There and Back

We stayed on the edge of Bridlington for our 4 nights and it was only a short walk to the harbour. So, after a day at Scampston Hall, we decided to visit the harbour in the evening especially as I wanted a photo of the bronze statue I had spotted on the harbour wall. Bridlington is a minor sea fishing port with a working harbour and is well known for its shellfish. It has a mix of small businesses across the manufacturing, retail and service sectors with its prime trade being tourism during the summer months. The origins of the town are uncertain, but archaeological evidence shows habitation in the Bronze Age and in Roman times.  Last ship in for the day?  The bronze sculpture, named The Gansey Girl, has historic and sentimental meaning in that she reflects the fishing history in Bridlington as well as the families in the town. She depicts a young woman sitting on a plinth knitting a gansey, a traditional jumper that contains a rich pattern of symbolism passe...

Looking for something different to visit in our short stay in Yorkshire, we picked a renowned country house and famous Walled Garden- Scampston Hall.  The Hall was built in the late 1600s for William Hustler. The estate was bought in the 1690s by Sir William St Quintin, 3rd Baronet, who was Receiver General for Ireland and Member of Parliament for Hull. The estate and title were inherited in 1723 by his nephew, also William, who was MP for Thirsk. He married Rebecca Thompson, a wealthy heiress, and was thus able to expand the estate and employ Capability Brown to landscape the park. The serpentine park of about 1.7 square kilometres was laid out first by Charles Bridgeman and later by Lancelot "Capability" Brown in 1772. It includes an unusual iconic "Bridge Building," concealing the end of a sheet of water and closing the view. Unfortunately, on our visit this was covered by sheets of tarpaulin and workmen!  In 1959 Scampston passed to the Legard (or Le Gard) famil...

We had wanted to return to Bempton Cliffs in Yorkshire since our previous short visit. So a few days in the area seemed a good idea and Bridlington it was!  We had not had a look at the fishing port of Bridlington, so we were `killing two birds with one stone`, as was often said. We were booked into the Lobster Pot Inn only about 20 min drive from Bempton Cliffs, and this was our first port of call. The Bempton Cliffs reserve, on the spectacular Yorkshire coast, is home to one of the UK's top wildlife spectacles. Around half a million seabirds gather here between March and October to raise a family on towering chalk cliffs which overlook the North Sea.  Read more at RSPB The experience is truly awe inspiring at this time of year and we could recommend this as a must if you are in the area. So to a few images of the birds swooping and diving in front of us!  An adult Gannett Kittiwake Juvenile Gannet of between 2 and 3 years old,...