Communique

 

Above - the head of a griffin on the brass lectern inside All Saints Church, Driffield. We stopped in the little country town for lunch on the way up to Filey. There was a church on the site of All Saints Church before the Norman invasion of 1066 but most of what you see today evolved through later centuries.

Below, I spotted this small boat name at Coble Landing to the north of the seafront at Filey. "The Life of Filey"  would make a great title for a book all about the growth of the little coastal town and its history. Once, its sole reason for existence was the sea, including fishing. Later, in the mid nineteenth century, it became a small seaside resort with its own railway station.

Above, another image of the beach at dawn, taken at Coble Landing where the old "cobles", unique to this part of the Yorkshire coastline would be pulled up after their fishing excursions. Below - "Filey Gifts and Treats" on John Street. Can you spot the spelling mistake and what, by the way, is the "latest craze"?

Above - that's Filey Brigg, reaching out like a spindly old finger into The North Sea. Harder layers of underlying sandstones have effected its endurance. On the spot where I stood to take this picture, there was once a Roman signal station. Below, the claw of a dead crab on the beach as the sun was rising.

Below - the same dawn in which I saw the lugworm digger - again looking towards Flamborough Head where in 1779 there was a naval battle between war ships  from the American navy in league with the French and others from the  British navy during the American Revolutionary War. Read about it here if interested.

⦿

And so yes - we had two delightful nights in Filey. On the first night we devoured traditional fish and chips in The Brown House - fish and chip shop. Naturally, we also had mushy peas, buttered bread and a pot of tea.

On Wednesday morning we enjoyed full English breakfasts in "Kayleigh's Cafe" opposite "Gifts and Treats" after completing our southerly stroll down the beach. Following this breakfast we had a longer walk towards Filey Brigg and then along the north cliffs, keeping well away from the precipice.

In the evening, we unfortunately could not get a table at the much recommended "Belle Italia" family restaurant so had to settle for "San Marco's" on Murray Street which was perfectly fine. We shared a bottle of Sicilian red wine and ordered mixed salads and homemade bread to accompany our lasagnes.

Our first floor flat was called High Tide and it was perfect - clean, quiet and well-maintained. Very comfortable. And considering this month is November, the weather was great too. If it had been grey, cold and wet our experience would no doubt have been very different indeed.

Specially for JayCee on The Isle of Man...