Whitby, North Yorkshire: The Abbey, Captain Cook, Dracula & Things to Do

Whitby stands at the mouth of the River Esk on the North Yorkshire coast, its two halves facing each other across a busy harbour. On the East Cliff the gaunt ruins of Whitby Abbey look out to sea; below them, red-roofed houses crowd the old streets around the 199 Steps.

Why Whitby Is Special

Whitby has more stories than almost any town of its size: a Saxon abbey where a great council decided the date of Easter, the first English poet known by name, the seaman who became Captain Cook, and the novel that brought Dracula ashore.

It is also a working harbour town, full of fish restaurants, jet jewellers and independent shops, with the moors at its back and long sandy beaches at its feet.

The History of Whitby

The monastery was founded in 657 by Oswy, King of Northumbria, at a place then called Streoneshalh, with Hild, a grand-niece of the first Christian king of Northumbria, as its first abbess. It was a double monastery of monks and nuns, and the cowherd Caedmon, the earliest English poet whose name we know, lived and sang here.

In 664 the Synod of Whitby met at the abbey to decide whether the Northumbrian church would follow the customs of Iona or of Rome, above all in calculating the date of Easter. Rome won, and the decision shaped the English church for centuries. The later abbey, whose Gothic ruins stand today, surrendered to Henry VIII in December 1539.

From the Middle Ages Whitby had herring and whaling fleets, and its yards built sturdy colliers for the coal trade. The young James Cook learned his seamanship on those colliers, lodging in Grape Lane, and the ship he took round the world, HMS Endeavour, was built in Whitby in 1764 by Thomas Fishburn as a coal carrier named Earl of Pembroke. Alum was mined along the coast, and in the 19th century Whitby jet jewellery became the height of fashion.

In 1890 Bram Stoker stayed in Whitby, and it found its way into Dracula, in which the count comes ashore here in the form of a great dog. In December 1914 the abbey was shelled by German battlecruisers in the same raid that struck Scarborough and Hartlepool.

Things to Do in Whitby

Climb the 199 Steps from the old town to St Mary's church and the Abbey, cared for by English Heritage (check opening times), and look back over the harbour. Then explore Church Street and Grape Lane, where the Captain Cook Memorial Museum occupies the house in which Cook lodged.

Cross the swing bridge to the West Cliff for the statue of Cook, the whale bone arch and the view back to the Abbey, and finish with fish and chips on the harbour.

Gardens, Countryside & Antiques near Whitby

Robin Hood's Bay is five miles south (see our guide to Robin Hood's Bay), and the North York Moors National Park begins at the edge of town; our guide to the North York Moors covers the steam railway and the moorland villages.

For seabirds, RSPB Bempton Cliffs is about an hour south, and York, with York Antiques Centre and Neptune York, is an easy day out.

Whitby Through the Seasons

Spring and early summer are lovely for clifftop walks. Summer brings the regatta and busy beaches. Autumn brings the Whitby Goth Weekend, and winter sunsets behind the Abbey are unforgettable.

Getting to Whitby

Whitby is the end of the Esk Valley line from Middlesbrough, and steam trains on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway run here from Pickering in season. Park-and-ride operates at busy times.

Whitby: Questions & Answers

How many steps are there to Whitby Abbey?

There are 199 steps from the old town up to St Mary's church and the Abbey.

What is the link between Whitby and Dracula?

Bram Stoker stayed in Whitby in 1890, and in his novel Dracula the count comes ashore here.

Our Advice

Our advice: Climb the 199 Steps early, before the crowds, see the Abbey and St Mary's, then spend the afternoon in the old town and on the West Cliff.