Day Trip to Whitby

Somehow I have not mentioned Whitby yet .. we had a very nice day trip there from York in October 2019 and will certainly visit again when we can. Whitby is a very popular spot for weekend visitors so I'd like to try a midweek day trip to enjoy a less crowded version of Whitby. With clear roads it's not too much more than an hour to drive from York via Pickering. We found our way to the huge car park near Whitby Abbey above the town. Parking fees a little annoying - 3 pounds for 2 hours (which would not be long enough), but then the next option was 7 pounds for up to 6 hours, nothing in between. So we paid the 7 pounds and headed towards town. We bypassed the Abbey which is run by English Heritage and has a 10 pound per adult entry fee. The nearby Church of St Mary is full of history and has no entry fee.

   

We already noticed it was kind of busier than we expected, and lots of people around the church were dressed up in old style clothing. What was going on? A quick Google search .. oh, we had arrived on Whitby Goth Weekend! As we walked the 199 steps down to the town we saw more and more amazing costumes and interesting characters. And it really was very busy.

 

 

(above) All dressed up for Whitby Goth Weekend!

(above) Very busy in the narrow streets of Whitby Whitby is a town to wander around and explore. Lots of little back streets and views out to sea and along the river Esk which flows down from the Yorkshire Moors. And of course there's plenty of fish and chips. After a bit of a wander we bought fish and chips at "Angel Fisheries" and ate by the river.

(above) View across Whitby, the river Esk and Whitby Abbey

(above) Walls of Whitby harbour and looking out across the North Sea

 

(above) More Goth Weekend Craziness! We stayed about 4 hours which was not really enough. The crowds were a bit much, thus my plan for a midweek visit next summer on a long summer's day. It was the end of October, and by the time we were leaving the sun was getting low. See you again, Whitby!