Tell me about Whitby

[twolilacs]

DH and I are going there for a few days' break in early July. We'd love some suggestions of places, museums & shops to visit, and we are staying at a B&B so would also like recommendations of good restaurants/pubs in the evenings. Happy to do plenty of walks too. Can you really find pieces of jet on the beach?

Whitby is one of my most favourite places on earth, we don't live anywhere near now but desperate to take my little boy there.

Best fish & chips: Quayside, Magpie isn't worth it
Best Jet shop: One O Five, reasonably priced simple jewellery
Must do:
Botham's for almond crescents
Lucky duck glass shop
Fudge shop
Walk to Robin Hood's bay (get the bus back!)
199 steps
The smoked Kipper shop and the viewpoint just beyond it, get there early
Restaurants wise, there was a great Indian in the station and a gorgeous fish restaurant called something like 'Up the stairs' on the very steepest corner of Golden Lion Bank but I haven't been since pre covid to check it is still there.

It is worth seeing if there is anything else on at the time you are going, Whitby has so many themed weekends and things you can just join in with.

To pick up on a pp point, our weekend was mid March and Saturday was rammed (day time not night time). Our revisit will be a thurs/fri.

Hello WhibyNative 👋👋 from another local 🙂

Also name changed, lived in Whitby for a few years and always lived nearby.

I'd add to that a visit to Staithes - there's the X4 bus that runs half hourly (fairly reliable) week day time and hourly evening and Sunday, Runswick Bay is on the same route and a lovely little fishing village, Hinderwell has a couple of lovely, local and welcoming pubs. The bus runs all the way to Middlesbrough, through villages and also Saltburn (a smaller version of Whitby really) and there's the Tom Leonard Mining Museum at Skinningrove if that sort of thing interests you and a beach there too.

The Dracula Experience is a bit of fun 🙂.

On West Cliff there's a whale jaw bone you can walk under and amazing views from up there too.

I like The Dolphin for a friendly local pub, and second thoughts about The Magpie, they're good but no better than many others without the huge queue!

Have fun!

A friend of mine runs a cafe/second hand book shop on Skinner Street, called Beckett's. She does fantastic cakes and paninis and soups. Highly recommended.

I've been to your friend's cafe and had the best toastie ever there.(Ok and cake with it)

Definitely Trenchers to eat, they don’t take bookings unless you’re a party of 6+ so you may have to queue. If you can face the 199 steps, it’s absolutely worth it for the views. Sandsend, Robin Hoods Bay are both lovely, Robin Hoods Bay has very steep streets, but again, if you can manage it, well worth it.

You've all given me far too many options now - we're going mon-fri and it is before the school holidays too, so hopefully we will avoid the absolute busiest times. Actually I'm beginning to wonder whether we'll have long enough to do and see what we want.

Liking the sound of a steam train - we like to cram one of them into our holidays each year if we can, so that is definitely going on the list.

What is the Captain Cook museum like? Worth a go?

Aah we got two lucky ducks as a wedding gift 💝

Came to say pay a visit to Robin Hood's Bay while you're there, it's gorgeous.

Must tell my Mum there's a chance of finding Jet on the beach; will guarantee my Stepdad many happy hours of peace while she searches 😂

Have a great time OP.

I've never experienced anything like that in Whitby and been a lot. You must have got very unlucky.

You cannot park there for love nor money and there's nothing to do besides boat rides & shopping

Look out for the woman who walks around with 3 black cats and a dog..

The walk to Bay is fab. I've done it both ways a few times. You can bus it back if you're too tired as it is quite strenuous along the coast. You can walk the cinder track but not as interesting imo.

Sherlocks was Gracie tea and cakes. I went during covid so didn't see it at its best, but it is lovely.

There's a big car park next to the co-op.

I love Sherlock's.

I honestly wouldn't bother it's massively overrated and like I said, there's nothing to do that you can’t do in any city besides very short boat rides.
There are some nice shops but being such a tiny, tiny place it's difficult to get into many of them due to the crowds - and that's if you're extremely fortunate enough to get a parking space and I say that as a blue badge holder with more parking abilities than most.

I went with DD last summer and within an hour we were back in the car as we'd seen everything we could get anywhere near 🤷🏼‍♀️

@CuriousMama Which is always full!

@twolilacs When are you going? As here in North Yorkshire (where Whitby is too, of course) our school holidays are usually the week before the rest of the country.

I stayed inland but visited Scarborough and Whitby. I liked Whitby as it's a good old fashioned seaside town. There was a Goth shop when I was there about 4 years ago. Interesting even if you aren't a Goth. Also Pickering church has extensive and lovely wall paintings. We didn't know about it so it was a nice surprise to see it. We stayed at Saltburn by the Sea in a very quirky and nice hotel. I loved the fresh air up there (live in the Midlands where it can get a bit muggy).

We go a couple of times a year, once in the summer and once on a really cold winters day when we get freezing cold and then bundle into Magpies for FnC. Trenchers is also lovely for a fish pie too. There's a weeks worth of excellent chippys tbh.

We're going at the beginning of July, and will be there mon-fri. The place we are staying at has car parking spaces, so hopefully we will be okay with parking.

Came here to say this!! Everyone must buy a lucky duck on their first visit to Whitby

There are dinosaur footprints on the rocks on one of the beaches. I studied it as part of my degree. It was a long time ago do I can’t remember the name of the beach. I’ll come back when I remember

We went for a week in the summer the year you couldn’t go to Europe. Admit I was pining for Italy which affected my view of it. The abbey is stunning the history is fascinating. The beach is nice but chilly. The restaurant in the middle is nice Star something also the curry house was good. Fish and chips pretty standard. The people are quite rough and quite shouty. We won’t be back a week was more than enough.

The museum in Pannet Park needs at least half a day. The randomest collection of fascinating things I’ve seen anywhere.

N York Moors Railway is gorgeous. I wouldn’t bother going all the way to Pickering. Get off at Grosmont and walk through the tunnel to where they restore the old engines.

Lovely circular walk from Goathland that takes in the tiniest put ever at Beck Hole and a beautiful waterfall, Malayan Spout.

Go into Dalby Forest and do the walk up to the Bridestones. Stunning views on a clear day.

Runswick Bay is a must.
Ignore the 'nay sayers'. Whitby is a great place.
Enjoy.