The Hayburn Wyke pub sits just below the former Whitby-Scarborough railway line (now a walking/cycling route) a mile or so north of Cloughton. It apparently dates from the 18th century as a pub, although what route it was on for passing trade at that time, and what local community it served is not clear. Its brochure implies that smuggling may have had something to do with it but as the anchorage at Hayburn Wyke is hardly sheltered (though certainly remote and inaccessible) I have my doubts. Anyway, it now seems to have a good weekend trade of families wanting a pub lunch (looked fairly average pub food) and walkers / cyclists on the former railway line or the nearby Cleveland Way. We had some Black Sheep or coffee and set off into the delightful woods which cover the steep sides of the valley which carves its way down from the moors to the West towards the sea. When it reaches the beach, the stream falls over a 20ft waterfall. The tide was right in and because of the strong easterly breeze over the last few days there were some respectable waves. On previous visits the sea has always been calmer, and the tide further out — it’s a favourite place for piling rocks into towers à la Andy Goldsworthy. The rocks are from tennis ball to bigger than football size, smooth and round, grey streaked with brown.
We returned towards the pub by a different route, at the bottom of the valley. Very lush and wet and green under the trees, before they come into full leaf. Lots of wood anemone, dog’s mercury, wild garlic, bluebells (neither yet in flower) and large clumps of primroses. A few shy plants of wood sorrel. Not many birds, though a wren did break cover from under my feet. (Much smaller and much noisier than the four deer that we flushed out in a wood near Heilbronn a few weeks ago). Delightful as this was, it struck me that a visit in 3 or 4 weeks time, on a sunny day, could be quite spectacular.
