North Yorkshire Moors Railway and Whitby Museum 2009

North Yorkshire Moors Railway and Whitby Museum

Saturday 4^th July 2009

The day dawned bright and sunny, the perfect weather for the Yorkshire Branch summer outing on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway from Pickering to Whitby followed by a visit to Whitby Museum.

There were over 30 of us in the party which met in the railway car park where Nick Lishman, Assistant Lime and Ice Project Officer of the North York Moors National Park Authority gave us an introductory talk about the national parks, in particular the North York Moors National Park and also something about the Lime and Ice Project.

We then boarded the train where a carriage had been reserved for our group and we set off on our journey along the 18 miles of preserved steam railway through some of the most beautiful scenery in the country. Peter Robinson was our guide for the journey. He explained the geology of the land we were passing through, pointing out particular features along the route as he described the association between the underlying rock and the vegetation clothing the landscape. His talk was both educational and entertaining and was appreciated by us all – especially as his loud, clear voice could be heard above the noise of the train.

At Grosmont we disembarked for lunch and some of us took the opportunity to explore the village whilst the anoraks visited the engine sheds.

We then caught the steam train to Whitby where we walked up through Pannett Park to Whitby Museum where we were met by Mark Edwards, the Honorary Keeper of the museum. He gave us an illustrated talk and told us the history of the museum which was started in 1823 to preserve the fossils and other interesting artifacts from the local area. The museum, which is owned by the Whitby Literary and Philosophical Society, is run entirely by volunteers from among the society's members. After the talk we had time to look round the museum and with exhibits covering natural history, jet, fossils, James Cook, archaeology, ceramics, paintings, bygones, Whitby Abbey, toys and dolls and militaria there was something to interest everyone. There was even a passenger pigeon, a prized exhibit. Whitby Museum is the home of the Hand of Glory and a replica of Dr Merryweather’s Tempest Prognosticator – an invention which used leeches to predict the weather. Sadly, the original no longer exists – perhaps the Met Office uses something similar to make weather forecasts? Many of us visited the museum cafe where we refuelled and were able to recharge our brains and bodies. Feedback on the day was positive – we were blessed with good weather, good views from the train, three good speakers and a good balance of activities. We are now planning next year’s outing – watch this space and book your place!

Jane Pottas -  Yorkshire Committee