Petrified forests, lemon tops and a vertical pier

It can only be Redcar!

As a child, Redcar on the North East Yorkshire coast was the beach to go to. Just sixteen minutes by car from where we lived (though we often did it by train too), the vast sandy beaches, watching the huge tankers on the horizon coming into port, the donkey rides and the amusements all added to the excitement. Today, it is not as tourist laden as nearby Saltburn or indeed Whitby just a little further down the coast, but it still has much to offer.

The Beast from the East snow storms and freezing cold weather back in 2018 moved tons of sand to reveal a significant amount of an ancient, petrified peatbed and forest. At low tide the tree roots are exposed and are a sight to behold.

On my recent visit, I stood in awe as my eye traced the shapes of the trees and wondered what life might have looked like 6000 years ago before the sea levels began to rise as the glaciers began to melt.

The Lemon Top…a local delicacy

A trip to Redcar would not be complete without a visit to Pacittos, an ice-cream parlour that is believed to have created an iconic dessert, The Lemon Top. One of the pure luxuries in life when off to the seaside in these parts is to treat oneself to a cornet, consisting of creamy, whipped, vanilla ice-cream topped with a lemon sorbet swirl. They are so delicious and well worth the calories. I’m not sure that lemon tops are very common in other parts of the country/world so

I’m curious:

a) have you ever heard of one?

b) have you ever had one?

Let me know and if you have had one, tell me what you think of them.

Ever heard of a vertical pier?

Another unusual sight in Redcar is a 80ft high vertical pier known as The Beacon. It was constructed during the regeneration of the seafront in the town, long after the Victorian traditional pier was dismantled due to safety concerns. Climbing up the seven floors to the top you get an amazing panorama of the vast beach and the wind turbines out in the North Sea. Although it has been built since 2013, this was my first visit to the structure, it did not disappoint.

Photo from redcarcleveland.co.uk … a website where you can find out more about what to do in Redcar

I am glad to have shared with you my memories of a recent trip to Redcar. From its humble origins as a fishing hamlet to its heyday, where it was the centre of the steel industry around here. It welcomed a throng of holiday makers from the works via the newly completed railways. It was even used as a location for the film “Atonement”.

Now much quieter, almost forgotten, but it still has many interesting landmarks and things to discover including the worlds oldest lifeboat and the famous “devils toenails”, fossilised oysters from 200 million years ago that wash up frequently on its fine sandy beaches. Redcar is well worth a visit if you are passing by.