A fascinating talk at James Cook Birthplace Museum on Saturday celebrated Marton born explorer, James Cook’s early naval career in Eastern Canada but also offered a maple leaf to bring both sides of the Atlantic together in celebration of the great man’s achievements.
Paul Wylezol, is Chairperson of the International Appalachian Trail and Cabox Aspiring UNESCO Global Geopark, Western Newfoundland. On Saturday morning he captured the imagination of a packed lecture room at the Birthplace museum as together we peered back through history but also looked forward to an idea of real potential for the future.

First of all we went back long before Captain Cook, long, long before humans in fact and into the deep recesses of Geological time. Geological evidence shows that the Appalachian Mountain range of North America, some mountains in Western Europe, and the Anti-Atlas range in North Africa are all parts of the ancient Central Pangean Mountains, made when minor supercontinents collided to form the supercontinent Pangaea more than 250 million years ago. Pangaea broke up and the Atlantic Ocean opened up and the former mountain range was split into different continents. Paul is now looking to extend the International Appalachian Trail of Canada and USA into Western Europe and North Africa. Joining together long distance walks like Cleveland Way for instance to the mammoth walk down the eastern mountain range of North America.

In 2018 it is the 250th anniversary of Cook’s first great voyage to the Pacific in the Bark Endeavour but next year is the anniversary of a feat, much overlooked, one that showed Cook’s prowess at surveying and also abilities to take charge of a ship. Therefore make him the runaway star contender to be the leader of that historic voyage.

In 2017 it is the 250th anniversary of Cook’s pioneering survey of the whole of the coast of Newfoundland in 1767. Paul brought along copies of the charts that as well as being gobsmackingly accurate are also quite beautiful in their detail and finished composition. Unlike his later Pacific charts, Cook took his work back home with him to England and spent the winter months working up all his readings and sketches.

James Cook was mentored by Samuel Holland, the first surveyor general of North America. Incredibly quick on the uptake Cook mastered the art of surveying by plane table and triangulation and chart map making. The lad from Marton had a major role in guiding the Royal Navy up the treacherous course of the St Lawrence so that General Wolfe could scale the Heights of Abraham and catch out the French under Montcalm.

Although the British victory at Quebec was far reaching the war was still not over. In July 1762 the French attacked the important British cod fishing bases in south east Newfoundland but the British quickly took these back. By the Treaty of Paris in 1763 France retained small areas in south Newfoundland but gave up other claims to Canada. Realising the importance of having accurate charts of the coast, the Governor of Newfoundland commissioned Cook and others to produce them. For the next five years Cook surveyed the coast of Newfoundland during the summer periods, returning to Britain for the winters. In 1762-63 Cook surveyed the coast of Placentia, south east Newfoundland; 1763-64 north Newfoundland; 1765 south Newfoundland; 1766 southwest Newfoundland; and 1767 west Newfoundland. Cook returned to London in November 1767.
To mark this important achievement the International Appalachian Trail (IAT)are preparing a series of events and forging links with potential partners the length of the trail. “The mission of the International Appalachian Trail is to establish a long-distance walking trail that extends to all geographic regions once connected by the Appalachian Mountain range, formed more than 250 million years ago … In addition to connecting people and places, the goal is to promote natural and cultural heritage, health and fitness, environmental stewardship, fellowship and understanding, cross-border cooperation, and rural economic development through eco and adventure tourism.” The North York Moors National Park is involved in the IAT and are hosting speaker Paul Wylezol, Chairperson of the IAT, as he visits potential partners.

Paul is also looking to put together a website of the 250th commemorations as they spread across the globe with Cook’s voyages. This can unite Marton and Middlesbrough with countries and peoples right across the globe beginning with Newfoundland next year. This is a unique opportunity really for us to reach out right across the Atlantic and then around the world to the Pacific and Australasia. We could hook up for tourism, the big outdoors tourism industry especially. It could be huge educationally and the great thing is it all starts right here at Cook’s birthplace. This is too big an opportunity to pass up. Amazing really how these anniversaries should come around at a time when we are looking beyond Europe. But we do not need to neglect our own continent either as there are big links to the International Appalachian Trail as well as Cook’s naval and maritime career in the North Sea and Baltic.

There are a thousand stories to tell and thousands of miles to be explored all over. A Saturday morning talk could just have sparked a whole new chapter for Marton and Middlesbrough, the birthplace of Captain James Cook and maybe soon a starting point for a brand new journey of exploration and rediscovery.