Saltburn-by-the-Sea

This is the small town town in the north east of England (East Cleveland or North Yorkshire, depending on your point of view) that's been my home since July 1994. As you can see from the cliffs, the North Sea gives the coast a good hammering; there used to be a series of Roman signal stations at regular intervals along the coast, but the one at Huntcliff has long since fallen into the sea.

End of the pier

Saltburn has a Victorian pier, the only one left in the north east, that is still in good condition (completely renovated a few years ago with the aid of a heritage lottery grant and local fund raising).

Cliff lift

To get down to the pier and promenade, you just follow the steps from Marine Parade, or use Saltburn Bank. If you don't want to walk all the way back to the top, you can use the cliff lift, and do it in style.

Valley Gardens

Behind the pier, the Skelton Beck flows into the sea. Just before it does, it is joined by the Saltburn Beck, our sometimes orange river (iron hydroxide from the many disused iron minings in the area). The Skelton and Saltburn becks both run through some beautiful wooded valleys, and the lower end of the Skelton Beck runs through the Valley Gardens, one of the local beauty spots.

The bandstand

Where the old Ha'penny Bridge used to be, there is now a bandstand, which is used every Saturday and Sunday from May to September for regular concerts by local brass bands, jazz bands, big bands, dance bands and more...

Emmanuel church from near Agar's Gap

Enough of the victoriana? Why not try some scenic walks around Saltburn instead:

Along the cliffs to Marske
Along the cliffs to Skinningrove
North Sea Sunrise

Or some autumnal pictures:

Bramble leaves in autumn

New Year's Eve? Bring on the oysters:

Oystercatchers (detail)

Poppies

You don't get masses of poppies in the fields around Saltburn nowadays, because seeds are cleaned, and herbicides take care of anything that remains. These days, poppies are mostly to be found on dug-up patches of land that have been left alone, or along newly-built motorways, but you don't get much of that round here either. So it was nice to see a load of poppies in a neglected rape field (spotted from about 2km away at Errington Wood).

But, being ephemeral, they'll be gone by July...

Daffodil

We take a bit of pride in Saltburn in Bloom, making the place look good for the annual Britain in Bloom and Northumbria in Bloom awards.

Early-purple Orchid

But if you ask me, the best things still come free: just enjoy Saltburn's wildflowers in their landscape.

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