Whitby - Dracula, Easter, Captain James Cook and chocolate - what's not to like!
Written: May 06 '08
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Very atmospheric and oodles of history at every corner.
Cons: Can get a little busy.
The Bottom Line: If you like wandering around an old UK fishing town, Whitby is your place.
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| cr01's Full Review: Whitby, United Kingdom |
I’m fortunate enough to live within a couple of hours travelling time from Whitby on the North Yorkshire coast. Whitby is a busy and attractive fishing town with a fascinating history, and we visit at least twice a year.
Whitby Abbey
If you have ever wondered who decided upon those wandering dates for Easter, look no further. A synod at Whitby Abbey some 1400 years ago decided the way we would calculate the dates each year. At that time, the Abbey didn’t even have the name. The name “Whitby” came courtesy of the Danish Vikings, who subsequently ransacked the Abbey, and settled in the town and region for over 200 years. The Abbey was rebuilt once the Danes left, only to fall into ruin following the reformation of the 1500’s.
Today, the Abbey stands in splendid isolation on the cliff tops above Whitby. Visitors to the town can spot the Abbey some miles before arrival, and it forms a striking landmark. Close to the Abbey on the cliff side stands the church of St Mary’s. The church itself doesn’t excite me, but I love wandering around the churchyard perched on the cliff top. The sea winds have pitted many of the sandstone headstones, leaving fascinating rounded and ridged patterns in the stonework.
199 steep steps separate the Abbey and the church from the rest of Whitby. It’s a matter of pride for me to achieve the 199 without stopping for a breather, but it seems to get more difficult each visit. In Victorian times, pallbearers would lead funeral processions through the cobbled main street and up the steps to the church with a coffin. What a way to go!
Whitby
Author Bram Stoker enjoyed Whitby, and used the town as a backdrop for his most famous story, Dracula. Whitby was the setting for the shipwreck that brought Dracula into town. Today, Whitby boasts a small tacky Dracula museum, but I recommend horror fans save their money for one of the evening ghost walks through Whitby’s cobbled narrow streets. It’s far more atmospheric.
I’m not the only fan of Whitby, and during summer days and weekends, the place is busy with visitors. While this has led to the inevitable expansion of tearooms, restaurants and tourist tat shops, the atmosphere of Whitby remains intact. It’s worth staying at least a night, so you can soak up the atmosphere once the day-trippers have left.
Fortunately, Whitby was built on the steep sides of a valley created by the river Esk. This means that the expansion in the town has happened on the other side of the river (West Cliff), and the original medieval east cliff is still full of its old stone cottages and meandering streets and back alleys.
The main shopping street in east cliff is narrow, cobbled, and loaded with interesting shops. Justin’s make and sells the best chocolate truffles in the British Isles, and there are a couple of fantastic art galleries, where my beloved and I have added to our “pension fund” art collection over the years.
I also love the public houses in Whitby. My absolute favourite is the Duke of York (also a favourite of Bram Stocker). Based at the foot of the 199 steps, it has a couple of windows with a wonderful view over the fishing boats in the harbour.
In Victorian times, Jet was mined in the region. Jet is a similar but harder stone to coal, and the Victorians used it in funeral jewellery. Fortunately, unlike coal, the black doesn’t rub off! Today, there are still a host of Whitby jet jewellery shops, although the settings tend to be old fashioned.
With Dracula, Jet and a Victorian air, Whitby is a favourite haunt of Goths and Emos. Each year, the town puts on a Goth festival, and it is amusing to come along and see the aging Goths wandering around in black clothes, and backcombed spiky black hair. I was a Goth in the 80’s, but had the sense to realise that the middle aged plump Goth look, doesn’t look good (just Google image “Robert Smith” for evidence). Still, the Goth weekend is relaxed and good-natured. Whitby also plays host to other speciality weekends, including 40’s weekend (where everyone dresses up as wartime soldiers and sweethearts), and an international music festival.
Fishing and boat building, was the other main industry of Whitby and fishing boats still bring their catch into the small and busy harbour. There are some wonderful seafood and traditional fish and chip restaurants in Whitby as a result.
A whaling fleet also used to depart from Whitby, but fortunately in these more enlightened times, we have no need for whaling boats. An arch made from the ribs of a whale still stands on the park up to the Victorian built West Cliff.
Local boy Captain James Cook, who “discovered” Australia from Europe, set sail in the Whitby built Endeavour. Again there is a museum to Cook in Whitby, and while my memory of it isn’t large, I remember it being interesting.
Separating east and west cliff is a Victorian iron swing bridge over the river. I have seen the bridge open, but it doesn’t happen too often these days. It’s great to wander along the harbour, and you can take either a gentle sea trip on one of the tourist charters, of if you are feeling particularly brave, take a deep sea fishing trip on a fishing boat.
Around the Whitby Coast
As if there wasn’t enough to see in Whitby, there are also a couple of wonderful hiking walks north and south along the coast (there are other great inland walks too).
A 5-mile hike down the coast south will take you to the small cove of Robin Hood’s Bay. This is like a smaller version of Whitby, and again, because the cove is so small, the hamlet has retained its old look and style. Here, houses are piled on top of each other, and the cliffs are great for trying to hunt down dinosaur fossils (I’ve only ever found two, both made out of a very soft muddy rock, meaning they didn’t survive). Robin Hood’s Bay was originally a smugglers cove and small fishing village, and it is a great place to hunt down lunch. There is a characterful old pub right on the harbour front.
Walking north from Whitby, takes you past a wide sandy bay (too cold for swimming) and past the village of Sandsend to Runswick Bay. This walk takes you past some former Alum workings. In the 1700’s Alum was mixed with stale urine to fix dye colourings in fabric. Before the Whitby source was discovered, the Vatican held the monopoly on Alum production. Today, these once busy cliffs are deserted, although you can still spot some of the scars of industry here. It is a great place for watching the seabirds nesting.
Summing up
We always enjoy our visits to Whitby, and find something to entertain ourselves with irrespective of the unpredictable weather. It may not be the most exciting spot for younger people or children, but Whitby never fails to disappoint the majority of visitors.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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Epinions.com ID:
cr01
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Member: Chris
Location: Yorkshire, England
Reviews written: 443
Trusted by: 373 members
About Me:
In snowy Yorkshire. Dusting down the Sledge.
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