John Edward Cooper’s Notes
Saturday 4 September 2021
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[2021] [Friday 3 September 2021] Raincliffe Hotel, Scarborough Oliver’s Mount and The Mere Janet reported that she had a “pretty good sleep. Can’t remember the last time I had ‘any’ sleep on a Friday, because of ‘The Scums’. [I got] up, reluctantly, at 7am.” It was almost a month… since we saw the Eddies Removals van parked in the front yard [next door], betokening the imminent departure of “The Scums” (peace be far from them!); but the anxiety, of anticipation of weekend disturbance by late-night or all-night partying, had persisted (peace be very far from them!). As usual, I shaved and showed after she vacated the bathroom.… Today was Janet’s once-weekly day to eat what she liked; and so it was that she wrote: “Breakfast. I indulged with porridge, a poached egg with two hash browns and tomato sauce, and a pancake with syrup. Mmm! At ca.9.00am we headed out.” More like 9.15am, judging by the photo, below; and also because I scribbled, “9.15, people coming for breakfast.” Breakfast time was clearly stated to be “8.00am to 9.00am”, so it seemed unreasonable for people to wander in at 9.15am, with the hotel’s limited staffing resources and other duties to perform. (However, it may be because of those limited resources that Vicky had asked them to come a little later for breakfast, to ease the workload.) On the way down Valley Road, between the hotel and Valley Park, we’d spotted two narrow passages leading upwards, and wondered to where they led. One was impenetrably overgrown, but the other was passable.  Saturday 4 September 2021 09:19:40 Exploring an overgrown passage between №7 and №9 Valley Road, Scarborough It proved only to lead, however, to the back entrances of Valley Road properties, and of properties backing on to them. The guy at №9 came out and challenged us. We apologised repeatedly, and said that we thought it might be a public right of way. He admitted that it might be, but was still ungracious.  Saturday 4 September 2021 09:22:30 Going through Valley Park, Scarborough “We went to the P[ost] O[ffice] first to post a postcard to Chris,” Janet wrote, “but it was closed. What?! Anyway, we were directed to Falsgrave Road, which was open. It took us a bit to get there!” We returned to the W. H. Smith store in Westborough, where we’d bought the map of Whitby on Thursday, because we’d seen that there was a Post Office counter at the far end. But when we got there, we found that although the rest of the store was open for business, the Post Office part wasn’t open on Saturdays. “Where’s the nearest Post Office that’s open?” Falsgrave Road. Simple enough directions: back along Westborough, on past the Railway Station, onwards where Westborough changes its name to Falsgrave Road. Anyway, after wondering whether we’d actually find it, eventually we spotted a “Post Office” sign outside the Spar convenience store on the right side of Falsgrave Road. “14 min, 0.6 miles” between the two Post Offices, according to Google Maps — but things always seem to take longer to reach when you don’t know exactly where they are.  Receipt from the Post Office, 97–101 Falsgrave Road, Scarborough YO12 5EG, issued “09:55” “Afterwards, we set off for Oliver’s Mount,” Janet wrote. “We stopped at the hotel first for a pee.” (I made a note that this was at “10.25”.) “Again it was grey and cool but, actually, perfect for walking — as yesterday. It was a bit of a trek. We arrived at the top just before noon and went to Oliver’s café for lunch. Smart place — I thought it might be a bit grotty.” 
Ordnance Survey map, showing the positions of Oliver’s Mount and The Mere, relative to the hotel Map from North Yorkshire County Council © Crown Copyright and Database Rights (2021) Ordnance Survey 100017946 Click on image to enlarge We went along Ramshill Road and its continuation Filey Road. I noticed a Post Office just at the start of Filey Road; if we’d known about that, we could have saved ourselves half an hour or more. One or two of the on-line maps that I’d consulted, including the Ordnance Survey map, made me hope to find a footpath shortcut to the summit of Oliver’s Mount, instead of having to walk lengthy zigzags along the motorcycle course.  Saturday 4 September 2021 10:40:04 Oliver’s Mount, Scarborough, seen from the North End of Filey Road From Filey Road, we turned right into Mountside.  Map giving names of locations shown in the following photos Bing Maps Aerial View, with additional labels by me Credits: Image courtesy of Ordnance Survey © 2021 TomTom © 2021 Microsoft  Saturday 4 September 2021 10:50:02 Proceeding up Mountside, Scarborough There was the seeming entrance to a footpath just after the first bend in Mountside, but as it was still under construction it provided no passable way. It would have only taken us up the first stage of the ascent, to Weaponness Drive, anyway. Looking at the photos and captions, below, while referring to the map (above), will tell the story of the ascent without my having to write any separate account of it.  Saturday 4 September 2021 10:55:54 Turning right at the junction of Mountside (right) and Weaponness Drive (left)  Saturday 4 September 2021 10:59:40 Investigating a promising-looking path up the north slope of Oliver’s Mount…  Saturday 4 September 2021 11:01:06 …only to find the way barred further up  Saturday 4 September 2021 11:09:46 Views of Scarborough from the gate of Low Mount Reservoir (west of the Oliver’s Mount summit)  Saturday 4 September 2021 11:10:18 Views of Scarborough from the gate of Low Mount Reservoir (west of the Oliver’s Mount summit)  Saturday 4 September 2021 11:10:32 Views of Scarborough from the gate of Low Mount Reservoir (west of the Oliver’s Mount summit)  Saturday 4 September 2021 11:10:46 Views of Scarborough from the gate of Low Mount Reservoir (west of the Oliver’s Mount summit)  Saturday 4 September 2021 11:14:34 View east towards Oliver’s Mount  Saturday 4 September 2021 11:15:54 View south-west from the same location as “11:14:34”  Saturday 4 September 2021 11:17:24 Choosing the Oliver’s Mount ascent (“Hell Drop”, left) at “Mountside Hairpin”, not Weaponness Lane (“Bottom Straight”, right)  Saturday 4 September 2021 11:19:40 Footbridge on “Hell Drop”…  Saturday 4 September 2021 11:20:54 …again leading to a “Prohibited Area”  Saturday 4 September 2021 11:23:32 Continuing southwards up “Hell Drop”…  Saturday 4 September 2021 11:28:42 …then after rounding “Drury’s Hairpin”, going northwards along Jackson’s Lane (“Drury’s Straight”)  Saturday 4 September 2021 11:35:00 Path north-east through a wooded area, leading to Oliver’s Mount War Memorial  Saturday 4 September 2021 11:36:28 Path north-east through a wooded area, leading to Oliver’s Mount War Memorial  Saturday 4 September 2021 11:37:24 …leading to Oliver’s Mount War Memorial I wanted to look more closely at the War Memorial, but Janet was already on her way to Oliver’s on the Mount Café and Bar.  Saturday 4 September 2021 11:38:56 Oliver’s Mount War Memorial  Saturday 4 September 2021 11:39:44 Heading south-east to Oliver’s on the Mount Café and Bar “We arrived at the top just before noon and went to Oliver’s café for lunch. Smart place — I thought it might be a bit grotty,” Janet wrote. “[John] had a sausage bap and two prosecco, and I had three Cumberland chipolatas and chunky chips (and lashings of Heinz tomato ketchup) plus a Fanta orange. I almost ate the lot — I wasn’t over-faced. Then I has a big slice of scrumptious lemon cake with the obligatory hot chocolate [drink]. £30.40 in total: so cheap! (We haven’t spent much money on this holiday.)”  Saturday 4 September 2021 11:56:40 View from the window of Oliver’s on the Mount Café and Bar, of South Bay and Castle Hill, Scarborough  Saturday 4 September 2021 12:02:14 Lunch at Oliver’s on the Mount Café and Bar, Scarborough  Receipt from Oliver’s on the Mount, issued “12:18” “It had rained a bit whilst we’d been in there (an hour), but there were only a few spots when we emerged.”  Saturday 4 September 2021 12:51:54 Oliver’s on the Mount Café and Bar, Oliver’s Mount, Scarborough YO11 2UG  Saturday 4 September 2021 12:54:08 Going back to Oliver’s Mount War Memorial  Saturday 4 September 2021 12:56:48 Oliver’s Mount War Memorial  Saturday 4 September 2021 12:57:06 Oliver’s Mount War Memorial  Saturday 4 September 2021 12:58:04 Oliver’s Mount War Memorial “We went to the viewpoint and, unfortunately, it was foggy. Pooh!”  Saturday 4 September 2021 12:59:18 View of Scarborough from near Oliver’s Mount War Memorial “We set off to the Mere, where [John] went on The Hispaniola to Treasure Island when he was eight.[i] (For a short period there were bursts of sunshine, which were extremely welcome. So much for the summer!) It was much easier going down.” Looking at the photos and captions, below, while referring to the map (above), will tell the story of the descent without my having to write any separate account of it.
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