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Whitby

As you approach Whitby over the North Yorkshire Moors, the silhouette of the abbey is visible from miles away, making an outstanding landmark. Unless you have a good reason not to, it's a good idea to follow the signs and park at the abbey  as it has a huge car park and parking in the middle of Whitby is near impossible in high season.

Before you is the ruined 7th century abbey towering over the town.  The abbey was one of the most important early christian sites in the North, but what's left now is mainly from the 13th and 14th centuries. The abbey isn't alone on the top of East cliff, there's also the parish church with a most interesting graveyard, the youth hostel (that's the long red roofed building in the top right of the picture) and the newly restored Cholmley House which is now the abbey museum. I don't have a lot of time for English Heritage, but they have done a fine job on the abbey and the museum. While Whitby town gets very crowded indeed, the grounds of the abbey are always tranquil, probably because most people are plugged into audio tours.

If you've parked elsewhere then you have to take the more traditional route of climbing the 99 steps up to the abbey from the old town.

Coming down the 99 steps from the abbey you reach the narrow streets of the old town. The old town is really interesing, but the problem is that the streets are narrow and more and more people visit each year. That makes for a less than great experience. I once made the mistake of visiting Whitby on a Bank Holiday. That's not an experience I'll ever repeat. If you can get there at a quieter time, there are some great little shops in the old town. Decent jewellers specialising in Whitby Jet, a very decent deli and  a good bookshop spring to mind. It's also an absolute  mecca for anyone who wants to buy Goth tat. That's because of Dracula.

Bram Stoker set much of the book in Whitby, and he was a regular visitor. Whitby has made much of this connection. There's a Dracula "experience" on the harbour side, Dracula walking tours round the town, and the afoermentioned  Goth tat and new age junk. If you have a teenage Goth in the family this is the place to bring them.

As you move out of the old town you come to the  Esk which splits the town in two. Crossing the bridge to the West Cliff, you come to the harbourside, and walking down here towards the sea brings the usual clutter of amusement arcades, ice cream purveyors and fish and chip shops. I have to say that the fish and chip shops just here are unsurpassed anywhere in the UK, and I can happily forgive people sitting around indulging in such a gastronomic treat. Foodies always rave about "The Magpie" seafood restaurant which is situated just here, but I've never tried it as there always seems to be a queue and I don't think any seafood can better a good battered haddock anyway. The Magpie has opened a takeaway  chippy now, but when I tried it I have to say it was no better than average.

At the end of the harbourt is the pier and a way down to the beach. The pier is always interesting to wander along, and the tower at the end of it is now open to the public and you can clicmb up for fantastic views. There's plenty of activity on the harbour side as this is still a busy commercial port. There's fishing trips and quite a variety of  pleasure craft to sail round the harbour on, ranging from the old lifeboat to a fake pirate ship and the usual assortment of small launches. Occasionally the town gets visited by replica tall ships. The Grand Turk and the Endeavour are a couple of more famous visitors.

Mention of the Endeavour brings us neatly to yet another major historical connection with Whitby. It was here that James Cook served his apprenticeship, before gpoing on to become the most famous navigator Britain has ever produced, making three trips to map Australasia, New Zealand, Antarctica and the South Seas. The Whitby connection is bolstered by the fact that the ships he took were Whitby Colliers, narrow of draught and broad of beam. Ideally suited to exploring where you didn't know how shallow the water was.

There's a large statue of Cook on top of the West Cliff and a Captain Cook museum on the harbourside, plus when the Endeavour visits that is definitely worth a look.

The West Cliff is an entirely different part of the town, having been largely laid out and built in the 19th Century for the seaside trade. Along the front  of the cliff are formal gardens and amusements like Crazy Golf and a boating lake. Behind are street upon street of hotels, B&B's and holiday flats, but even with this amount of accommodation available it can be hard to find anywhere to stay if you don't book in advance. Whitby is a popular place and it draws visitors from both West Yorkshire and the North East.

Images of Whitby