Popular seaside town & its historic gem
Whitby is a quintessentially English seaside town, with colourful shopfronts and a picturesque harbour. You’ll want to visit if you’re looking for a break along the Yorkshire coastline, with plenty of history to explore. Above all, prepare to be impressed by the village’s spectacular clifftop ruin of a 13th-century abbey.
Once a grand religious site, the abbey fell into ruins after King Henry VIII’s dissolution of English monasteries in the 1500s. Whitby Abbey’s haunting appearance inspired Bram Stoker’s legendary novel Dracula. Today, you can wander through the ruins, listen to an audio guide and visit a gift shop.
Whitby also boasts relaxing sandy beaches and quaint streets, all under the silhouette of the abbey. You can pick up some unique souvenirs, admire the North Sea and dine at cosy pubs on locally caught seafood. Or, climb the 199 steps from the village up onto the cliffs to be rewarded with panoramic views.
Famous British explorer Captain James Cook lived in Whitby for a while. You can visit a Memorial Museum dedicated to his travels. There’s also a Museum of Victorian Science with interactive exhibits and plenty of displays on 19th-century physics.
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