Mike Laycock gets on his bike to visit a new exhibition on the North Yorkshire coast.

This is the way to see the spectacular Yorkshire coastline. Far better than peering through the window of a cramped car, or even trudging along on foot, we whizzed along with the wind in our faces and sunshine on our shoulders.

We were cycling on the former railway from Whitby to Scarborough, which was converted years ago into a cycle trail. Not yet possessing our own bike rack, we had hired our cycles from Trailways, ideally situated in the former railway station at Hawkser, a couple of miles south of Whitby.

This business has more than a hundred bikes of every type and size imaginable, from BMXs to mountain bikes, stored in former railway carriages. We were soon kitted out with top-of-the-range bikes and gear, including helmets but not saddle bags or panniers, which would have proved useful for a picnic.

The trail is mostly well surfaced, although cyclists need to look out for occasional potholes. A pelican crossing takes riders safely across the busy A171 but occasionally they have to cross quieter country roads without assistance. The trail first leads down to the picturesque village of Robin Hood's Bay, with its red pantiled roofs, narrow, winding cobbled streets and alleyways, and stone cottages clinging to the sheer cliffs.

We decided to call in there later on our return journey. First, we wanted to press on to the next village, Ravenscar, where I had heard that the National Trust had opened a new exhibition about the fascinating industrial past of this remote location. However, getting there involved a long and wearisome climb up a 1-in 37 gradient, which must have proved a challenge even to steam trains. At times, my daughter required a push to keep her going.

It was hard to imagine Ravenscar ever played any significant role in British industry. But, as the small exhibition in the National Trust Information centre reveals, in the 18th century it was the setting for one of Britain's first chemical industries. More than 100 people laboured on the cliffs and in the harbour, cutting rock, burning piles of brushwood and shale and loading chemicals into ships.

They were using the shale to produce alum, a crystal which was vital in those days for the textile and tanning industries - to fix dyes in cloth and to make leather supple and durable.

The hands-on displays explain how human urine was collected as far away as London and transported to the Peak Alum Works to assist in the process. The stink must have been terrible - and the exhibition even gave us a chance to sniff a whiff, before we headed out into the bracing air again for our wonderful free-wheel back down the long slope to Robin Hood's Bay.

Fact file:

Trailways, The Old Railway Station, Hawkser, Whitby.

Cycle hire (up to four hours) costs from £9 for adults to £6 for children. Further information, call 01947 820207.

Ravenscar Information Centre: Open daily 10.30am to 5pm. Admission free. Further information, call 01723 870423.

Further information is available on www.trailways.info

Updated: 10:16 Saturday, July 31, 2004