33: Over the Pennines in search of the best fish and chips

Breaking the trip with rivers, churches, viaducts and waterfalls

 LOCATION: Windermere to Whitby

What's happening?

Best drive of the trip. Stunning views, quickly changing landscapes, no country laneways, smooth flowing traffic and a view of west and east coasts. If you love a drive - this is a winner.

We included a couple of stops along the way to break up the 4 hour scenic route drive time from Windermere to Whitby. We could have stuck to the M6 and cut that to two and a half hours - but definitely opted for the longer drive.

Our route took us through Lake District valleys, Yorkshire Dales, and the North York Moors — we had three national parks in one go.

The Adventure

Settled in for a "big breakfast" before we left and locked in our stopping points along the way to stretch our legs.

Big breakfast to start the day

Our stops along the way:

Ruskin Way: a beautiful walk through a churchyard to access views of Corniston and typical lake district "water and fells" views. We accessed through St Andrews Church where John Ruskin is buried and took in the landscapes that were painted by JMW Turner (Ruskin was his biggest fan and a defender of his work.)

What we were seeing from the path above the river were beautiful lush green pastures and a river giving perfect reflections. We could see strings of walkers in the distance and even picked  out the Druid stone circles in the distance that date back some 4000 years.

it was a coffee stop for the driver and @Mac joined the foot traffic into town to catch a brew. Can't people how many people were here - we were parked so far away in an endless line of visitors. Of course, it was an uphill trudge.

This is the painting - Mirning Amingst the Corniston Fells ... absolutely NOTHING like what we saw from the walkway. We might need a better eye!

Bikers in town, best bookstore, St Andrews and the view

Ribblehead Viaduct: Wow, where did that come from? Obviously not a well kept secret because there were dozens of cars parked along the roadside here before and after the viaduct. People were walking for close up views, some carrying picnic setups. Others just had the boot popped and were sitting with a cuppa, watching and waiting. Like - bizarre - in the middle of nowhere, just pulled over, snacking on a sanga and sipping tea. The crowd was almost as energising as the viaduct.

Drew a crowd in the middle of nowhere

It was massive. 400 metres long and 32 metres high, its 24 arches sit atop the rugged bog land of the moor. Sadly, some 100 lives were lost during its construction in the late 1800s. 

Still shaking our heads at the number of people out and about everywhere!

Aysgarth Falls: These are a series of "stepped" waterfalls on the River Ure and extremely popular in this weather. Couldn't get a car park close - had to do the steep slope hike (25% gradient - knee challenging steep) to gain access to the Upper Falls. There are three sections Upper, Middle and Lower amd the water cascades over flat limestone steps making little pools and ponds. Again, loads of families out enjoying the sunshine and the water.

Upper falls

Always a movie connection! This was where they filmed the scene in Robin Hood - Prince of Thieves where Kevin Costner's Robin took on Little John. 

Middle Falls

The successful climb to the carpark was worth celebrating

We walked the Upper and Middle - but avoided the steep descent to the Lower. 

Whitby: Let it be known - in love with everything Whitby! From its dramatic shoreline and cliffs, its Abbey and steps, the pier and the replica of the Endeavour, the river, the Dracula connections, the marauding seaguls and all the tacky tourist sideshow alley stuff.

Lots of action at Whitby

And yes, the fish and chips!

This little coastal gem was littered with "no vacancy" signs- and there wasn't even a cruise ship in sight. This was just local English and Scottish (we talked with a few) weekend holiday makers.

We rolled into the reception at 5 pm after securing the last parking spot at #Lobster Hall and made an inquiry about dinner. The response, "Oh sorry, we're all booked out." We were actually gobsmacked. Her next question, "Are you here for the fish and chips?" received a resounding "Yes" from @Mac.

Straight for food

Her advice - drop our stuff into our room and head straight down to #Trenches. Took her at her word. We were there at 5:30 and were first in the queue. Only waited a couple of minutes to be seated and were soon tucking into very delightful fish and chips and seafood chowder. No complaints about either offering - certainly rated by @Mac as the best batter so far ... but still second to the pub meal he had in Edinburgh all those years ago.

We enjoyed our dinner at a leisurely pace and 90 minutes later when we left, the growing queue outside had grown to 27! Glad we had taken the receptionist's advice.

That was lineup to enter Trenches
Still plenty of light left so we took on all the activity of the river side docks and piers. England was on tonight in the World Cup so it was elbow room only in the pubs and have to say the streets and walkways were busy with family and friendship groups having a noisy time. Kids were fishing for crabs, boats were coming and going, abbey bells were ringing, people were singing from the top storey of buildings, everyone seemed to be eating or drinking. It was party central. Somehow, we found room for creamy smooth, locally produced ice cream and strolled the docks and piers. Standing above the very calm North Sea, trying to catch a glimpse of the sun that was hiding behind a thin layer of cloud.

Busy busy

From the pier we had seeping views of the coastline lined by the beach and the steep banks of the East and West Cliffs.

@Mac was out there
Called it quits at 8:30 and strolled home via the back alleys and home in time to watch England take on Norway. Another happy ending for the Brits - so feeling it might be a quiet start to the morning for some very sore heads in Whitby. 

Survival Barometer

Steps: 14 817

Weather: 26 Whitby

Today's Spot the J clue - there are three!

"Got a little road trip happening here too."

Can you believe that?

A little background from Co-Pilot.

1. Whitby invented the modern idea of Dracula

Bram Stoker didn’t just visit Whitby — he mined it. The name “Dracula” itself was discovered in Whitby’s library, and Stoker used the town’s jet-black cliffs, abbey ruins, and stormy harbour as the atmospheric launch point for the Count’s arrival in England.

2. . Whitby built Captain Cook’s ship — from local oak

The HMS Endeavour, Cook’s exploration vessel, was a Whitby-built collier. Its famously tough hull came from local oak grown in the Esk Valley — trees shaped by constant sea winds

3. The 199 steps were designed for funerals

The famous 199 steps up to the abbey weren’t built for tourists — they were a funeral route. Pallbearers carried coffins up those steps to the clifftop graveyard. Imagine doing that in winter

4. Whitby’s fish and chips have a geological secretThe town’s famously crisp batter owes its texture to the local water supply, which has a unique mineral profile thanks to the surrounding moorland geology.