the bus into Whitby to explore the town a bit more.

    My first stop was Pannett Park, named after Robert Elliott Pannett, a local gentleman who donated a great deal of his time and money to educational and charitable causes in Whitby. He bought the land that the park now occupies in 1902 to prevent it falling into the hands of speculative builders. Following his death in 1920, his will revealed that he had left the land to the town for 'the creation of a public park and a building for the reception and preservation of my works of art'.

    Pannett Park and Pannett Art Gallery opened on 1st August 1928.

    From the park, I walked past the Church of St Hilda and several rows of elegant townhouses. I also passed a couple of houses with unique tall narrow windows spanning two floors. They were built this way to save money on window tax.    Read more

  • Working in Whitby

    Great architecture and stunning views

    October 16, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 9 °C

    I visited Royal Crescent on West Cliff, which was built in the 1850s by George Hudson, also known as the Railway King. His intention was to develop a complete crescent of large houses and hotels to rival the Royal Crescent in Bath. Unfortunately, he was declared bankrupt before completing the project. He fled to France to avoid being sent to debtor's prison. The half-crescent of elegant houses he did complete stands today as an excellent example of Victorian architecture.

    Just around the corner from Royal Crescent is Whitby's Whale Bone Arch, a draw for all visitors to the town.

    In the 18th and 19th centuries, the whaling industry was thriving in Whitby. Dozens of ships braved the Arctic seas off Greenland to hunt whales for their lucrative oil. It was a dangerous pursuit, and many crews never returned. On a ship's return to port, the crew would tie a whale's jawbone to the top of the mast as a sign that they had killed the animal and not the other way round.

    To recognise this tradition, a whalebone arch was erected on Whitby's West Cliff in 1853. The archway frames a view of the town's quaint cottages and cobbled streets, as well as the ruins of medieval Whitby Abbey across the bay on East Cliff.

    The original arch succumbed to the vagaries of the British weather and was replaced in 1963 with 20-foot jaw bones from a 113-ton Fin whale 🐋 killed by a Norwegian whaling ship.

    The current arch comprises the lower jaw bones of a Bowhead Whale legally killed by Alaskan Innuits. They were presented to the town of Whitby by the citizens of Anchorage, Alaska, in April 2002. (Whitby is twinned with Anchorage)    Read more

  • Working in Whitby

    Bombardment Garden, West Cliff

    October 16, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    Nestled amid the ice cream kiosks and Victorian shelters of West Cliff is Bombardment Garden. This evocative memorial to those who died when two German ships opened fire without notice or provocation is a hidden gem. It is well worth a few minutes of your time as you stroll along the promenade.

    The ships fired at least 100 large shells into the town of Whitby, starting at 9.05 am on 16th December 1914. Miraculously, only two people were killed and another was seriously injured. About 30 houses were razed to the ground. The bombardment lasted for seven minutes before the ships sailed away as silently as they had approached.

    One of the dead was coastguard Fredrick Randall, a married man who lived in one of the admiralty cottages. He had just stepped outside his house when a shell burst close to one of the outbuildings and blew his head clean off.

    The Bombardment Garden includes a replica of Fredrick's cottage as it would have looked after the incident. The memorial was unveiled on 16th December 2014, a century after the bombardment that shocked the whole town.    Read more

  • Working in Whitby

    Captain James Cook Memorial and Signpost

    October 16, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    My next stop was at Captain Cook's statue in Crescent Gardens overlooking Whitby Harbour. This 7' 6" high bronze statue, sculptured by John Tweed, stands on a freestone pedestal which has a carving of Cook's posthumous coat of arms on the front and one of his ship 'Resolution' on the back.

    The statue was first unveiled on 2nd October 1912. During World War II, it was removed to a place of safety when the plinth was damaged in an air attack. It was replaced on 16th August 1947.

    Around the base of the plinth, there are four plaques. The first commemorates the men who built and sailed in the ships used by Captain Cook. The others were presented to Whitby by the people of Australia, New Zealand, and Canada respectively.

    Further along West Cliff, there is a signpost honouring Captain Cook. All the distances shown are in nautical miles from Whitby around Cape Horn.    Read more

  • Working in Whitby

    Battery Parade

    October 16, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    My walk continued to Battery Parade, named after the battery of cannon that was sited here in 1740 to protect the harbour both from the French, and also during the time of the American War of Independence, when John Paul Jones fired on the town from the ship, Bonhomme Richard. It is said that the firing of the battery at this time contributed to the great landslide which destroyed part of Henrietta Street on Christmas Eve, 1787.

    The batteries are closely connected with the piers which were built at around the same time to prevent the accumulation of sand at the harbour mouth. West pier ends with two cylindrical towers which were used for storing gunpowder.

    I carried on past the Coffee House Steps, named because of their proximity to the Marine Hotel. This was one of the first coffee houses in Whitby, a place to do business. Many of Whitby's ship owners would meet here to discuss future voyages and shake on lucrative deals.

    I then walked across the swing bridge to continue my explorations on the other side of the Esk estuary.    Read more

  • Working in Whitby

    Grape Lane and Church Street

    October 16, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 10 °C

    My stroll continued along some of Whitby's oldest streets. There are so many beautiful buildings in the town. It really is a photographer's dream!

    A highlight is the Seaman's Hospital Houses which were founded in 1670 by ship owners for distressed seamen and their dependants. They provided homes which were paid for by a levy from ships passing the port. The front was rebuilt in 1842 by Gilbert Scott, and the whole building was refurbished in 1996. Now, the individual houses and flats in the building are privately owned.Read more

  • Working in Whitby

    Captain James Cook Memorial Museum

    October 16, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    I visited the Captain Cook Memorial Museum.

    This fascinating museum is housed in the property on Grape Lane which was owned by Captain John Walker and which was where James Cook lived during his seven-year apprenticeship as a merchant seaman.

    The house is a good example of an eighteenth-century Whitby shipowner's dwelling. It was both a home and the headquarters of the family shipping business. It was comfortably if plainly, furnished with good-quality Quaker furniture which was designed to last.

    Today, the house is considered to be nationally important and is Grade 1 listed.

    The museum has rich collections of original material relating to Captain James Cook's life in Whitby, as well as to his voyages. Ship plans and documents provide fascinating insights into life on board ship, including problems of accommodation and personality clashes between crew members. Sketches, watercolours, prints, and paintings give graphic illustrations of lush tropical islands and the seemingly idyllic lives of the inhabitants of the South Seas. The letters Cook wrote to John Walker include descriptions of the voyages in his own words and show his enduring affection for his old master.

    The highlight of the museum for me is the attic where the young James Cook slept with the other apprentices John Walker wanted to retain when ashore. As I mentioned above, James was keen to study navigation, maths, and astronomy, the subjects which would advance him in his chosen profession. He was a favourite of the housekeeper, Mary Proud. She would give him extra pieces of candle so that he could read on dark evenings.    Read more

  • Working in Whitby

    Padlocks and Memorials

    October 16, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    In towns, cities, and coastal resorts all over the world, bridges, railings, and fences attract people who want to celebrate their relationships or remember their loved ones by attaching padlocks or leaving flowers and messages. Whitby is no exception. The fence on the east cliff headland has been turned into such a place.Read more

  • Working in Whitby

    Fortune's Kippers

    October 16, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    My last stop of the day was at Fortune's - Whitby's only traditional smokehouse. It was founded in 1872 by William Fortune and is still trading on the same premises over 150 years later. It is currently staffed by the sixth generation of the family.

    Fortune's is world famous for its kippers, which you can only buy from the small shop on the premises. Many celebrity chefs have visited the shop including James Martin, Mary Berry, Rick Stein, the Hairy Bikers, and The Two Fat Ladies.

    I'm not a fan of kippers myself, but I bought a pair to take home for Mark.    Read more

  • Working in Whitby

    Goth Weekend at YHCP

    October 28, 2023 in England ⋅ ☁️ 11 °C

    Whitby is famous for its biannual Goth weekend, which attracts thousands of visitors from all over the country. We were working, so didn't get the chance to go into town to watch. However, we did have some Goths staying on site, so I took a couple of photos 📸 of them.

    This evening, we held a Halloween 🎃 party for the children on site. Eileen dressed up as the bride of Frankenstein! 😂🤣    Read more

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