Colin Crosby Heritage Tours

Captain Cook Made for Smashing Tour

I recently led a Coach Trip from Leicester based on the life and times of the great mariner Captain James Cook, which was much enjoyed by those taking part.

Entitled "Whitby and Captain Cook Country", it was part of the programme of trips which I lead throughout the year for Leicester people.

This time, my wife Anne came along. She is usually too busy to come, but was able to take the time out on this occasion.

The coach left St. Margarets Bus Station in the morning as usual, and we wended our way up the M1, joining it at Markfield.

I always arrange a stop in the morning where one can buy tea, coffee, cakes etc, but also where there is something interesting to see. This time it was at the great Jacobean mansion of Temple Newsam, which stands in its own country park and includes a rare breeds farm. We had to pick our way through the lorries and cables which were setting up for a major music festival.

After that, we continued on through Yorkshire to Marton. Here, however, we were unable to reach the Captain Cook Birthplace Museum. The Cleveland Show was taking place in the park, and the organisers had not taken into account the fact that coaches might need to get in for the museum. This, however, meant that we could have longer at the other stops, which everybody was pleased about.

So we carried on to the charming fishing village of Staithes, and had longer there than planned. Anne and I had a coffee and cake at a little tea shop on the harbour, together with a delicious piece of cake.

From Staithes, we continued to the historic town of Whitby, again having longer there than I had planned. Anne and I sat down to an excellent meal of fish and chips at one of the splendid restaurants in the old town. In fact, there was considerable consumption of fish and chips among our party.

On the way back, we climbed over the moors, and made a coffee stop at Tibshelf Services.

Everybody enjoyed the trip, and my Visitors` Book attracted such comments as "very enjoyable trip again", "thanks for a lovely day - I`ll certainly be visiting Whitby again", "enjoyed Staithes and Whitby very much", "up to your usual standard", "enjoyable day, full of interest plus excellent weather" and "as usual, lots of interesting information".

Forthcoming trips include Bath, Old Mercia Tour, Essex Woodlands Tour and Shrewsbury.