You all know of my love affair with the North Yorkshire coastal town of Whitby. I mean if you don’t where have you been? … I’ve mentioned it enough over the years.

My obsession with all things vampire and especially Dracula only adds to the mystique. In the Bram Stoker novel Count Dracula’s ship crashes into the rocks at Whitby and that my dear friends is how Dracula came to be in Old Blighty.

On a cold, misty night as you totter along the cobbled streets, the Old Abbey looking down on you … I swear there’s the distinct smell of vampire in the air.

Today I thought I would do a photo diary of the few days we spent in Whitby last week, mainly because I took loads of photographs and it would be rude not to share them.

As I mentioned on a previous post the BF and I decided to take my dad away.

It’s been an awful few weeks and I think we all needed a change of scene, especially dad, whose finding it hard. Yes it would be extremely weird without mum but it’s something we all need to adjust ourselves too. Dad has spent some great times there with mum and was keen to return.

Firstly we stayed in the beautiful ‘Coachmans Cottage‘ which is situated just off Church Street. It was ideally located for all the major attractions and having only recently been refurbished it was like a show house.

It allows you to take your beloved dogs [ up-to 2 in fact], and was spread out over 3 floors. Kitchen , living area, bathroom and 2 bedrooms.

Perfect.

Follow in the footsteps of the main man himself Dracula and take a walk up the 199 steps. These start at the end /bottom of Church Street.

It’s tradition to count as you mount!

At the top you’ll  be knackered met by St Mary’s Church, Whitby Abbey [ English Heritage property]  and so many beautiful views.

Whitby Sands Beach is situated to the west of the town. It is vast and very beautiful.

Dogs aren’t allowed on the first half of the beach between the months May and September. Don’t  despair though if you walk further down and access the beach as you hit the beach huts dogs are allowed on that part of the beach.

It’s clearly sign posted which areas dogs can and cannot access, so just adhere to these and you’ll be fine.

Day tripping …

We took the North Yorkshire Moors Railway Steam Train to Goathland … a 50 minute journey through some beautiful countryside. It’s approx £20 each for a return ticket from Whitby.

Goathland is famous for a few things.

The station appears in the first Harry Potter Movie as Hogsmeade Station. A short walk out of the station and up the hill takes you to ‘Aidensfield’ and the garage featured in Heartbeat… remember Green Grass & Co?

There’s not much there but what there is, is very picturesque.

The last train from Goathland leaves around 4.45 getting you back into Whitby for just before 6pm…

We ate [ and drank ] out a lot and not just fish & chips I might add.

Here are some places we visited:

The Moon & Sixpence – 16 Marine Parade, Whitby

Small, intimate and stylish. Loved the vibe here. Grab a seat outside if your lucky and it’s warm enough. Great for people watching, they serve a mean cocktail. That’s my Espresso Martini below.

We didn’t eat here but I hear the foods rather good.

The Fleece – Church St, Whitby

Cosy , no air and graces, traditional pub with a pool table and small beer garden looking out over the harbour. Serve a decent Gin & Tonic. Dog friendly.

The Angel Wetherspoons – 1 New Quay Rd, Whitby

We had the most amazing breakfast there. It’s Great value for the price. Dad struggled to eat all of the large breakfast and that’s never been heard of?!We sat outside in the sunshine and watched the world roll by. It’s dog friendly, so Mollie joined us.

W Hammond Tea Rooms – 112 Church Ln, Whitby

Stylish surroundings. We ordered a full breakfast each which was rather nice, all the usual suspects.  The sausage, bacon and mushrooms could have been slightly warmer which put me off slightly . I’m taking it they were having a off day and would visit again… just to make sure.

The Black Horse – 91 Church St, Whitby

Situated at the bottom of the cobbled alley , on the corner that led up to our cottage. Perfect! Dad and I called in one tea time for a quick half. Traditional pub, serves beer and a large selection of gins. More impressed with the fact this building has previously been an undertakers and a brothel.

The Duke of York – 124 Church St, Whitby

Situated more or less at the foot of the 199 steps. This was one of dads favourite places to drink – busy, cosy and traditional with great views over the harbour from the numerous bay windows . There’s a great selection of gins including my favourite Brockmans. No dogs allowed.

Cosa Nostra – 161 Church St, Whitby

Looks beautiful and inviting from the outside and over the years we have visited a fair few times. It’s not as good as I remember it but it serves a decent pasta. The prices are reasonable and the portions are huge!

Booking is recommended as it’s always busy. No dogs allowed.

Whitby really is full of character and I would recommend you pay a visit if your ever in that neck of the woods.

It’s been a rather long and very picture heavy post. Phew. I hope you made it to the end and most importantly you’ve enjoyed it. If you’ve not visited before perhaps it’s inspired you to maybe go and check Whitby out…

You never know you might bump into the Count  himself !

It may have savaged my hair [ that coastal breeze is a buggar on the old Barnet ] and I forgot my sun cream so I burnt my blinking face.

Despite it being August I had to wear a jumper quite a lot of the time. In fact thinking about it I started to resemble a local fisherman!

Despite all that … there’s  just something about Whitby.

Until next time, Tracey x

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