Whitby, a beautiful fishing town in North Yorkshire

The town's skyline is dominated by the ruins of St. Hilda's Abbey, high on the East Cliff. Spreading below, a maze of alleyways and narrow streets run down to the busy quayside. From the old town, 199 steps lead up to the parish church of St. Mary, one of the finest examples of Anglo Saxon churches in the country, and whose churchyard gave Bram Stoker the inspiration to write his world famous book, Dracula.

Whitby has produced its own famous sons. Among these are Captain James Cook, the 18th century explorer and voyager, the outstanding father and son whaling masters of the Scoresby family and pioneer photographer, Frank Meadow Sutcliffe.

Having a unique old world charm, for centuries Whitby has provided a safe haven for shipping and fishing fleets. It was once the main whaling port for the North of England.

The small fishing town of Whitby is part of the Heritage Coast of North East England. The town has a thriving holiday resort trade, bolstered by the coming arrival of the replica of Captain Cook's ship "HM Bark Endeavour", which is the focus of nationwide and global news.

Text taken from the Whitby, North Yorkshire web site.
http://www.whitby.co.uk