During the what now seem halcyon days of the last Labour Government, there was a lot more money around to invest in public space and we managed to make significant improvements to the track and a number of adjoining play spaces. At an even more practical level, with the help of the then Future Jobs Fund, we managed to sort out where all the Track's drains were and began to get them back into decent condition. With a house the main thing to look after is the roof, with the Track it's the drains. Along the way we also managed to get a number of big information boards in place; in Whitby, at Robin Hoods Bay, at Ravenscar and at Scalby. But we never managed to get one where the track starts in Scarborough.
Notice board at the start of the track in Whitby
At long last we've just about put together the funds to put a similar sign in Scarborough. Some of the money has come from funds given to local County Councillors to support local projects and some, still to be confirmed, from so called section 106 funding (where developers have to put into a fund to support local infrastructure). We've got a firm lined up to do the final design and manufacture, we're gathering a set of interesting photos, including some pictures of the old railway as it used to be near the site of the sign, but still need some bespoke words to go with them. My job is to come up with about 500 words as a first draft and this blog post is a way of obliging me to get on with it.
"You
are standing in what was once the goods yard on the old Scarborough
to Whitby railway. This ran for 80 years (until 1965) carrying
passengers and goods up the coast to Robin Hoods Bay, Whitby and all
stops in between. After closure it was bought by Scarborough Borough
Council and became a route for walkers, cyclists and equestrians.
Running up through the town's northern suburbs, it's only a couple of
miles until you get into open countryside and just a few more until
you're in the North York Moors National Park
The
line was joined to the main Scarborough to York line by a tunnel
under Falsgave Road and, after dropping off their passengers at the
then Excursion Station on Londesborough Road, the empty carriages
would pass through here on their way to be parked up in carriage
sidings on what are now playing fields just north of Manor Road
Cemetery.
It
was called the Cinder Track by locals in Scarborough, simply because
the track bed was made of cinders rather than the more usual crushed
stone. Apart from short sections in Scalby, Ravenscar and Robin Hoods
Bay, most of it runs along the route of the original line and in many
places the surface is still made of cinders.
Four
miles up the line in Burniston, the Track goes over the aptly named
Rocks Lane. Go down this and after about a mile you come to a steep
path leading down to the rocks at Crook Ness. This is also one of
many places you can join the Cleveland Way which runs along the cliff
tops.
A
mile further up the Track and you'll find that the old station at
Cloughton has become a popular stop for tea, cakes and other
refreshments.
At
this point the line begins to climb steadily towards the mid point at
Ravenscar. On the way you could always stop off at The Hayburn Wyke
Inn or take a short walk down through the woods to the rocky beach
where the Hayburn Beck cascades into the North Sea.
As
the Track winds its way up the coast, passing through rich woods and
crossing numerous small streams, it emerges into open countryside
with clear views out over the North Sea. This was the vantage point
chosen for one of Britain's first radar stations. Although just a
collection of concrete buildings, the views and the excellent
information from the National Trust, makes it well worth a visit.
Go
onto the platform of the old station at Ravenscar to find out about
the town that never was, or continue along the road to rejoin the
Track at the National Trust Centre overlooking Robin Hoods Bay. Keep going and you could drop down to the Youth Hostel at Boggle Hole or carry on over the next hill and down into Whitby.
Nowadays
the Track is well used by locals as a walking and cycling route to
school, to work, to the shops, or to play. Where will it take you?"
Ravenscar Radar Station (built 1941)
Looking back to Scarborough from the rocks at Crook Ness
