ROBIN HOOD'S BAY
The next part of our road-trip around the North York Moors began at Robin Hood's Bay, a quaint little smugglers cove between Whitby and Scarborough. I loved the rickety little fisherman's cottages hidden up secret alleys and the fact that, as well as having a beach perfect for exploring rock pools and hunting for fossils, it was quite green, with lots of trees, ferns and wildflowers. It's such an atmospheric place, and I think it would be even better on a stormy, blustery night, with the sea lapping at the slipway and the (imaginary) threat of pirates.
The tide started to come in so we wound our way back up the hill, calling in at the Dinosaur & Fossil Museum which doubles as a second-hand bookshop, followed by Bay Fisheries for some cockles and mussels and goodies for a picnic lunch.
On the way back up the hill we found a secret grassy knoll which reminded me of Curse of Monkey Island 3.
HOLE OF HORCUM
Next we drove up to the Hole of Horcum and parked up for an indoor (aka car) picnic because it was starting to rain, tucking into crab rolls from Bay Fisheries in Robin Hood's Bay and cakes from Stonehouse Bakery in Danby. The legend goes that the hole was formed when an angry giant threw a great clod of earth at his wife when they were arguing!
PICKERING
We then headed to Pickering on a very brief stop to pick up some supplies and work out where to go next. I picked up a copy of 'Smuggling on the Yorkshire Coast' from JSC Collectables, an antique dealers on Birdgate.
HARTOFT END
We arrived at The Blacksmiths Country Inn at Hartoft End on spec, and were fortunate to grab one of the last garden rooms, which have French doors swinging open onto a shared lawn. I plonked myself in the bath with a cup of tea and read my new book, learning how smuggling was rife in practically all North Yorkshire seaside towns in the 19th century, so much so that the area was nicknamed the 'contraband coast'.
We enjoyed a lovely meal at the hotel's restaurant: honey- and spice-glazed duck breast with spring onion rosti and a plum and mango sauce, followed by treacle tart with cardamom ice cream for me, and ox cheeks braised in Rioja with chorizo, gnocchi, and parsnip confetti, followed by an amazing fluffy-as-a-cloud bread and butter pudding for him.
After our desserts we dashed outside to catch the most beautiful violet sunset.
