Saltburn by the sea reminded me of the sort of place that you see on early picture postcards. It's a charming Victorian seaside resort and even today it still retains much of its old worldly charm. The Saltburn Cliff lifts are located directly opposite the pier and fit in beautifully with the ambience of the seafront.
These cliff lifts are capable of taking up to twenty passengers a time to the top of the steep cliff and back down again. Each ride costs 65p per adult and only lasts a couple of minutes but as a one off experience it was something that I would recommend and its something that I thoroughly enjoyed.
There's no denying that this is an amazement piece of Victorian engineering. It first opened on the 28th June 1884 and is now the oldest water balanced cliff lift in the world. The track is about 40 metres long and very steep, in fact the incline is 75%.
There are two carriages that work on a pulley system powered by the water from the sea, as one carriage falls it pulls the other one up. It is such a simple idea that it is ingenious and its invention inspired many similar lifts, including those at Scarborough a little further down the Yorkshire coast, although they were converted to diesel power in the 1930's.
The carriage cars date from 1979 and are constructed from aluminium. They are however based on the design of the original cars and look very authentic.
The cliff lifts operate at weekends between March and October and daily between May and September. Children and concessions can travel for 35p.
Should you find yourself in this lovely resort in north eastEngland then don't forget to check out these charming cliff lifts, the memory will stay with you for a long time.
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