The Hole of Horcum

We’re on the road once again; this time heading from Scarborough to Sheffield, which is a 2 hour journey. It’s astonishing how many miles you can notch up whilst driving around in this county. We’ve spent the day location hunting; firstly in the Yorkshire Moors and latterly along the North Yorkshire Coast. It would have been a fabulous day, had we not been somewhat hampered by the weather. The higher we climbed, the mistier it became. Fortunately we managed to see the funny side, and spent much of the day howling with laughter. The “beautiful” Rosewell Chimney looked like this...

And here’s what I saw of the mystical Hole of Horcum...

I imagined trying to film in these locations on a similarly foggy day and panicked so much I was forced to buy myself a bag of Fruit Pastilles which I ate four at a time. The bottom line is that this film would pretty much be ruined by inclement weather. I can just picture the singers huddled under umbrellas, frizzy-haired harpists knee-deep in mud, folk bands shivering in cars with the windscreen wipers on... I guess it would bring a certain reality to the film by representing a fairly typical English summer. It’s probably all that many visitors get to see of this beautiful county!

The quest for locations improved considerably when we reached Pickering and were able to stand on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway platform and watch a majestic steam train puffing into the station. I defy any grown man not to feel a rush of child-like excitement when watching a steam train. I’m sure it will provide a stunning backdrop for at least one segment of our film. Later in the day, we visited a strangely empty Scarborough. The visual mayhem of the amusement arcades over there, and the rusty fishing boats crammed into the marina should also form the basis of some very interesting shots.

June 10th 1660, and Pepys must have had a great deal on his mind for his entry is but a few sentences long, and a complete let down for the romantics amongst us who were waiting with baited breath to hear about his reunion with Elizabeth:

“Whitsunday (Lord’s Day.) At my father’s found my wife. After dinner, my wife and I to walk in Lincolnes-Inne walks. After prayers she home and I to my Lord. Stayed there: and so to my father’s, where I met Mr. Fairebrother. To bed with my wife.”