Whitby
For Thursday and Friday of our half term break we decided to visit Whitby. Mark fancied some bracing sea air and decent fish and chips.
We stayed in a little Guest House on the West Cliff called Beaches. It was pleasant enough - the room was warm and comfy (the power shower was fantastic) and the full-English breakfast was really very good. It was only a 5 minute walk (downhill) to the town centre and was close to the Museum and Pavillion.
Of course, you can’t expect decent weather at Whitby in winter, and we were not disappointed. It was pleasantly wet and windy. Mark definitely got his bracing sea air.
On the first afternoon we pootled down into the town, investigated the Tourist Information Office, had a mooch along the seafront and visited the Grand Turk which is a replica 18th century man o’war which seems to live in Whitby harbour when she’s not at sea or starring in films and TV shows. It’s a shame about the ‘Ship is Open’ sign plastered across her bow - otherwise she’s very photogenic. That evening we ate at Trenchers restaurant which has pretty good food and generous portions, but is more notable for having what must be the finest toilets in Britain. They really are spectacular - kitted out in marble and scrupulously clean. They’ve won awards and I can well believe it.
After dinner we went and had a play in the amusement arcades and won some lolipops which we didn’t dare eat because we didn’t know how long they’d been in the machines. Then we went to a couple of pubs but they weren’t really up to much. In fact, we may have been the only folk in Whitby drinking that night.
The second day was really soggy but being intrepid explorers we chose to trudge up the 199 steps to Whitby Abbey. The views are spectacular and the audio guide surprisingly compelling. I found the story of the original Anglo-Saxon abbey particularly interesting, possibly because it centred around powerful women. True of so little history.
Then it was time for lunch in the White Horse and Griffin. We’d had a full cooked breakfast only a couple of hours before so we weren’t especially hungry and only had a starter each. What a shame! We really missed out there. Next time we go to Whitby (and there will be a next time) we’ll definitely be booking an evening meal there - it was superb. Not cheap, but well worth it for the ambience, the fantastic food and the excellent service.
Now, when going to Whitby don’t forget to take some spending money with you. My downfall would have been the great little fossil shop where they sell ammonites and fossil fish and things. Trouble was, I’d just bought a smart car and couldn’t really justify the self-indulgence. There’s lots of jewellery, art and hand-made sweet shops too. I also wanted to visit the Gypsy fortune teller, but Mark was having none of it.
Then we made the mistake of going to the Dracula Experience. Errm, don’t. It’s rubbish - it can’t even claim to be so bad that it’s funny. Although I suppose it might be alright if you’re pished.
Whitby Museum is small, but cram-packed with wonders and curios. It’s old and crumbly and a bit dusty, but unlike many small museums it’s far from static or decaying. It’s so full of stuff that you don’t know where to look first and it almost has the air of an auction house or antique shop because the displays are so informal and higgledy-piggledy. They have a fantastic collection of fossils, most of which were excavated locally and which include plesiosaurs, ichthyosaurs and an ancient marine crocodile. I was also massively impressed by some of the jet jewellery and ornaments - in particular the jet chess boards. Another favourite was the room full of intricate model ships, many carved by prisoners of war out of the bones they found in their dinner. These things were just the tip of the iceberg though. It really is a treasure trove.
For our evening meal we really wanted to go to the Magpie Cafe since it’s reputed to serve the best fish in Whitby, but everytime we walked past there was at least an hour long queue out of the door. So we went and played on the fruit machines for a bit trying to think of what to do next. Luckily by the time we’d got bored and really hungry the queue was only 4 people long so we joined the line. It had also stopped raining by that time which was even better. It was well worth the wait and it’s reputation is richly deserved, although I wouldn’t queue in the rain I don’t think - it’s not THAT good.
Overall, Whitby is lovely for a short break, especially if the weather is nice. It’s very picturesque and retains an old-fashioned seaside town feel. It doesn’t seem to have suffered from the 1970’s plastic fascia board syndrome that has scarred resorts like Scarborough and Fleetwood so badly. It would also make an excellent base from which to explore the North Yorkshire Moors and obviously you can travel down the coast to Scarborough or beyond as we did.
One word of warning though, I expect that parking is a nightmare in high-season, so pack light if you’re visiting in the summer, you never know how far you’ll have to carry your bags to the guest house.