Coast to Coast UK - Robin Hoods Bay to home

Anyone who knows me well, knows that 3 weeks is my upper limit for being away from home. By the time I get to 3 weeks, I am itching to be back in my safe space, in the same country as my family and the people I love, no matter how great the travel experience I am having. I have been known to push through the homesickness and make it to 5 weeks, but it’s a stretch. The fact that I have been away from home for 4 weeks and 3 days now, is a miracle in itself, but add to that the fact that I had to leave one beautiful grandson behind, and while I have been away, another grandson has been added to the family, that I have managed to remain absent this long, is a miracle worthy of a sainthood.

But I am at Heathrow airport as I write, and will soon be winging my way back home, albeit without Wallsy.

But let’s backtrack a little…

We made it to Robin Hoods Bay and settled  into our beautiful B&B called Lee-side for a well-earned rest. We had one day to explore the quaint little sea-side village with its history of smugglers and winding narrow, alleyways which form a maze that it is impossible to navigate. We followed a sign saying, ‘The Openings – leading to The Square’.  We never found the square. We did find some magnificent ocean views, an amazing mosaic wall describing the history of the village, some very pretty houses on meandering streets that were straight from a fairy tale, and some quirky shops, their equally quirky owners, and a couple of great pubs. We took all the traditional photos on the beach and under the sign outside the iconic Bay Hotel and most importantly, we rested and recuperated from our great exertion!

There is a very, and I mean incredibly steep hill involved in accessing the old village of Robin Hoods Bay, so if that could be avoided more than once in the day, then that was a desirable outcome. We went down, and back up again on Monday when we arrived to take the photos and have a half in the Bay Hotel, as tradition demands. We went down again on Tuesday morning and did lots of exploring, but when it came to finding somewhere for a meal on each of the nights, it seemed wise to visit the two hotels that are situated at the top of the hill, both a short distance from where we were staying.

On Monday night, we enjoyed a meal in the bar at the Victoria Hotel. Unfortunately the restaurant in The Orangery was fully booked, for obvious reasons (it had the great ocean views), but the meal was lovely even without the views. The second night, on our hosts recommendation, we went to The Grosvenor, just around the corner and stayed after dinner to enjoy a local blues and jazz band who play there every Tuesday night. They were great and it was a fitting celebration of our achievement.

Today, we travelled. We caught the 08:45 bus from Robin Hoods Bay, which delivered us to Scarborough in approximately 45 minutes. In Scarborough we caught the 09:48 train to York, where we had a coffee, Wallsy train-watched, and we had a breather while we waited for the 11:48 high speed express to London, Kings Cross. Arriving in at two minutes to two, right on schedule, we then navigated our way to the Circle Line, where we were able to catch the underground to Paddington Station. Here we found our way to Wallsy’s hotel, his home for the next two nights, and then wandered down to the canals in Little Venice, for another coffee and a spot of narrow boat watching.

But inevitably, I was going to have to leave, and the time soon came to catch the Heathrow Express, say a teary goodbye to Wallsy and disappear into the customs chute, that would eventually spit me out in the Qantas Lounge awaiting my boarding call. So here I am ... Gus and Jack ... here I come! 

The obligatory photo outside the Bay Hotel

The quirky, fairy tale streets of Robin Hoods Bay

Back in London, narrow boat watching

Time to say goodbye!