Tuesday, February 2, 2010

C is for CLIFFS and CAVES

 
There is my old house on the extreme right.  Not there any more. The second tower is the old lighthouse built in the 1600's.  They had to light a bonfire on the top if there was any one in distress.

Below left is  the rescue of three young girls who got cut off by the tide hoping to be able to climb around the cliffs to the next bay.  Happens all the time! What they didn't know was that there are two large caves they have to get past, and one of the girls couldn't swim.  We were on a 'Round the Caves' coble and our fishermen were able to rescue them. They were lucky because this was the last trip for the night.  It would have been mighty cold on those ledges.


The very high cliffs are just north of Flamborough, rising to 400 feet -- a sheer drop.  It is a wild bird preserve and part of the Heritage Coast line.  Razorbills, kittiwakes, guillimots, petrels, fulmars and more  are all to be found here nesting on the ledges.  Puffins are also there, nesting on the ledges instead of burrowing into the cliffs as they do elsewhere.  As children we roamed these cliffs without a care in the world.  The fishermen used to go over the cliffs on ropes and collect seabirds eggs to eat and also to sell in nearby Bridlington.  I have eaten many seabirds eggs.  They're good!  This practice was outlawed in 1954.  Today, the cliffs and nesting areas are well protected by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds.  But you can still visit them .  Trails have been made along the cliff edge.
 Numerous caves are found all around the headland.  Some very large -- large enough to take a boat in at high tide.  They all have names.  What a wonderful childhood it was to have free access to these cliffs, caves and bays.
Thornwick Bay looking north to the Bempton cliffs.  Some of these photos are old, so please excuse their quality.
This is the inside of Robin Lyth's Cave, which is found at North Landing and is the largest cave of all.  It is perfectly safe to enter at low tide.  It is about 60 feet high and perhaps 150 feet from the entrance to the exit, where the sea is always splashing close in.  It is named after a legendary smuggler Robin Lyth and is the name I used as the title of my book "The Tale of Robin Lyth".  Shameless plug here! My book is an updated version of "Mary Anerley".by R. D. Blackmore  (of "Lorna Doone" fame.   A good number of years ago, so I'm told, the villagers used to hold village meetings in this cave.  I'm not sure that that isn't a bit of enhanced memory from the fishermen, but it could be true.

WEDNESDAY'S WORDS
"Come now, let us reason together," says the Lord, "though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow." Isaiah 2:18
Here is a picture of a loving God, who so desires to stop the punishment of his children for their sins (and believe me their sins were every bit as horrible as what we read of today), that He puts aside His holiness that makes sin so repugnant to Him,  and asks in all reasonableness that He and we the sinners should sit down together and look at this problem, just as a father would with his children.  He is holy; we are not.  How then can the two come together?  In these words is the foreshadowing of Jesus Christ who brought the two aspects together by bearing the punishment for our sins and offering forgiveness.  We can be "as white as snow" and may now come boldly before the Father without a shred of guiltiness because it has all been taken away.  THAT is salvation.

19 comments:

Sylvia K said...

Magnificent cliffs and caves! How beautiful! Love your shots! What a great place to explore -- using a little common sense, of course, thank goodness I'm not a teenager! Enjoy the rest of your week!

Sylvia

Christine H. said...

Oh, I felt absolutely transported! This looks so different from where I live...so beautiful.

Morning's Minion said...

I've been thinking along the lines of your Wednesday's Words. We carry guilt with us for so long, instead of rejoicing that we are forgiven and the misdeeds covered by the Blood of Christ.
Enjoyed the photos of the cliffs and coasts, but as a non-swimmer I expect I wouldn't go too near the edge.
Just spent some enjoyable time at your Prisma blog viewing the artwork. I have to rely wholly on my camera to capture and convey the sights and objects which intrigue me.

Anonymous said...

glad I checked!!! Cliffs, cameras,concern,caring, conversation, companionship, (computers!)

Rajesh said...

Magnificent snaps. Natural beauty.

ABC @ Bikaner Cenotaphs

Gillian Mowbray said...

What a fabulous archive, Chris!

Rinkly Rimes said...

A lovely area but obviously one with dangers.

Jose said...

I have high anxiety. My body just tinggles and tightens when I see shots like this. Still, very pretty.

The Weaver of Grass said...

Why has that house gone? Was it washed away by the sea? I love the coast along there - a bit bracing but so beautiful.

lv2scpbk said...

Wonderful cliff photos.

Also, On behalf of the ABC team.

ChrisJ said...

Hi Weaver!

You asked me about the house in my cliff photos. It was originally constructed for observation during World War II, then turned into a golf club, of which my father was the manager. Sometime in the 70's I think, the club members decided they needed a new clubhouse and of course there was always the deciding factor that the old one may fall into the sea. So it was pulled down. The cliffs there have shown no erosion. The patch where my house was is now full of brambles, but I could easily go and stand right where my bedroom window was -- if I didn't mind the brambles. It looked out over the cliff top footpath, which is still there and in no danger of "falling into the sea".

Wanda said...

Oh Chris, I too felt transported to another world. What a magnificient selection for C, and I loved your narative and history of the cliffs and caves. You are a good ABC player for sure.

Roger Owen Green said...

Your 2nd picture reminds me of the Old Man in the Mountain in New Hampshire, US, which, unfortunately collapsed a few years back.

kaybee said...

Lovely memories of an awesome place to live - thanks Chris!

Tumblewords: said...

Impressive caves and cliffs! It would be a good idea to know how to swim before wandering around out there! :)

claude said...

Beautiful ciffs and caves in you birth country, Chris.
Good choice for C.

jay said...

Love your caves! I had no idea there were such large ones on the Yorkshire coast! But then, I've mostly visited the moors and dales.

You must have had a wonderful childhood. Parents would be afraid to let their children have such freedom these days.

Anne Vis said...

Stunningly beautiful landscape! Glad the girls were rescued!

Autumn Leaves said...

Chris, thanks for letting me know that this was your main blog in your other blog! I chose that one because it had 'art' somewhere in it and that was what I was hoping to see. This blog, however, is beautiful and I love hearing your stories and seeing your art all in one spot. The paintings below are wonderful (I do love those horses!), even the pen and ink that you aren't too proud of. I have to admit that I rarely attempt ink either...