Cleveland Way Day 6

We will spend the next five days along the east coast of England. Today the tide is low when we head out. 

There are plenty of families on holiday enjoying the coast. It's fun to see horses and riders out there. 

We've noticed in more than one town today that the locals use tractors to tow boats down to the water. 

For most of our day, we walk along the cliffs, pausing often to take in the ocean views. 

The sculpture Circle, by Richard Farmington, appears to be a popular walking destination along the trail. 

Another great beach. There were plenty of people and dogs on the beaches, but not crowded for an August weekend.

This was our best lunch spot on the walk so far, next to a delightful farm house...

With some friendly and not-too-pushy beggars...

Including four chickens. 

For a stretch of the walk, we could see alum quarries along the shore -- the gray barren patches right at the water. Alum was used to make dyes stay in fabric. England used to procure its alum from Italy, but once Henry VIII fell out with the pope, he had to find another source. The quarries closed more than 100 years ago. 

The town in the distance is our destination for the day. 

This bait (lunch) table explains in great detail the history and expanse of local potash and salt mining, begun here in 1969.  

Above ground the mine covers about 80 acres. Underground it covers 297 square miles and has over 600 miles of tunnels, most of which are under the sea. This is the deepest mine in the UK, as deep as 4500 feet in spots.

We see a few places where the trail goes quite close to the edge. This one is a little too close.

The charming town of Staithes is our home for tonight. As usual, we visit the local pub and have a fine meal.