Saturday 6 October 2018

The road to Bridlington


After a three night stopover in Bingley, it was time to head east and make for the Yorkshire coast. We had booked a night’s accommodation in the seaside town of Bridlington; a place none of us had been to before, but before we set off, a word or two about breakfast.  

The Premier Inn we stayed in was charging £9.75 for a full English breakfast, which Mrs PBT’s and I thought was rather steep. On the first two mornings, son Matthew had had other ideas, and had taken himself down to the attached Dalesway Brewer’s Fayre pub to eat his fill. He even managed to drag himself out of bed at a sensible hour in order to do so!

Matt informed us that for £9.75 you could help yourself to as much as you liked. Even so, that seemed like a poor deal – stuffing yourself silly just to get your “money’s worth” doesn’t seem a sensible option, so us parents decided to look elsewhere. A quick check on Google revealed that L&S Village Bakery, just down the road, offered a range of breakfast butties and other goodies to take away. The reviews were good too, so we jumped into the car and sped off, eager to grab a bite to eat.

We soon found the place, fronting onto the road, and with plenty of parking space outside. The fillings for the “butties” were cooked to order, so we both ordered bacon and sausage.  Once served we drove back to the hotel, parked outside and sat in the car eating our purchases, whilst waiting for young Matthew to appear. The bacon and sausage used for the filling, were plentiful, of a high standard and good value as well.

The quality and value of our breakfast “barm cakes”  - I know you mustn’t use that term east of the Pennines, persuaded our son to skip the Premier Inn’s breakfast offering on that final morning, which is why I before checking out, I nipped out early to pick up an order of breakfast butties for us all.

Suitably full, we checked out, loaded up the car, and set off for Yorkshire’s east coast. Mrs PBT’s had expressed her desire for a drive across the moors, and the technology obliged, as the Sat-Nav led us up a narrow road, more or less opposite the hotel, and straight up onto said moors.

It was a lovely sunny day and with hardly a cloud in the sky, the moors were looking their early autumnal best. The roads were narrow and winding, and fringed either side by dry-stone walls. I hadn’t seen such scenery since my student days in Manchester, when we would take a trip up into the Pennines.

Our route eventually took us onto some wider roads, and from what I could make out the navigation aid was taking us to the north of Bingley and then Bradford, whilst keeping us heading in an easterly direction. We skirted the town of Otley, before descending from the hills and onto roads which followed the river valley towards Tadcaster, and the Vale of York.

We skirted the latter and then took the A64 to the south of York, before turning onto the A166 which runs virtually all the way to Bridlington. We reached the village of Stamford Bridge, about five miles to the  east of York, where the bridge from which the village gets it name, crosses the River Derwent.

It looked a really attractive place and, had we not been in a queue of traffic, I would have pulled off the road and stopped for a look around. Writing this, I am now wishing we had pulled over, but we seemed to enter, and then leave Stamford Bridge so quickly, that all we got was a glimpse of the village square, tucked away just the other side of the bridge.

The family unfortunately were unaware of Stamford Bridge’s role in early English history, and of the famous battle which took place there on 25th September 1066. In this battle King Harold, repelled an invading Norwegian force led by his brother Tostig Godwinson  and King Harald Hardrada of Norway. This defeat of the Norwegian forces is said to mark the traditional end of the Viking era in Britain.

Harold’s victory was short lived, as just three weeks later, having marched his forces nearly 200 miles back to southern England, he was defeated at the Battle of Hastings, by an invasion force led by Duke William of Normandy.

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/deed.en Oliver Dixon
One can only speculate as to how much two forced marches, in the space of a few weeks, contributed to Harold’s defeat, but either way the battle which took place at Stamford Bridge  had a major effect on the course of English history. Unfortunately, they don’t seem to teach this stuff in schools any more, as my family’s lack of knowledge about what happened at this quiet and quintessentially English village, showed only too well.

Moving steadily eastwards, we could see a line of hills looming in the distance. These were the Yorkshire Wolds; an area of gentle rolling hills and dry chalk-land valleys, which run from Filey in the north, to the Humber Estuary in the south. The road ascended the escarpment at Garrowby Hill and we then found ourselves driving through this pleasant and relatively unknown area of Yorkshire’s East Riding.

We turned off the A166 at the quaintly named village of Fridaythorpe, following what was signposted as a “Quieter route to Bridlington”. We arrived in the seaside town at around 2pm, which was just the right time to check into the Premier Inn, right on the seafront.

We grabbed a welcome coffee in the adjoining Cookhouse & Kitchen, before going for a stroll along the seafront. We walked down to the harbour, pausing to take in the view northwards along the coast, to the chalk cliffs of Flamborough Head. The harbour area was especially interesting as Bridlington is still a working fishing port, which claims to land one of the largest  quotas of shellfish in the UK.

Wife and son headed for the amusement arcades, for a bit of fun with the “Penny Falls” machines. They actually take 2p pieces, but for a couple of quid, you can have half hour or so worth's of amusement of trying to beat the machine, even though you inevitably lose.

Being out of season, the arcades closed at 5pm, much to Matthew’s annoyance, but with each of us, a pound or so lighter, it was time to grab something to eat. Jeromes Pavillion Bar & CafĂ©, right on the seafront, fitted the bill, and with views out to sea, it was the perfect place to enjoy our haddock and chips, complete with mushy peas, bread & butter and pot of tea.

Cheap and cheerful, and with a glass roof supported by cast-iron columns which looked as if they’d been rescued from an old railway station, it was very pleasant indeed. The food arrived hot, and freshly cooked, and although the place was fairly quiet, you could imagine it being packed out at the height of the summer season.

We took a drive up into the Old Town afterwards, but the family didn’t fancy getting out of the car. To be fair, it was getting dark, but I liked what I saw of this historic area of Bridlington, so much so that I was wishing we’d booked another night.

As it happened, that was out of the question, as BBC Radio 2 were hosting an All Star Party, at the Bridlington Spa the following evening, and accommodation in the town was either sold out, or astronomically priced. I made a mental note to return, at some future date (along with a visit to Stamford Bridge).

We finished our evening with a few beers at the Cookhouse & Kitchen. The hand-pulled Jennings Cumberland was on good form at 3.0 NBSS, but the pub itself was slightly lacking in atmosphere.

The following morning, we headed for home. Don’t ever travel on a Friday, unless you absolutely have to. According to the AA, the 245 mile journey should have taken four hours and 40 minutes. We left Bridlington just after 10am and finally arrived home at 6:15pm.

We did however, stop for something to eat at another American-style OK Diner. This was on the opposite carriageway of the A1, and quite a way further south than the one we called into on the outward journey. The menu and food were of the same high quality, so it made a very welcome break to what was a rather lengthy journey.



14 comments:

Etu said...

Alas Paul, no, they don't teach this stuff in schools.

Goodness gracious, we can't have the Anglo-Saxon rabble knowing, that in 1066 William I of Normandy swiped every square inch of their ancestors' land, and shared it out, every single cottage, copse, ditch and hedgerow, among his henchmen, and in whose descendants' hands it largely remains to this day? Good Lord no! They might not vote for Jacob Rees-Mogg...

I have been a periodic visitor to Bridlington for work purposes, a place woven into romance, by the likes of Alan Bennett, and not forgetting David Hockney too.

Thanks for an enjoyable read once again, and also for the concise historical piece.

Cheers,

E

Paul Bailey said...

Etu, the descendants of Duke William of Normandy's henchmen are, as you rightly point out, are today's landed gentry. Unfortunately for them, centuries of in-breeding has weakened their gene pool to the extent they are mere shadows of their former selves, and no longer the potent force they once were.

It doesn't of course change what happened in 1066, but it does demonstrate that nothing lasts forever. It also doesn't alter the fact that history lessons should be compulsory in schools.

Etu said...

Yes, haemophilia, porphyria - don't mention Andy - and the rest have taken their toll. But few today are of William's line. Many of those handed estates by him were just other Norman warriors, or even Nordic mercenaries.

It's worth noting, that according to Land Registry, seventy percent of England belongs to only 0.6% of the population, and most of that to just two hundred individuals, almost all heirs as described.

It's not the same in some countries, but here, the practice of primogeniture kept the land in the same few families' hands.

If it were shared evenly, what would you do with your acre?

Dave said...

Open a micropub.

Paul Bailey said...

I could grow hops on my own little acre of land, or just let it lie fallow so it could revert to its natural state.

If I was feeling really mischievous, I would exchange the land for a similar area in the North Sea, where I would dump all those responsible for the mess the country finds itself in, following the debacle of the past two years.

Etu said...

Indeed, Paul, I'll gladly mix the concrete for you too.

On your point, it makes me smile, in view of the above, when people say "we want our country back".

What is with the "our"?

They can ask if they like, but those blighters have not been in a giving mood for nine hundred and fifty-two years, and I don't see them changing now, do you?

Cheers,

E

Paul Bailey said...

Etu, old 'William the Bastard' certainly ensured his changes would be fairly permanent; particularly as far as land ownership went.

retiredmartin said...

Never mind the politics, I loved your art shot of a Tetley pint glass surrounded by a Doom Bar and Black Sheep pump. Proper beer!

It's the detail that makes your blog so good, Paul. I know I'll have to stop at that American diner now ;-)

Paul Bailey said...

Thank-you, Martin. It was Black Sheep in that Tetley's glass, although looking at the size of the head, it's difficult to tell them apart.

A couple of my colleagues are familiar with those OK American diners. Definitely worth stopping for; although we were gagging for a cup of tea by the time we reached the one near Grantham, on the journey home.

john said...

I am giving a testimony of how i become rich and famous today… i was deeply strangled up by poverty and i had no body to help me, and also i search for help from different corners but to no avail… i see people around me getting rich but to me i was so ashamed of my self so i met a man on my way he was very rich and he was a doctor so he told me something, that if i would like to join the illuminati brotherhood, and i think over it though out the day so the next day i looked up and i keep repeating what he said to me, and i make up my mind to join the illuminati, today i am so proud of myself, because i am a great man today, well know in the world, rich, famous so if you are also interested to join the illuminati, you have to
email: illuminatioilmoney666@gmail.com
call or whatsapp +2347013470436 join the illuminati and enjoy good life with you and your generation

Royal Discount Cancun said...


This is a blog to watch for sure. I think you have a really awesome writing style by the way. Very easy to read. Your blog design is so clean too! Thank you all the hard work!

Luxury Travel

john said...

call +2348166545531 or add me on whatsapp +2348166545531 or email illuminatioilmoney666@gamil.com

Hello every one i want to share my testimony on how i belong to Illuminati member, a friend of mine that always give me money…cos he was very rich, one day he said he is not going to give me fish that he is going to teach me how to fish, so i was very happy, i never new he was a member of Illuminati all my life will spend together! so i was initiated to the Illuminati world and few days i was awarded a contract worth of millions of Dollars, in my business i am doing very well right now,i am now the one that give money out before it was heard, if you want to belong to us email us on [illuminatioilmoney666@gamil.com ] my whatsapp number +2348166545531

Apartamentos San Antonio Beach said...


A good to read blog with precise and necesary details into it. Really enjoyed complete reading and grabing valuable information inside. Even the language is simply and offers easy to read manner approach. Thank you for sharing such an important information.

rent apartments in Ibiza

john said...

call +2348166545531 or add me on whatsapp +2348166545531 or email illuminatioilmoney666@gamil.com

Hello every one i want to share my testimony on how i belong to Illuminati member, a friend of mine that always give me money…cos he was very rich, one day he said he is not going to give me fish that he is going to teach me how to fish, so i was very happy, i never new he was a member of Illuminati all my life will spend together! so i was initiated to the Illuminati world and few days i was awarded a contract worth of millions of Dollars, in my business i am doing very well right now,i am now the one that give money out before it was heard, if you want to belong to us email us on [illuminatioilmoney666@gamil.com ] my whatsapp number +2348166545531