Eggs: not just for Easter

Great news for egg lovers: they are not just for Easter. While chocolate and fancy designs rule the roost this month, guests at Dunsley holiday cottage (www.dunsleyinstaithes.co.uk) can enjoy the real thing. Our neighbour Sonia, at Fossil Cottage, now has a brood of six happy hens in her allotment (near the car park). These free-range lovelies are also terrific egg producers, so Sonia regularly fills the egg box in Fossil Cottage's front yard. It's an honesty system, and the eggs are gorgeous! It's the ultimate breakfast treat: wander down to the butcher for fresh bread from Danby's Stonehouse bakery (meat lovers will also appreciate the excellent Staithes bacon and sausages), and an egg or two from Sonia's supply. Then enjoy the meal in Dunsley's private front yard or, if it's too cool, in the cottage with the stable door top open so you can take in the outside, from the inside. Heaven - and not a chocolate in sight.

Mystery TV drama in Staithes

Hot news: Drama at Dunsley! Our early February guests at Dunsley holiday cottage in Staithes (www.dunsleyinstaithes.co.uk) report that a TV crew was filming on the footpath, directly outside Dunsley's gate. Hilary took this picture from Dunsley's bedroom window. But what were they shooting? She says: "It was definitely drama not documentary  - after about 8 takes we knew the script - also definitely not Old Jack's Boat!"
 If anyone can shed any light on this, we'd love to hear from you! Please email us: dunsley.staithes@gmail.com . Meanwhile I have my feelers out and will update this if I learn anything new.

TV drama at Dunsley.. photo taken from Dunsley's bedroom window by our guest Hilary

 

Staithes weathers storm suge

Staithes emerged relatively unscathed from the storm that battered Britain over December 5 and 6. The biggest effect was from the East Coast tidal surge, which created massively high tides, including surfable waves in the river! The lifeboat station was flooded, along with the 'lower' cottages alongside it; some houses near the river were also awash. Luckily for us, Dunsley (www.dunsleyinstaithes.co.uk), which sits a fair few metres above the river, was unaffected.
 Guests report tiles flying off roof-tops, howling wind and plenty of action in the harbour. Our weekend guests Keith and Suzanne took this picture of the Cod & Lobster pub, at around 6.30pm on Friday night. It was about an hour after high tide, yet the water and spray, which are normally well below the sea wall, were very close to flooding the pub. The Cod closed early on the Thursday night, just in case...
 Thanks to Keith for this cracking shot; hopefully he didn't get too cold or wet in the process! You have to wonder about the driver who parked a car within inches of the ocean...

Flowers, champagne, action!

Since we opened Dunsley in Staithes to guests in 2011, we have been delighted to host many romantic occasions including wedding anniversaries, birthdays, reunions and honeymoons. But this month, Dunsley saw its first marriage proposal... From the very start, Eddie was eager to create the perfect environment for popping the question to Mariola. So, on his request, we brought champagne from France, and ordered a gorgeous bouquet of flowers in Mariola's favourite colours (our fabulous florist, Liz Wood of Buzy Liz's Floral Design in Kirkbymoorside specialises in weddings).
 When the day came, Duncan dashed over to Dunsley with the freshly-arranged flowers, hid the champagne in the fridge so it was perfectly chilled, and we waited, on tenterhooks...
 After their weekend break, Eddie dropped us a note. "We had a really, really special weekend, I can't thank you enough for all your help. The flowers were beautiful and the champagne went down a treat.
  Staithes is a magical little place and Dunsley was absolutely perfect for what I had planned. We will definitely be back. Again, thank you Judy and Duncan for everything.
Oh, you might want to know what the answer was.....................
She said yes!!!!!! :)

Congratulations, Eddie and Mariola! We couldn't be happier for you both.

Picture: the ceramic heart, modelled on a New Zealand 'kina' or sea urchin, above the bed at Dunsley (www.dunsleyinstaithes.co.uk)

Village Pub of the Year

Congratulations to the Fox & Hounds at Dalehouse, which has been awarded the Village Pub of the Year by the Whitby Gazette. The Fox & Hounds is 900 yards, or a 20 minute stroll, from Dunsley in Staithes (www.dunsleyinstaithes.co.uk), and serves fabulous food and excellent beer in a cosy bar, a sofa-and-fire corner or the little restaurant.
 We get lots of enquiries from guests wanting news on where they can drink real ale in or near Staithes. Fox & Hounds is high on the list, but we also have the Captain Cook Inn, which has new owners, and is famed for its Real Ale Festivals (www.captaincookinn.co.uk) and is a CAMRA (Campaign for Real Ale) favourite. In the lower village, 50 metres from Dunsley, is the Royal George which serves real ale and bar meals by an open fire; and of course the Cod & Lobster on the harbour which offers real ale and pub food including bistro-style meals, with a sea view.
 Plus, for foodies, we have an award-winning seafood outlet, a brilliant butcher (who also sells homemade preserves), the Cleveland Bistro with its new owners Rob and Sharon, who are pushing the boat out on local produce and even local beer, brewed by Dunsley's neighbours!
 So, Staithes for beer and food: you can't go wrong. See you down there!
Picture: Cod & Lobster, in prime position on the Staithes seafront

Whale Watching from Whitby

I’ve had a wonderful email from Suzanne, one of Dunsley’s regular guests, who has recently returned from Staithes. She writes “A highlight was whale watching out of Whitby (www.whitbywhalewatching.net). It threw it down with rain for 3 out of the 4 hours at sea. It was so cold and blustery, 10 miles out ! We had to resort to the skipper's emergency ponchos but I can honestly say the discomfort evaporated in an instant at the first sight of the whales. Absolutely wonderful... better than cream teas at Falling Foss tea garden !! Can't wait to return to Dunsley in December, the Victorian weekend at Robin Hoods Bay, cooking in your super kitchen with a lovely open fire to keep us snug... bliss!”

 I was so tickled by this description that I asked for more detail, thinking you might enjoy it too. Here it is: “September/October  is the optimum time for the whale watching, simply because the herrings spawn at that time, so we were told. The guy that took us showed us on the monitor where the shoal was and we were literally sat on top of it. Because its so easy for the seals to feast on the fish they were bobbing about in the water looking completely stuffed and where there are seals (especially fat, sleepy ones) there are usually whales. The record for sightings was 35 seals and 17 whales surrounding the boat one afternoon. Incredible ! Just hope no joker starts doing the Jaws theme tune !!  Actually, it's better to go on a dull day because the glare makes staring at the sea uncomfortable after a while.  That said, it must be nice to be able to get off the boat and still be able to feel your limbs ! The boat carries just 12 people plus crew so you have a great all round view of everything. Hope you get to go soon.”

 Many thanks to Suzanne!

BBC Countryfile at Staithes

Hot news: there is more to Staithes on the silver screen than Old Jack's Boat: Staithes is being featured on BBC Countryfile, with a piece on the port's traditional cobles. Our friend Steve, who did much of the renovation work on Dunsley holiday cottage (www.dunsleyinstaithes.co.uk) owns the last working coble in Staithes. Last week he hosted Ellie Harrison ("the bubbly blonde one"!) on his beautiful Rose of England, explaining the heritage of the coble. As the BBC's insurance policy wouldn't let him take Ellie out to sea they had to pootle around the harbour... The programme is scheduled to be screened on Sunday September 8th: mark the date!
 Here's a picture of Steve standing at the helm of Rose of England, in Staithes harbour (although not with Ellie...)