Whitby on a steep wooded inlet of the River Esk, offers a delightful combination of fishing port and tourist centre.The ancient town of Whitby has been the scene of the Synod, held at the Abbey of St Hilda; nurtured Caedmon, the first English poet; has fostered the genius of Capt Cook and his sailing ships, built in the town; fathered the abilities and bravery of the Scoresby family, the finest sailors and whalers of their day; hosted authors the likes of the great Charles Dickens and Bram Stoker author of “Dracula”. Today, Whitby is still a very busy fishing and trading port and has become very popular for tourism, taking the family holidays or a short weekend breaks. Whitby is well situated close to the North Yorkshire Moors to visit other popular towns of Scarborough; Bridlington; Filey; York where you will find the historic York Minster and the National Railway Museum.

The old town, the East side of Whitby, where its ancient cobbled streets still wind beneath cliffs, dominated by Gothic remains of our Abbey founded ( 657AD ) over 1300 years ago. You can sea and smell the character of years gone by, where picturesque red roofed houses nestle on the slopes above the river Esk.Whitby is one of Britain’s finest coastlines, with cliffs, panoramic bays and safe sandy beaches. Whitby has been a port for more than a thousand years and is still a seafarer’s town, keeping it`s olde worlde character.

Whitby’s past and present have combined to make it known to millions throughout the world, even the darker corners of our town have been immortalised in the classic Victorian novel “Dracula”. The author Bram Stoker set three quarters of his story in and around Whitby. It is still possible to retrace those steps of the undead when taking the “Dracula Trail Tour”.The black stone has been found and worked by local craftsmen for centuries. Each piece is handled ten times in a method of working that has not changed for over 150 years. Craftsmen can be seen today working their skills on the black stone, known as “Whitby Jet”, turning it into the finest jewellery. Sales boomed on the death of Albert the prince consort, husband to our great Queen Victoria, who insisted on nothing better than the colour black for dress or jewellery.

Every visitor to Whitby sees the great Abbey which dominates the East Cliff of the town and many tourists climb the 199 well worn steps to take a closer look at the ruins. You can take in a show; climb the famous 199 steps; browse in the Captain Cook Museum; take in the Dracula Trail guided tour; walk along the harbour front and watch the deep sea trawlers land their catches or just pick one of the many panoramic views of Whitby, sit and watch the world go by. Whitby is centrally located to visit all the places up and down the coast, Scarborough; Goathland (home to the TV series “Heartbeat”); Grosmont and the Steam Railway; the ancient town of York; local fishing villages, such as Robin Hoods Bay; Runswick Bay; Staithes and many more attractions, not forgetting the lovely North Yorkshire Moorlands.