Whitby

Introduction

Whitby is a seaside town and port in North Yorkshire, sitting at the mouth of the River Esk where the North York Moors meet the Yorkshire Coast. Its economy has long drawn on the sea, on mineral extraction and on tourism, and the town makes a handy base for exploring both the moors and the coast.

It lies within reach of larger centres, with York and Middlesbrough both a straightforward drive away, so you can pair a stay by the water with time inland.

Before you go

Whitby's story reaches back to the Anglo-Saxons, who called the place Streoneshalh and made it a major religious centre with a monastery founded in 657 AD. The Vikings destroyed that monastery towards 870, and the settlement that grew in its place took its name from a Norse farmer called Hvíta. The Normans later re-established the town and monastery, and from Tudor times Whitby had a herring fishing fleet. In early modern times this expanded into whaling, ship-building, and the export of alum and coal, while a Victorian side-line was jewellery made from jet, black and suited to mourning outfits. Knowing this history will help you read the town as you walk it.

By the late 19th century cargo vessels had outgrown the harbour, though fishing continues from small craft and there's a leisure marina. Tourist information is based at Langborne Rd, on the west river bank near the station, and is open daily 9AM-4PM. Whitby Town Council posts information on local services, so check there for what's on during your stay.

Getting there

By rail, five trains a day wind through the moors from Middlesbrough, a journey of about 90 minutes via Nunthorpe, Great Ayton, Castleton Moor and Grosmont; some services start from Newcastle or Carlisle. Whitby's station sits centrally in town, with a staffed ticket office and machines but no toilets or waiting room, and step-free access to both platforms. The North Yorkshire Moors Railway runs summer steam trains from Pickering via Levisham, Newtondale and Goathland to Grosmont, where most terminate; only a couple a day continue into Whitby. These may appear on the National Rail website, but that information is not definitive, so check with the NYMR directly.

By bus, the Coastliner 840 runs twice a day from Malton, taking about 80 minutes via Pickering and Goathland; from Leeds or York, take the hourly 843 towards Scarborough and change at Malton. Arriva's X93/X94 runs every 30 minutes along the coast from Scarborough, reaching Whitby in about an hour, with the X94 continuing inland via Guisborough to Middlesbrough. The X4 also runs every 30 minutes from Middlesbrough along the coast via Redcar, Saltburn-by-the-Sea, Loftus, Staithes, Runswick Bay and Sandsend, a two-hour trip. The bus station is next to the railway station.

By road, from Scarborough and East Yorkshire follow the A171 along the coast; from Teesside and the North East, take either the A171 or the slower coastal A174. Routes across the moors are scenic but have sharp bends and steep gradients, and in winter they are treacherous and may be closed. One popular route from the south is the A64 past York to Malton, then the A169 north through Pickering and over the North York Moors, with a steep plummet down into Sleights just before Whitby. In summer all routes are congested and parking in town is impossible, so day-trippers should use the Park and Ride on Guisborough Road, open April to October daily from 8AM to dusk, where your bus ticket covers the parking fee. For traffic and travel reports, listen to This is the Coast.

Getting around

Whitby is compact, and despite the hills it is easy and rewarding to walk around. Most of what you will want to see sits within a short stroll of the harbour, so you can cover a great deal of the town on foot. If the climb to the Abbey looks daunting, you can reach it via Green Lane rather than taking the steps. Whitby railway station is central, which makes it a convenient arrival point and a useful landmark for orienting yourself; it has a staffed ticket office and ticket machines, along with step-free access to both platforms, but no toilets or waiting room, so plan accordingly if you are waiting for a connection. The bus station sits next to the railway station, putting coach and bus arrivals in the same central spot.

• Buses follow the main road, which runs a mile or so inland from the coast for the most part. They can get you to Sandsend and Robin Hood's Bay, but there is limited coast access otherwise.
• Over a dozen taxi firms serve the town, giving you plenty of choice for short hops, late evenings, or trips out to the surrounding coast and moors.
• In summer all routes into Whitby are congested and parking in town is impossible; day-trippers should use the Park and Ride on Guisborough Road, where your bus ticket covers the parking fee.
• The Esk Valley line is the scenic rail route into town, winding through the moors from Middlesbrough and calling at places including Nunthorpe, Great Ayton, Castleton Moor and Grosmont, with some services starting from Newcastle or Carlisle.
• In summer, the North Yorkshire Moors Railway runs steam trains from Pickering via Levisham, Newtondale and Goathland to Grosmont, where most terminate; a couple per day continue into Whitby. These services may appear on the National Rail website, but that information is not definitive, so check directly with the NYMR if you are planning a trip on them.

Where to stay

For campers and hostel-goers, your options are limited but well placed. Folly Gardens Campsite on Green Lane is the only campsite near town, open from March to October and taking tents and campervans; the other caravan sites in the area don't offer camping. YHA Whitby occupies a splendid mansion on East Cliff right next to the Abbey, with both dorms and private rooms.

Most of the town's B&Bs cluster along the street running south from Pannett Park, including Autumn Leaves, Rylstone Mere, Dillons, The Willows, Arundel House, Overdale, Hill Crest, Manor View and Heathfield. The Penny Hedge, a Marston's inn with rooms, sits on the southern edge of town, while the Marine Hotel on Marine Parade is a charming small riverside place with just four rooms and seafood that gets great reviews. Self-catering is plentiful: Berry Banks Cottage and Rowan Cottage in Sleights are among the many offerings, and Shoreline Cottages, Original Cottages and River Esk Apartments each manage a portfolio. Further out, Broom House in Egton Bridge is a delightful B&B up the Esk valley in the North York Moors, open January to November and not accepting dogs, and Hotel Victoria sits at the top of the harbour hill in Robin Hood's Bay. Grand Villa Heights at Ravenscar, a 1774 mansion converted to a hotel in the 1890s, has an indoor pool, tennis courts, a fitness suite and a 9-hole golf course, though it focuses on the wedding trade and other visitors are less impressed.

Food & drink

Fish and chips are the main event on the west bank of the river, where Pier Road and Haggersgate hold a cluster of chippies. Quayside on Pier Road pairs reliable food with river views, while Fisherman's Wife at Khyber Pass is a popular seafood spot where you may have to wait for a table. Across the river towards the pier, the Duke of York at the foot of the abbey steps is a pub serving good food, and Humble Pie 'n' Mash on Church Street is a long-standing traditional pie shop with just a few tables, so most people take away. Kippers are a Whitby specialty, and you can see the smokery at Fortune's, past the abbey steps on Henrietta Street. Further out, Sandside Cafe near the end of the beach does good light bites, and Falling Foss Tea Garden is an outdoor café in the woods beside a waterfall serving homemade cakes, scones and drinks.

For a drink, the main strip of pubs runs along the west river bank and includes The Angel, Black Swan, Golden Lion, Star Inn, Ship Inn and Pier Inn, many with rooms. A short block back from the river you'll find The Granby, Arch and Abbey, Elsinore, Little Angel and Whitby Way, while the east bank has the White Horse & Griffin, Middle Earth Tavern, The Endeavour, Dolphin Hotel, Black Horse Inn and Abbey Wharf. Whitby Brewery makes beer and Whitby Distillery makes gin.

What to see and do

Start with the climb up the 199 Steps from the head of Church Street, which gives you views over the harbour rooftops before you emerge onto the plateau by St Mary's Church and the Abbey. St Mary's is mostly a late 18th-century building with 12th-century origins, and its clifftop graveyard is steadily eroding. Whitby Abbey itself is an imposing ruined shell with a long history, from its 7th-century founding through the Synod of Whitby to its Dissolution; Bram Stoker had Dracula visit in the form of a large black dog. In town, the Whitby Museum in Pannett Park holds Victorian curios, natural history and local shipping material alongside an art gallery, and the Captain Cook Museum occupies the house of the ship-owners Cook met when he came to Whitby in the 1740s. The Whitby Lifeboat Museum displays the local lifeboat service in its old double boathouse on Pier Road, and volunteers occasionally open St Ninian's on Baxtergate.

Whitby Beach, mostly west of the river, is sand and shingle stretching a couple of miles to Sandsend; the middle section at Upgang and Tate Hill east of the river are always open to dogs. There's sometimes surf, and the shoreline current is brisk. Ghost walks set off from the whalebone arch opposite the Royal Oak, and the Dracula Experience combines a guided walk with street theatre and storytelling. In summer you can take a short trip on the scaled-down HM Bark Endeavour replica, or join a whale-watching trip in late summer when whales follow the mackerel and herring. The Cinder Track, the old railway to Scarborough, is level going for walking, cycling and horse-riding, while the Cleveland Way follows the clifftops northeast via Sandsend and southwest via Robin Hood's Bay and Ravenscar. Steam trains of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway run from Pickering to Grosmont and on to Whitby, and at Grosmont you can watch the trains and old station without buying a ticket. Further out, Grosmont marks the railway junction, Robin Hood's Bay is a scenic fishing village five miles south, and at Ravenscar you can explore the remains of an alum factory and a National Trust-preserved WWII radar station.

When to go

Whitby's weather rewards flexibility more than precise planning. Summers are warm, and when anticyclones settle over the area you can expect dry, settled spells that occasionally stretch into drought; early in the season, though, onshore winds can still push sea frets — coastal mists and low cloud — over the town and the surrounding moors. Winters are relatively mild but unsettled and windy, with depressions and fronts bringing changeable conditions and cold, dry snaps when anticyclones take hold, so expect day-to-day swings rather than sustained cold.

Spring arrives late and chilly, and onshore winds at that time of year can bring sea frets to the coast and moors, with fine weather appearing in spells between unsettled periods. Autumn often delivers spells of fine weather, though conditions vary from day to day and season to season, and westerly winds and depressions can make things unsettled and windy as the season wears on. Whenever you visit, pack for changeable conditions and keep an eye on the forecast.

Three days in Whitby

Day one: Start in Whitby itself, getting your bearings along the River Esk where it meets the sea. The town's story runs deep, from the Anglo-Saxons who founded Streoneshalh to the Vikings who gave the place its Norse name, Hvíta, and later the Normans, Tudor and Victorian layers that followed. Wander the streets and take in the character of the town before turning your attention to the North York Moors rising behind it.

Day two: Head inland into the North York Moors and pick up the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, which links Pickering with Grosmont through Levisham, Newtondale and Goathland. Stations such as Castleton Moor, Great Ayton and Nunthorpe sit on the wider rail network, and National Rail connections reach York, Middlesbrough, Newcastle and Carlisle. Use the railway to explore the moorland villages at an unhurried pace.

Day three: Return to the Yorkshire Coast and spend your final day around Whitby's harbour and streets, perhaps calling at the Tourist information point on Langborne Rd for local guidance. If you are travelling onward, Whitby Town Council keeps the town's affairs in order, and the rail links make it straightforward to continue your journey across North Yorkshire.