Whitby, the wonderful town

Whitby, Yorkshire, England Yorkshire

Recommendation added: 01/03/2006 13:42
By: helenkitc (YSUK rating +46)

helenkitc has been thanked 3 times for this contribution

"I first decided to visit Whitby about 8 years ago, after reading a series of fiction books by an author called Robin Jarvis, which were set in Whitby. Whitby is a beautiful little town on the North East coast, at the edge of the Yorkshire moors. It is literally steeped in history, some definitely real and some possibly just folklore. A lot of this history and folklore surrounds St. Hilda, properly known as Hild. A local legend says that when sea birds fly over the abbey they dip their wings in honour of the saint. Another legend tells of a plague of snakes which St Hilda turned to stone - supposedly explaining the presence of ammonite fossils on the shore.
The ruins of St. Hilda's abbey on the East Cliff completely dominates whitby's skyline

in the town, a maze of alleyways and narrow streets run down to the busy quayside. From the old town, 199 steps lead up to the parish church of St. Mary, one of the finest examples of Anglo Saxon churches in the country, and whose churchyard gave Bram Stoker the inspiration to write his world famous book, Dracula. Captain James Cook was from Whitby.

Whitby has to be one of the most beautiful and relaxing places in the world. You can still enjoy yourself no end here whether it's hot or cold. There seems to be endless numbers of the quaintest cafés and fish and chip shops you've ever seen and there are plenty of arcades along the seafront to keep kids amused.

The only obvious drawbacks when it comes to Whitby are the seagulls, and the crowds in summer (especially on the beach!). Highly recommended."