07/08/06....
Just to say am back!!, I am also having a baby in several weeks so expect lots of ba...
07/08/06....
Just to say am back!!, I am also having a baby in several weeks so expect lots of baby reviews!! Anna xx
Member since:27.07.2001
Reviews:79
Members who trust:223
Being a resident of Whitby Town, it’s not very often I get to experience it from the tourists point of view, however having Louise. (Or Squiggles as you know her on here), stopping for a few days it was the perfect opportunity to play at tourist myself!.
Whitby is situated in The North of England and is a coastal resort, lovely in summer, but cold and bleak in winter, it is very picturesque in parts, so what exactly did we find to do and see then?
Saturday, we decided to have full fun packed day, the Whitby tour bus was first on the agenda, an open top bus that takes you all over Whitby, lasting an hour and complete with tour guide who will recite parrot fashion all the places of interest you are passing as well as the Towns brief history. Priced at £4.50 per adult and £2.50 per child, with reductions for larger groups and OAP’s, it allows you to hop off at various stops to do your own thing, should you wish and then rejoin the bus as many times as you want within the day.
So off we hop at Whitby Abbey, The Abbey being the main focal point, set high on the east cliff it can be seen from all over the Town. You can walk up to
it, but there are 199 steps, and yes we were very relieved that we caught the bus, I can tell you!
The abbey dates back to Roman times, and was home to St Hilda, it very stunning, even though there are only of course the ruins, it overlooks the harbour and behind it, nothing but fields and open spaces. Admission to the Abbey will cost you £1.70 each, but really you have to visit if you do decide to come to Whitby, it’s very peaceful and calming somehow strolling the grounds.
In front of the Abbey is St Mary’s church, and although it fully functional for christenings and special services, it is still more of an Oldie Worlde tourist attraction, Nothing has been altered at all from the prayer boxes to the alter itself, all lovingly kept as it used to be, and even relies on candlelight instead of the traditional electric!
The gravestones in the churchyard mostly from the 18-1900 ‘s all have local names and some very sad inscriptions on some if you care to read them!
Another tragic factor here is that the church being on the cliff top, the graves are actually sliding slowly down the cliff gradually, and this year bones were actually recovered after one slide on the beach below!
So time for a quick ice cream before we jump back on the Tour Bus again, and off to the other side of Whitby… the Pier Here is the traditional seaside, fish and chips galore, candy floss, gift shops and of course the amusement arcades….
These are ideal for families but not recommended for the more mature amongst you, well unless you like that sort of thing! They do have, a large soft play area, mini-golf, 10-pin bowling and more, so plenty inside to do here.
But you can escape for some peace and fresh air, if you walk on you will find the pier extensions, with nothing here except seagulls!, or perhaps a climb up the light house…Pass on that last one!.
We decided to go out on a boat trip to sea….ewwww, did I ever tell you how much I dislike water and boats!, but as Lou was keen I decided to take a deep breath and go for it. The boats themselves are ex fishing boats and quite roomy, at £2.50 per person and £1.50 per child, it seemed very reasonable. Funnily enough, once I’d actually got on it I was fine and really enjoyed it! The boat went out of the harbour a few miles out to sea before turning round and, it was a clam day so it only bobbed up and down a little bit! The views from the boat were lovely, so I recommend this to anyone visiting. Do it!
So that was Saturday, we return home slightly frazzled round the edges but manage to decide Sunday’s expedition….
Sunday – Goathland
Goathland is a very small village, just outside Whitby, here the population of sheep roaming about loose, easily outnumber the locals with ease! Many of you might have heard of Goathland as it is where Heartbeat is filmed, again worth a visit for the scenery but don’t expect much else! You can hop on a real steam train from here that will take you to Pickering a few miles away.
So those are the main sights around Whitby, there are of course shops too for those that can’t live without, but no big names I’m afraid, all the main stores are situated on the West –Side, whilst the East (across the harbour via the old bridge), is home to the gift , antique and more Olde Worlde shops.
Here you can even see kippers being smoked in oak sheds, and purchase some for later if you are brave enough to tackle all those bones…not me!
The West side is also home to the beaches, and these stretch for miles, complete with donkeys they are actually very clean and chalets are available to hire for the day. A lift takes you down to the beach, as the cliffs are quite steep here, and the paths long and winding.
This time of year is Folk Week, the town becomes packed with groups of odd-looking people waving hankies and banging sticks together. · I apologise now for any of you here, who Morris dance when not on Ciao!* Or perhaps you might prefer Gothic festivals, held twice a year the town is host to 1000’s of Goths from all over the world, in 3 days they hold various events from concerts to markets and lots more. They are actually all really nice and quite a sight to see, I can tell you.
The Goths love it here as Whitby has its very own Dracula connections, his boat was supposedly washed ashore at the foot of the abbey, and all crew members were dead apart from Dracula who was in the form of a large black dog…anyone who has read Bram Stokers novel may remember this. Hence we have the Dracula experience, a walk round sort of horror set, not for the fain hearted!
So If you are planning a trip to Whitby I suggest you come in the Summer, Squiggles was very impressed with it (future op?). As I think if you live inland then it’s a real treat, even coming into Whitby over the Yorkshire moors can be quite a breathtaking experience, if your not used to such scenery. All I will say is yes there is lots to do if the weather is good, but if it’s not then you will struggle, as part from the shops and amusements there is not a lot left to do!
NB Anyone in FOW or Ciao _uk @ yahoogroups can see us ..piccy on site!
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Sounds great! Think I'll wait until next year to visit though. Poonon x
TheUsualSuspect 12.09.2001 15:01
Oh and i even love it in winter! We used to go sledging down some of thise monster hills round there! Scary stuff!
TheUsualSuspect 12.09.2001 15:00
Excellent review and it really brings back memories. My parents used to take us their every year when we were little. Whitby and the surrounding area is my favourite place on earth. Yes i'm a simple man with simple tastes. I just love Whitby (I love watching the bridge move when the ships pass underneath and "The Magpie"!), Goathland (so many sheep!), Sandsend, Staithes (I recommend a little restaurant called "The Endeavour" run by a very nice woman called Lisa), Robins Hood Bay. Just the whole place is magical. I read your review with a big grin on my face. This is what ciao is for - sharing experiences people can relate with and accept. It's great. Sorry for going on a bit! Needless to say i loved this review very worthy of a big VH! Cheers and bye! (Can I come and visit as well?)
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Advantages: Cliff top walks, the Yorkshire people, Disadvantages: All those fish and chips - you'll put weight on here! (namely I did - 4lbs!! - sorry WeightWatchers!))
hogwash 03.09.2003 (03.09.2003)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Whitby (England)
Advantages: Beautiful town...very friendly and pretty. Good Shops and lots to visit, there and in the surrounding area. Disadvantages: I had to come home! Things shut down at the end of October.
tange 13.11.2002 ·
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Whitby (England)
Aug 29th, 2001
(Sep 1st, 2001)
very helpful by (99%):
somewhat helpful by (1%):
