We got up early, but it still took us two hours to leave the farmhouse. Our plan was to head to Whitby and stop at any interesting sights along the way. At first, I hoped nothing would get in our way, but every coastal resort felt like a performance, with crowds taking over and making us feel out of place. Feeling hungry, we stopped at a roadside café on the A68, about two miles east of Byrness village.
Charlie said he remembered a roundhouse being built here some time ago.
Our first stop was Beamish, a Victorian history museum located inland. When we saw that tickets cost £25 each, we decided not to go in since it was more than we could afford.
We drove south to Seaham, and I was surprised to see people searching the beach for diamonds, which are actually pieces of glass. Charlie thinks these beachcombers show up after storms. Watching the busy crowd, I remembered the WASP song, "I wanna fist full of diamonds." Maybe they were also looking for Jet.
I was filming the rough sea when a small wave came in and knocked over my camera, which was sitting on a little tripod.
I was relieved to find out my iPhone 14 is waterproof, but the charging port still got damp. Strangely, I noticed a ring of what looked like rough magnetic iron particles around the logo on the back. Seaham was crowded that day, but as we got to the harbour, the weather settled down. I went through a metal gate, climbed the steps to the harbour wall, and filmed the white waves crashing against the concrete.
We took a break at Teesmouth National Nature Reserve, with Hartlepool Nuclear Power Station just to our right. Nuclear power has been seen as both safe and risky, but isn’t it strange to expect someone to watch over a fire that will only burn out after a half-life of 24,100 years? Then there’s the slow decay of plutonium-238, 239, and uranium-234, 235. Will humanity even be around by then?
As dusk settled in, we drove along a northern ring road near Middlesborough. At first, we thought about booking a bed and breakfast in advance, but decided to keep our plans flexible and look for a place when we arrived. The spot I found on Google Maps in Robin Hood Bay was already full, and a band was playing there that night. Instead of paying over £130 for a small room for just a few hours, we agreed to sleep in the car for the night.
After leaving Robin Hood Bay, Charlie wanted to see the ruined abbey just south of Whitby. I took a photo from a footpath as we walked over from the abbey's car park.
We had coffee and cake at the YHA cafe by the abbey. After parking in a long-stay lot near Whitby's railway station, we walked toward the sea along the harbour and spotted a floating restaurant.
By the time we reached the bay, the sun had already set. A cold evening wind swept over the harbour.
We found a fish and chip shop about ten minutes from the harbour. The chips were a bit greasy, but the fish tasted fresh. The frier had won several awards, and the people at the counter were friendly and quick to help. On the way back to the harbour bridge, I spotted a pub called "Middle Earth." Hanging from the sign was "Golem" from The Lord of the Rings. The bridge was a swing bridge that opened for 2 hours upon request. Charlie was curious about how it worked. As Saturday evening grew more stressful and tense, we decided to leave Whitby and look for a quiet village pub on the North Yorkshire moors. After having a pint, we parked our 4x4 at a scenic viewpoint, but another car soon noticed us and pulled up nearby. Charlie started the 4x4, and we took the quiet lanes toward the Scotch Corner A1/A66 junction.