Whittle-ing the week away! (Whitby in general)

Member Name: wantaratgirl

Product:	Whitby in general
Date:	20/02/09 (70 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great location

Disadvantages: Too comercial

Whitby is the quaint, fishing town situated on the North East coast of England. It's full of cobbled streets and sweet fisherman cottages, with streets barely wide enough for a car. Is it a typical seaside slightly tacky fishing town or have I found my perfect seaside destination ...

===JOURNEY TO THE EDGE OF THE COUNTRY ===

The journey to Whitby was not a long one from my location between Birmingham and Manchester, it was just under 4 hours as we went by the M1 and then past York, through Pickering and over the moors. The motorway was not too busy, however the road through the moor was full of steep climbs, hair-pin turns, sweeping curves and 20 % drops!
The journey was very scenic (after we'd got off the M1)! It was a nice journey and the
moors were still covered in a few inches of snow. It was a picture of rough and ragged hills with small, vicious, fast-flowing streams running through them. Although the journey was 4 hours it was not a tiring journey and it was full of places to stop, so cups of coffee were never short!
===ARIVAL===

Whitby, is full of small streets so manoeuvring your car round them is not the easiest task especially as some of them are a squeeze to fit one car through, just as one comes the other way! The car parks are quite scarce and far from the centre of the town. However, there were plenty of spaces where we parked, however as it is February I would not expect them to be full. I think that in the summer it would be much harder to find one, (this is from my experience in St. Ives during the different seasons).
Whitby, is quite a busy town during the day time and the residents and holiday guests are plenty. It is not full of traffic and through most of the day the cobbled streets ban cars from them. This allows pedestrians to have full access over the main high streets and most of the side streets. This can be difficult if you want to drive through to get to your cottage.

===SCENERY===

Parts of Whitby are wild and full of history; the whales bones in the side of the cliff, the sweet fisherman's cottages behind the ugly modern houses lining the edge of the cliff and river. The quaint cobbled streets and old worn steps, tucked out of site on the Whitby that is a lot harder to find. As most of Whitby, or most of the noticeable parts are covered in commercialisation. Cheap tacky stores, commercial brands, junk food shops and sad plastic brands. Whatever happened to the seaside village; the small stores, the fish and chip shops (not that Whitby isn't full of those) and the small local businesses?
So, as you may have gathered Whitby is not the most beautiful of places, especially as it is a rather busy port. However, it does have a bit of charm about it and if you ignore the plastic tourists and commercial branding take-over, it really is a sweet place.
===FACILITIES===

CINEMAS: Whitby, unfortunately does not have a cinema. The local cinemas are at Scarborough and Teesside, each of these is around 10 -25 miles away. Scarborough has two smaller cinemas and Teesside has a multi complex complete with bowling alley and café.

LIBRARY: There is a main library in Whitby which is sign posted the route at the Tourist information centre. Unfortunately unless you are a member of Yorkshire libraries and have one of their library cards you cannot use this service, although occasionally in the summer popular holiday destinations do holiday library cards, so it might be worth checking this out.
TOURIST INFORMATION CENTRE: Whitby has a large, obvious and profitable Tourist Information centre, which is full of friendly staff who are quite friendly and were, on my visit, only too happy to offer directions. However, the centre is more of a commercial centre where it has a small selection of free leaflets of things to do, however most of the leaflets/walking guides/maps need to be paid for and cost from £1.00 - £5.00. It is also full of holiday gifts, (sometimes known as seaside tat) such as expensive boxes of fudge, gems (that are insanely over-priced) and dodgy post-cards. WATCH OUT ? some of the staff will glower at you if you do not buy; always approach the friendly staff!

LEISURE CENTRE: The leisure centre is located far away from the town centre on top of a hill; it is a usual sort of leisure centre. It smells of chlorine, cost between £2.00 and £5.00 and has the occasional fitness class. It is quite clean, but not outstanding, I would recommend that you save going to the Gym and for a swim until after your holiday.

BUS STATION: There is are several bus stations around Whitby and several ways to travel around. You can travel by bus round the town from side to side, or you can travel to any neighbouring town, you may even just want to go on a boat ride out out to sea and back. The buses run like any other buses and normally run around 1 every 20 minutes to one every hour.

TRAIN STATION: Whitby has it's own train station, it is located in the centre of town and is very easy to locate. It runs like a normal train station and the trains run regularly, it is main-line and travels to York (the nearest city).

===ATTRACTIONS===

Whitby is famous for it's abbey with 199 steps from which Dracula was created, Dracula himself (including the museum), the Whale Bones in the cliff-side and it fishing heritage with Captain Cook.
THE ABBEY: Whitby Abbey is located on top of a cliff towering over Whitby. The Abbey is only ruins but it is still magnificent. It is set on hill which leads straight to the coastal path and is neighboured by St. Mary's Church. Both are landmarks and very visible from Whitby, they are definitely worth having a look at. During the winter months the Abbey is only open on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Mondays 10:00am-4:00pm. It costs £5.00 for an Adult; £4.00 for concessions; £2.50 for a child under 15 and over 5; it is free for a child under 5, a member and OVP. You can explore 2,000 years of archaeological discovery, meet personalities from the past and eat your lunch with the famous Whitby ducks!
DRACULA: Abraham (Bram) Stoker was inspired by Whitby Abbey to write Dracula his horror story that is still famous today. It was said that Dracula's dead body floated to Whitby in his coffin. So building on this a Dracula Museum was opened on the harbour front, it is an interesting experience. You step inside the building and pay your money. There is a large statue of Dracula at the front, it would be frightening for small children. You then walk through the story. This is rather a holiday experience and a complete waste of money and not for the faint hearted. If you like things like this it will be right up your street but otherwise AVOID!!
CAPTAIN COOK: Captain Cook (although not a Captain then,), started off as a ship's apprentice the museum is in the lodgings he stayed at when not at sea serving the local coal trade. The museum is beautifully presented and organised; it contains letters, drawings, paintings, maps and objects that were brought back from Captain Cook's trips at sea. It is fascinating collection and and a really interesting museum. This would be great for adults and children. The prices are quite reasonably too: Adults are £4.00, Children are £3.00, OAP's are £3.50. Children get a free explorers guide, with drawings and fun puzzles.
BOAT RIDES: If you fancy a scenic trip out of Whitby and into the sea, you have a choice of boats to take you out to sea, the trips usually last from 10 ? 45 minutes. You can go out on a replica old fashioned boat with sails, very bouncy and not good if you get sea sick easily; you could go on a small passenger boat with a flat bottom and looks a bit like a fat narrow boat. They come in all shapes and sizes, some seats outside, some inside, some rides last 20 minutes some 45, you can choose you boat ride depending on what you want to do. It's around £5.00 per person for most rides. This is always a really fun thing to do. I enjoyed it but was very sick after wards! I was never good on boats.
===SHOPS===

Whitby is famous for it's Jet (a type of black stone) so a lot of shops round this area are jewellers selling ordinary jewellery and jewellery made with jet. Jet is a black stone, which is generally quite dark and dull in colour. It can look quite nice and is quite smart, however I wouldn't recommend it as one of my favourite types of jewellery, but it can look nice and isn't very over-priced or expensive!
As well as the jewellers Whitby has many shops, here are a few I would recommend:

THE MAGPIE: This is a little fish and ship shop next to the Magpie hotel/inn/restaurant. It does the most gorgeous fish and chips and is very clean. It allows you to put the salt and vinegar on so you can control the amounts you put on, however fish and chips is definitely best when covered in salt and vinegar. The chips are sublime and the batter on the fish is absolutely gorgeous and they have their recipes down to a fine art. The Best Chip Shop in Whitby, but their fish and chip trays are very nice too as they read: ?The Great British Take-Away!? My thoughts exactly!
HONEYZ: For gorgeous soaps. This is a nice chilled little shop on the road below the abbey steps. It has the most gorgeous soaps and bath bombs and although it isn't cheap it's a little bit like major brand Lush although a lot cheaper than them and all their soaps are made and cut by hand. It has a large selection and some specialised ones such as saying ?MUM? or ?I LOVE YOU?. It has soaps that help with Eczema, dry skin, greasy skin and spots. It has solid shampoos which that can last for at least 50 washes.

HIPPY HIPPY SHAKE: This is a sweet little shop on the corner. It sells milkshakes with real ice cream and milk,it is clean and very cute. It is very clean and quite funky, it has milkshakes in 100 hundred different flavours. Any chocolate bar you can think of (except for Wispa) is put in a blender with real ice cream and milk. It is blended for around five minutes and then it is taken out and put in a cup. The milkshakes are delicious, really chocolatey, rich, gooey and bubbly. They are not very healthy, however they are some of the nicest milkshakes I have ever had. The price for a regular milkshake is £2.50, and the large milkshakes cost £3.00. Hippy Hippy Shake also sells smoothies, these are a mix of fruit and milk blended together. These vary in price, however most are between £2.00 and £3.50; some of the smoothies are :
Breakfast ? Orange, Grapefruit, Banana and Weetabix and Milk.
Tropical ? Pineapple, Mango, Star fruit and Milk.
Very Berry ? Raspberry, Blueberry, Blackberry, Strawberry and Milk.
Whitby also has quite a few other types of shop. There is a Co-Op and lots of restaurants, it has plenty of tea-shops too. There are out-door shops for walkers, they stock warm coats, walking boots, walking socks and depending on where you shop the price vary, Tog 24 factory outlet shop is cheaper than the original prices but can still be a bit on the expensive side unless you are serious about walking, camping and snow holidays. However, if you choose to go to some of the independent outdoor stores it can be a lot cheaper and still good quality and you are supporting not a corporate industry but a small person's livelihood. Other shops include little trinket shops, ranging from organic and fair-trade to just sweet or weird! There are shops selling magic books, potions and spell guides, all a bit magic!

===NIGHT-TIME===

One evening I decided to take a walk around Whitby at around 7:00pm in the
dark! I am a big fan of art as well so an evening walk around Whitby was lovely, as I sketched the views, it was much nicer at night than in the daytime it was calmer and more beautiful. However, the arcades on the front ruined the look, as their lights were so bright and neon. Walking on the pier is nice, however it does get a bit dark towards the end and I would advise that you do not go down their on your own at night.
The abbey was a beautiful sight at night and was very stunning, as parts were lit up it was very magnificent and mystical against the dark night sky. Whitby looks a lot better at night and parts really are beautiful, as you don't see the tourists and commercialism. It's cleaner, calmer and quieter. If you visit Whitby you should definitely walk around at night; it's beautiful!
You may also want to try a ghost walk round the town. Quite a few seaside villages offer these and Whitby's is no different. It is actually quite fun and spooky. It is interesting and an unusual look at the town as you walk round it. It is good fun, and not for younger children but is reasonably priced, they normally start at around 8:00pm and finish around 9:00pm. It is £4.00 for an adult and £3.00 for concessions, there are signs around the town telling you to meet at the point where the sign is at a certain time. It's a great way to entertain yourself in the evening and if it's dry. Don't try it if it's raining!
===AROUND AND ABOUT===

Whitby is a small town on the coast, if you fancy a different shopping experience, or you just want to explore somewhere else here are some of the different locations :
Scarborough ? just 20 miles down the road, Scarborough is a larger town just down the coast.
Teesside ? This is just along the road (around 10 miles) from Whitby and is more modern, it has all the usual high street shops and a modern
York - Around 1 hour away from Whitby; the road through the moor goes straight to York. This historic Roman/Viking city is very interesting and has great things to do and look at. It has plenty of shops and the huge York cathedral. Walk down the original medieval Shambles and shop at the unusual and independent stores.
===FOOD===

Where to go for some of the best food:
The Duke of York: A great atmosphere, good cheap and cheerful food, lovely seating and environment.
The Hatless Heron: Great for coffee, cake and other little snacky treats such as Nachos! Very comfy and chic a really nice place ( a little posh though).
Fortunes : Kippers at the end of Henrietta Street are fabulous; smoked on a traditional, authentic wood fire and very well priced ? watch out though they go very quickly be there at 9:00 am sharp.
The White Horse and Griffin: Has a fabulous atmosphere and food, although a little more expensive.
Passage to India: A great Indian take-away; quick service, good delivery and great choice of menu!

===Walks===

There are plenty of great walks to do in Whitby, there are a large selection of maps and walking routes. A great idea is postcard maps, with directions on the back. We bought a few of these and did a 4.5 mile round walk route the cliffs near Whitby, a 3 mile round walk round Robin Hood bay. Other walks include walking the Hole of Horcum, this is a circular walk of 2.5 miles around a large ?hole? on the Yorkshire moors just outside of Whitby. The walk round the cliffs of Whitby was very muddy,but great fun and a really good walk. Robin Hood bay is a beautiful area, the walk is lovely and it is a great place to walk along. However, do plan ahead on the walks and don't go alone as they are right by the edge of the cliff. It is definitely worth having a walk as some of the
scenery is stunning and it's a great way to spend some time, whilst being healthy!
===PESTS===

In many seaside towns there is a problem with pests in the form of seagulls and rats. However, Whitby is not too over run by sea gulls and rats. In some seaside towns they are over run by seagulls. This means that there is poo everywhere and the seagulls wake you up early in the morning. The rats will go though your rubbish and eat your leftovers, they may even be running around if you walk around the streets in the evening. Sometimes your cottage/residence may even have a rat infestation or problem that will not surface until it is over run.
Whitby however, is not full of seagulls and the town is not overflowing with them. The town is quite clean and the air is quite clear and I have not seen a huge pack of seagulls. Also there is not a loud noise from them in the morning. Whitby may be dirtier and have more pests in the summer, however it is very clean in February.
===THE GOOD===

Nice location.
Good access.
Lovely atmosphere.
Beautiful scenery in places.
Not over run with pests.
Great for families and Pets.
Good choice of activities.
Lovely restaurants.

===THE BAD===
Has been very commercialised.
Small streets, not good for cars.
No Cinema.
Quite cold and muddy.
CONCLUSION


Whitby is a lovely place to go for holidays, it is sweet, old-fashioned and has everything that you would expect from your average seaside family destination. I really like the wild scenery of Whitby and I love some of the smaller independent shops, however I feel there has been to much tourism take over; the town has become tacky in places and it is rather too commercial. The town is lovely and has some excellent points about it. I believe that it is a great town for families, however I haven't found my perfect seaside holiday. Whitby has plenty to do and many beautiful points, however it has been spoilt by the need to make money and big commercial brands coming in.
Whitby is a lovely place for dogs, small children, families and couples. It has a lovely evening spirit and has great places to eat out. You'll never be bored in Whitby, it wasn't perfect for me (as it wasn't that beautiful and artistic) , but it was a great place to go on holiday and i would definitely come back again. Until next time I will keep on searching for my arty holiday paradise, (with the right amount of history!).

Summary: Great family friendly place