Thursday 21 March

We awoke (rather early in some cases!) to a very cold, but sunny, morning. A great relief after the weather in Whitby these last few days. After a hearty breakfast, we wrapped up warmly, packed our lunches and piled onto the coach for the short hop to Whitby Abbey. From here we descended the steps down to the town (we can never agree how many there are!) and started exploring Whitby and, with the help of a few unsuspecting tourists and locals, gathered opinions as to its merits and shortcomings. The girls were a bit tentative about carrying out their surveys to begin with, but once they got into the swing of it they gained confidence and did us proud. Common responses included the excellent quality of the local fish and chips, which made it worth the long journey across the moors, although the cold winds were not so popular! We sampled the local ice-cream and indulged in some more shopping, before heading back up the steps (definitely more on the way up!) to the abbey.

Twenty minutes later we were walking back down steps into Robin Hood's Bay, where we spent the afternoon carrying out activities at the Old Coastguard Station, including a village trail, a quiz and an hour on the windswept beach rummaging in rockpools. It was hard to believe that the tide had been in so recently as we peered into these mini-habitats trying to spot some of the residents left behind by the retreating waves.

This evening we enjoyed fish and chips, before getting into pjs and onesies and settling down with teddies and blankets to listen to some fascinating stories about Whitby and some of its more interesting characters, from a local storyteller. After hot chocolate and cupcakes, the girls were ready for bed and sleep and all is now quiet..............let's hope it stays that way.

We are aware of the forecast for tomorrow - if this impacts on timings we will use the cascade to contact parents.
Pictures to follow.............................