Port Mulgrave is a small village situated on the coast road between Staithes and Sandsend. Many people will have pass by the eastern edge of the village as they walk along the Cleveland way high on the cliff tops soaking in the magnificent views of the north east coast, and all the history it holds. But if you have the time it’s well worth stopping off to visit the old port of Port Mulgrave, by taking the path down off the Cleveland way down to the old harbour.
This route takes you along a well warn mud path before starting a steep rocky decent down the hill side. There’s a cascade of rocks that have stuck into the cliff side that forms the path leading to a stepping stile, where on the other side is a bench were you can sit looking out over the bay. Continuing on your way down, the cobble stone path is now winding its way under a canopy of trees which arches over head. After a while you will emerge further down the hill from under the cover of the trees, with the path now becoming wider but a more manageable terrain where you finally walk down a grassy slope onto the harbour.
The first thing that you’ll realise is that it’s not a harbour as such more of the ghost of a harbour. Gone of the years when Port Mulgrave’s harbour was a state of the art port bustling with industrial activity. Shipping the iron ore from Sir Charles Palmers mines north to the blast furnaces on Tyneside to produce steel for the ship building industry. The iron ore was transported from the mine through a tunnel which exited out of the hillside some fifty feet above sea level, then along a timber gantry out to the waiting ships. When the iron ore reserves began to dwindle at the Port Mulgrave mine a new mine was opened at Grinkle a short distance inland. From the new mine it was easier to transport the iron ore by rail on the Middleton to Whitby railway, which ended the harbours industrial life. Fishing boats continued to use the harbour until the British Army blow two holes in the harbour wall to prevent any German invasion during the Second World War. Sadly this was the start of the harbours battle to survive, with the sea constantly washing over the damaged harbour wall and depositing the tide’s daily load of rocks, sand and shale into the basin of the old harbour.
Despite all the damage, erosion and the lack of water in the harbour it’s still not over for the old port. A small community of fishermen have erected a number of self styled huts along the old harbour side. As you take a wonder around the mix of corrugated tin and timber built huts you will begin to notice the art of recycling. Like the driftwood that at some point most have been washed up on the beach and left for dead, now being use as fencing or used to decorate a fisherman’s hut. Old windows and doors now get a new view on life as they look out across the bay from the front of another hand crafted cabin. Crab and lobster pots piled on the roofs and stacked by the doors waiting for the next tide or may be in need of repair by a fisherman as he sits by his camp fire looking forward to his next big catch. In front of the huts there’s an array of small boats high and dry waiting to be taken into the sea when the tide is just right, then later dragged back upon the shore to unload the days catch by a rusting old tractor. The same tractor that spends most of its time parked on the beach with old sheets of tarpaulin wrap around the engine keeping out the salty sea air and east coast weather.
Chatting with these fishermen and hearing some fascinating stories of how most of everything you can see in the harbour at some point as had to be carried, lowered or even driven down the steep cliff side. Then there’s the stories of how hard they are working on trying to keep what little remains of the harbour from been washed away by the sea.
This is just one part of Port mulgrave’s bay that makes it worth a visit, there’s also the natural beauty and few million years of fossils hidden in the rocks. So if you are ever planning on visiting this part of the North Yorkshire coast, add some extra time to you visit and call in at Port Mulgrave.
db interesting fact- it was the Romans that invented surf boarding
With this book my aim is to try and capture the atmosphere and spirit of the city that never sleeps. The city of wonderful architecture, curious people, inspirational sights and the memorable sounds that echo around the concrete jungle.
dbphotographic 