A Tale Of Two Chippies....

It has to be said that Yorkshire just cannot do Fish & Chips. 

Over 20 years of visiting the Yorkshire Coast (at least 3 times per year) and we have still to find a decent Chip 'ole. 

I don't know what the problem is. They should be good, (with fish fresh from the North Sea that very day), THEY even say that they ARE good but (like cricket & tea) this is proven to be simply self publicity and the reality is that they are, in fact, fairly poor at them indeed. 

As if the actual fish and chips in the region weren't bad enough, there appears to be a highly desirable custom (amongst locals) of 'scraps' which, as far as I can see, involves dumping a load of dregs from the fryer onto your food. I fell foul of this practice once but never again. 

The next occasion they were offered I declined and the guy behind me nearly exploded in delight saying that they could put mine onto his order if they liked. He looked like he had just won the lottery and was chuckling to himself : "hee hee!, double scraps!! hee hee!" 

So, lacking any 'decent' (never mind 'good') Chipperies the most adequate places we have managed to find in all this time of searching the Coast are The Magpie at Whitby and North Bay Fisheries at Scarborough.
The Magpie, however, does seem to live on its reputation and charges excessively for small portions. 

For some reason the restaurant has aquired a cult following (the darling of TV travel shows) and people are, unbelievably, prepared to queue outside in all weathers whilst waiting for a table. The photo, for example, was taken from across the road in a designated 'waiting area', such is the need to keep the road clear from those desperate to eat there. 

It seems to be a case of the Emperor's New Clothes as far as self perpetuating praise goes. But, hey ho, I suppose, given the standard of stuff available elsewhere in the county, you can understand the clamour to be ripped off in return for something edible. 

North Bay Fisheries, across the road from Peasholm Park in Scarborough, is more realistically priced and actually provides a decent amount of chips with a fish worthy of the name (Magpie should take note). 

Both these oulets avoid floating your food in a sea of grease which seems to be the norm everywhere else. 

In reality, however, the best and nearest Chip 'ole to the Yorkshire Coast is Vic's Fountain Chippy in Blackburn. (Go for "John Bull & chips") 

Cholmley House, Whitby.

A view of Whitby Hall/Cholmley House from Whitby Abbey (and of The Abbey from Cholmley House).
The banqueting hall was built for Sir Hugh Chomeley using materials 'borrowed' from the Abbey following its dissolution (by order of King Henry VIII) in 1539.
The bronze statue in the centre of the courtyard is of the Borghese Gladiator and is a replica of the original (which itself was a replica of a sculpture from c100 BC) which stood on that spot.

To Boldly Go......

The Southern Hemisphere, the final frontier.
The voyages of Captain James T. Cook, his mission: to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to discover intelligence in new lands.....

Unfortunately, he only found Australia.

This statue is on West Cliff, Whitby (the town where he lived and which built his ships - the Bark HMS Endeavour and the Sloop HMS Resolution).

Dracula's Grave, Whitby??

In the graveyard of St Marys Church, next to the Abbey, in Whitby is a gravestone marked with a scull and crossbones. It is heavily weathered but the carving can still be seen.

Some say that this is the grave of Dracula.

There are, however, other graves in the cemetery which are also marked with a deaths head and it is said that these mark the final resting places of pirates.

Those who died in poverty and were subject to a paupers funeral were believed also to have their graves identified in this way.

Others (hereafter referred to as 'spoilsports') insist that these graves belong to Puritans and that the scull and bones is simply a reference to death from a time before any macabre meaning became applied to the symbol, much in the same way Angels are regarded today.

Take your pick as to which you choose to believe, but I vote pirates!

T'Tour!!

The start of a cycling race is taking place in Northern England this summer. 

According to my rough translation this initial part is known as "The Big Set Off", and it is the first stage of some annual event that passes through foreign lands such as France and West Yorkshire. 

The residents of Skipton seem to be getting quite excited about it and, doubtlessly, the local Lycra vendors and drug dealears will make a fortune over the course of the activities. 

Here's a sheep painted to celebrate the event.