Ahhhhhhh, Whitby! A beautiful and ancient little fishing port nestled amongst the moors with the imposing remains of the Abbey watching over the sleepy little bay, golden sands and harbouring as much history and tradition as you could possibly desire.
Whitby during August Bank Holiday weekend is a little different however. All of the above still applies, with the addition of a short blonde woman, a slightly taller brunette one and small nine-year-old boy doing their damndest to avoid the man with the camera! The man with the camera gets everywhere, ready to snap at you when you’re at your most windswept, pulling the daftest of faces or generally just looking like you’ve spent twelve hours being dragged through a hedge backwards. He calls himself Bob, the man with the camera, but beware, he’s a crafty one! You can guarantee he’ll flash at you (ahem) when you least expect it!
My Ciao pals will know I’ve just returned from spending a fun weekend with Ana (Broksababie) and Reflex22 (Bob) and Ana’s adorable son James in Whitby, where Ana is lucky enough to make her home. And it’s a beautiful place, perfect for a relaxing weekend break. Not that Ana was going to let me have one of those, we had to do the ‘tourist thang’ and boy, did we do just that! It was lovely, it was exhausting but I’d do it all over again! :O)
Whitby is steeped in history and you’ll never be short of things to see or do. On our first full day we decided the best way to view the town was
on top of one of the many open-topped tour buses, with the wind streaming through our hair and full commentary throughout from a tour guide. And of course, the man with the camera! ;O) The tour takes approximately an hour, but your ticket covers you for the entire day so you can hop on and off as often as you please, almost like a taxi service so ideal if your legs are starting to struggle, as mine were! Costwise, it’s not exactly cheap but works out to be good value if you use it like we did throughout the day. The bus driver was very kind, the rates are cheaper for two adults and two children and he kindly agreed that one of the ‘adults’ in our party was suitable childish enough to receive the reduced fare :O) It cost us £8.50 for our party of four (on a family ticket).
Our first stop was the Abbey, after a slow and gentle meander through quaint little streets and up a very steep hill. We could have visited using the 199 steps (yeah right!), in fact, Bob and Ana teased me constantly about making me try them, but luckily James offered to be my tow rope if needed. :O) Thank goodness for open topped buses say I!
The ruins of St Hilda’s Abbey are set in a beautiful spot, high up on the East Cliff and overlooking the town itself with some stupendous views of the sea and port. Alongside it you will find the very pretty parish church of St Mary, in beautiful condition and completely free to explore at your leisure. It’s one of the best-preserved 12th Century Anglo Saxon churches in the country today, and the graveyard there inspired Bram Stoker to pen his infamous Dracula stories. The gravestones are set on a steep hill, and over the years have been sliding gradually down the Cliffside. In fact, Ana tells me that bones were even discovered earlier this year on the beach as a result! Ewwwwwwww!!
There is no electricity inside the church, so candles light your path. Inside is truly beautiful and very traditional. All the existing prayer boxes are in excellent condition (the church is still regularly used for weddings, christenings, Sunday Services etc) and the craftsmanship is simply stunning. You’ll be able to see a beautiful Elizabethan altar table, family box pews (with the family names etched on the sides), and an imposing upper gallery. There is also a gift shop, where proceeds go to the restoration fund to maintain the stonework etc. Well worth a visit, if only to soak up the atmosphere of centuries gone by.
The ruins of St Hilda’s Abbey are very impressive, and you’ll be able to see some beautifully crafted stone carvings. It also has lots of little niches, ideal for scurrying into when being pursued by the man with the camera! It was originally founded in the 7th Century but was destroyed during the 9th Century. Most of the remains visible today date back from the 13th and 14th Centuries. There is a charge to view the remains, but it’s very reasonable at £1.70 per person. There is also a mini museum set in the grounds where you can read and view the history of the Abbey (no extra charge)
Once we’d finished ooooohing and ahhhhing, it was time for a quick ice cream/drink break and then back on the bus to be delivered to the pier on the other side of the town. All the usual seaside attractions can be found here, amusements, cafes and eating places (great fish and chips!), candyfloss, gift shops etc and ….boat trips!! I’m a big kid when it comes to these, I just love the water! Ana isn’t quite so keen, bless, but she didn’t argue when the idea was suggested! (BTW, there is a classic piccie of us on the boat at yahoogroups for any members of FOW!). Here the man with the camera was in his element, there are no places to run when you’re on a small fishing boat (called the Kingfisher!) and we all got snapped! The sea was beautifully calm and the trip was lovely, very relaxing and was a good hour in length costing just £2.50 for adults and £1.50 per child. The views from the water were superb, especially of the church and abbey, beach and the two cliffs.
That rounded off our first full day, so exhausted we returned to base to hit the booze big time and to recover before our next trip out.
The following day, the man with the camera kindly acted as chauffeur and drove us (including Ana’s mother!) to Goathland, a picturesque little village where the TV show Heartbeat is filmed. We took a picnic lunch with us and were able to have a leisurely stroll down the main street. At the bottom of a gently steeped hill, is a traditional steam railway where you can board the train to head off to nearby Pickering. The man with the camera had a field day, even if he did have to contort himself around the fence to get the best pic as the train steamed in to the station. :O)
There isn’t a great deal to actually do at the village, but the views are lovely and open moorlands surround it with some delightful walks (five circular ones) and a small waterfall near the station. Plus there’s a nice and unusual gift shop and pub where you can sit outside for a quiet drink and something to nibble on. Oh, and if you like sheep, you’ll spot lots of them on the moors and sometimes the road itself!
Back home again, and a couple of us decided we wanted a quiet walk on the beach as the sun was setting. The beach at Whitby is beautiful, very sandy and stretches for miles. You can ride a donkey if you like (they seemed cleaner than most!) or just enjoy the views as we did. It’s a good safe beach for children, well at least I thought so, until I almost stepped on a live jellyfish…Ewwwwwwww But it was lovely and quiet and a great way to round off the day.
Whitby is a superb place to visit either with or without children. It offers all the usual seaside attractions but also has a lot more to offer than just amusement arcades and boat trips etc. Music lovers can take advantage of the Whitby Music Festival during the third week of October for a whole weekend of non-stop music. For culture seekers, you can check out the museum and learn about Whitby’s most famous resident, Captain James Cook. The museum itself is in the house that he originally lived in, in Grape Lane.
Another great place to visit for unusual gifts in particular, is the Whitby Jet and Enamel Workshop in Church Street, where the most amazing array of ornaments and jewellery are crafted from Whitby famous jet stone.
Whitby also hold an annual carnival and regatta in the middle of August (we were a week too late to see it, very disappointing as they always finish with a huge firework display which is alleged to be spectacular!) and at this time, the small town becomes very overcrowded. Oh well, there’s always next year!
All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed my stay, and would happily return to Whitby for another visit, although I’m not sure whether my gracious hostess would be quite as keen :O) We had a wonderful time, and I’m sure you will too…..just look out for the man with the camera!!! :O)
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Very well written op, with witty asides, plenty of personal experience information and excellent ideas of what to do and when. The only thing missed out was the Heartbeat Museum (very good if you do go again - on the road up to the 199 steps) and places to eat.
darpor 16.07.2004 14:12
I remember going here as a kid. Long time ago now but I still have fond memories. Darren.
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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)
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 ·
Read review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Whitby (England)
Sep 1st, 2001
exceptional by (1%):
very helpful by (99%):
