As we headed up the weather was becoming increasingly worse and by the time we reached the Yorkshire moors visibility was next to zero and a constant drizzle welcomed me as i stepped out of the coach. But no matter! This is my first visit so i was going to have a fun day regardless of weather.
The town of Whitby is most definitely coastal and the area around the docks and piers in particular have retained the older style of buildings and kept the charm that fishing ports tend to have. It had been some time since i've visited a coastal area and i must confess to enjoying the sea air and calls of the gulls. I made my way past the shop fronts and loading areas of the East side of town and headed towards the Memorial in honor of Captain Cook, who received his apprenticeship in Whitby before his voyages to the East. The memorial is quite impressive with the base surrounding it in the form of a compass, while Cook himself gazes out to the ports. Shortly before the statue you pass through the now iconic Whale Bone Arch. This is actually more modern than i first believed with the two bones (Blue Whale Jaw Bones) being delivered to Whitby by Thor Dhal and Graham Leach before being erected in 1963 in honor of Whitby sailors who ventured and explored the polar regions.
The viewpoint around there would have been impressive on a clear day but sadly that was not a day i was having!
Slightly further along i found a small memorial garden that is based around a ruined house from the bombardment of the second world war. Further from that i came to the world sign post, showing the many islands explored by Cook and other sailers in nautical miles.
As i headed back down into the main part of town (after a wander on the piers) the heavens truly opened and so i decided it was a good time for lunch! Ended up in the "Skippers Cafe" and highly recommend it.After lunch and with the weather still being vile, i decided to stop at the Captain Cook Museum on the other side of town. The museum is set in a house where Cook and other apprentices would have rested between sea travel and although small in size was well laid out and featured several artifacts aswell as many letters and paintings form Cook's three voyages. I can easily recommend popping into the museum if you find yourself in town.
With time beginning to run out i carried on through the old part of town, past the old Market Hall and found the 199 steps. I went up these bloody things and i will be honest they were annoying! Not difficult or tiring just slow going as the steps are very shallow and not particularly wide. As such it always felt like 199 half steps with me looking down to check my footing! With that said the views (even in the gloom) were impressive and it felt good to make it to the top. I went past the Church (St. Marys) without stopping and went straight on to the Abbey itself.
The price for entry is a little high but completely worth it, before you get back outside to the abbey grounds you past through a mini museum showing various items from digs and such. The Abbey itself is simply stunning even as a ruin and i loved being there, some people say there's an eerie feel to the place but i disagree and found it very peaceful and oddly cut off from the rest of the world. I went round the outside then through the old hall, admiring the carvings and stone works while making notes of future images should i return. I felt a little sad that i had to leave the Abbey in order to catch the coach back home as i could easily spend the day up there.
I managed a few images as i headed back to the pick up point (now that i was leaving the weather turned nice - typical!) but discovered something about those Lego steps. Coming down is, quite simply, weird. Very disorientating and setting off my fear of heights - very odd as it was not exposed but i guess the fact i had to keep stopping and looking down didn't help. May take the secondary path when coming down in future!
All in all i found Whitby to be a curious place, filled with intriguing shops, snickleways and old buildings. I could easily spend a few days here and hope to return :D
