English Heritage Site Whitby Abbey
Whitby, a seaside town in Yorkshire, split by the River Esk and home to the ruined Gothic Whitby Abby where Bram Stoker’s inspiration for “Dracula” was created, was where we called home for the last few days.
It was a 4.5 hour journey from Rothwell, Northamptonshire with three kids and my sister in tow. It should have taken shorter time and I was questioned why I was driving below the speed limit! To which I simply answered old age!!
We stayed at the Captain Cook’s Haven, Larpool, Whitby through Hoseasons. This was beautifully calm and peaceful location. Overlooking the chocolate coloured River Esk, a perfect place for steam train spotting and a BBQ weather permitting and a great view of the viaduct which leads into the town centre. The lodge was clean and spacious and had all the amenities we needed for a few nights stay, the beds were comfortable, lovely bedding and added treat black out blinds! The only fault we had was the lack of internet signal, which we were aware of so came prepared with our own portable wifi device however we still couldn’t get signal – the kids were not happy! So we made use of the sky tv channels and watched Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone with the commercials, some MTV videos and QVC shopping channels!
We spent the following day sightseeing around Whitby and signed up for an English Heritage Membership, with over 400 Historic sites and free entry for up to six children how could we say no!
Why is Whitby Abbey so famous? In AD 657 Abbess Hild founded a monastery for men and women at Whitby, on land given by King Oswiu. It was Whitby's first monastic site and became one of the most important religious centres in the Anglo-Saxon world.
With absolutely amazing views over the coast and open grounds to roam and seasonal events made this a great day out. Unfortunately we didn’t walk up the 199 steps to the Abbey, coincidentally we were unaware of that route and paid for parking up top instead! The visitor centre and museum were interesting and informative and great selection of gifts and coffee shop.
Lunch was of course the famous Whitby Fish and Chips which was good, the kids enjoyed their meal with a pot of gravy with no complaints followed by a walk around the many shops around the marina, arcade games and to finish off some luxury ice cream in a cold October day.
