Fishermens Christmas Tree

Made from fishing nets and lobster pots.
Cobble Landing, Filey.

RAF Bempton. Wars & Witchcraft.

The clifftops at Bempton contain a large RSPB sanctuary.
They are home to the largest community of seabirds in Europe, with something like 500,000 birds of varying types nesting, squawking and flying about the cliffs at any one time and at all hours from March to October.

We went in November and saw 3 pigeons, a couple of Herring Gulls and a crow.

Fenced off from the sanctuary, but visible from it, are the remains of RAF Bempton which was part of the Chain Home Low radar system which was used during World War Two to detect incoming flying things of a different nature.

Once we'd shot down all the Huns, however, it was then used during the Cold War to keep our eye on what the Trotskies were up to.
During this time it housed an improved, high speed centrimetric radar system ('winkle') which could detect smaller objects at greater distances. The remains of this system can be seen with the posts lined up in a 'V' formation towards the front (seaward) part of the site.

RAF Bempton was decommissioned in the 1970's and, it is claimed, became inhabited by an occult sex group who added strange graffiti to the walls and partook in even stranger goings on within the many underground chambers of the operations centre.

They were eventually and forcibly evicted by The Military Police and the site was cordoned off from the public. It is now harder to access, being entirely situated on private farmland.

This didn't stop the inquisitive, though, and the occult reputation continues after a lad from Hull disappeared visiting the site in 2010.
Supposedly, he visited the site to look at the graffiti in the bunker. His car and possessions were found nearby but there has been no sign of him since, despite extensive searching of the premises and surrounding land/cliffs/sea.

There are reports of other missing persons in the area and nearby Flamborough village has a local reputation for witchcraft and the occult which survives to this day.

Stoned

Whitby Abbey from over the wall of the neighbouring Youth Hostel garden.
The Abbey is closed during the week now we are into November, so this is probably the best peep at it anyone is going to get until next year.

The dividing stone wall appears to contain some interestingly shaped stones. These have probably been 'borrowed' from the Abbey at some point in the past following its dissolution and fall into ruin.

It was common practice to recycle materials from an Abbey, especially if you were a landowner who was in the favour of King Henry VIII.

Sir Hugh Cholmley of Whitby obviously was as he also built a large house to go with his wall, which he rather modestly called 'Cholmley House'.

There is also a nice dragon sculpture in the garden too, which is a representation of the original carving on one of the wooden beams inside the house.

They Call a Spade a Spade in Scarborough.

Beach cleaning and maintenance equipment for Scarborough South Bay.

NYMR

Grosmont Station, at the northern end of the North York Moors Railway. One time a terminus of the heritage line but recently services have continued onto Whitby by sharing the rails of the National network.

Whilst the village of Grosmont is small in comparison to Pickering at the southern end of the line, there was plenty to see if you stuck to the railway related stuff. Only about five shops in the village with three of them being tea rooms.

The engine sheds were open to look around, and there were plenty of engines in various states of repair and functionality.
From mainline diesel (Deltic "Ballymoss") to branch line (DMU).
Similarly, mainline steam (Southern Region 'Schools' class #926 "Repton") to workaday Black 5 and branch line tank engines. There seemed to be a reasonable representation of motive power on display.

However, there was a rather unappealing aspect to the Railway Shop in that on display behind the counter was a football scarf, clock, photograph and newspaper cutting all relating to Preston Nob End.
Not sure what they would be doing there as the Nobbers are openly regarded with disdain and ridicule by most in Lancashire, never mind North Yorkshire.

Put me right off buying anything.

So I didn't.

The Station Hotel next door to the Station (surprisingly) was handy for food, although the single burger served on a plank of wood with 12 chips (that's TWELVE, I counted them twice and looked under the lettuce in the salad to see if any were hiding there.....) was pretty poor value at £10.95.
(It does, however, explain the amount of tea rooms in such a small village.....).

Scarborough Rocks!

There seems to be a new craze taking hold following on from the Autism Spinners and Loom Bands we've had recently.
It involves painting stones and pebbles and then hiding them in the hope that some total stranger will find one and post the picture on Facebook ('Scarborough Rocks', naturally.... other coastal towns are available - 'Filey Rocks' for example).
It is the practice, as far as I can see, to either re hide the rock or keep it and replace it with one you have painted up yourself.
I found this rock by the side of a path in South Cliff gardens, Scarborough.
Not having a readily painted rock to swap it with, and lacking the inspiration to re hide it, I just left it where it was.
Not exactly in the spirit of the game, I know, but I think it's more for children anyway so maybe one of them would be grateful and happy to find it and be more prepared to do something with it.
Rock on!

Fairy Garden

Shuttleworth Gardens, Esplanade, Scarborough.
A small public garden filled with aromatic and tactile plants aimed at providing an inclusive experience for those with limited or no sight.
Part of the park is the Fairy Garden which includes a postbox so that you can make wishes which the Fairies may grant.