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?

I haven't been since before the fire 😳

This thread makes me really fancy a Whitby lemon bun and a Fortune's kipper.

This is my special happy place. I enjoy searching for fossils on the special fossil-hunting beach, and I love the walk over the cliffs from the Abbey past the Old Bull fog station and back. There are wonderful seabirds and beautiful sea views around those cliffs.

The world feels good watching the sun set over the harbour from a window seat in the Duke.

NYM railway is also very scenic.

Have a wonderful stay!

Thank you one and all, even the naysayers, it is always good to get a wide range of opinions. 🙂 I will probably only manage fish and chips once, since I'm low-carbing (necessity rather than choice), but I can smell the salt and vingar already!

The railway is going to be a must - we'll probably go as far as Goathland and then do the suggested walks.

There is a blast from the past! My friend used to work there 30 years ago. Wouldn’t have said it was anything special.

@twolilacs entirely possible to low carb at The Magpie. They do a great seafood platter, or you can ask for your fish to be baked rather than battered.
Now you're making me want to go back !

Best for a cheap takeaway or cafe lunch is bothams. There's one on skinner street near the west cliff and another on Baxtergate closer to the train station.
Royal fisheries is my fav but DH is a fan of Hadleys for fish and chips. Trenchers is also good as is fisherman's wife.
Weatherspoons upstairs has a nice view. So does Harrys upstairs but very different prices.
Abbey, beach, boat trip, 199 steps, walk along the pier, watch the swing bridge open, loads to do. Also lots of nice pubs.

I can see I am in the minority but I'm not a fan. Prefer Filey. We had fish and chips in the magpie and they weren't the best. We only stayed about an hour and went back to the lovely dog free section of the beach at Filey and then walked up to the country park there.

If you fancy something a bit bonkers go here - https://www.museumofvictorianscience.co.uk/

Also - Fish Cottage at Sandsend is worth a visit - the tacos are fantastic (and Sandsend is lovely too).
https://www.fishcottage.co.uk

Wear garlic, don't allow a stranger to cross your threshold and stay indoors after dark.
Otherwise have a lovely time!

Beckett's on Skinner Street for lunch or a cake-eating coffee stop.

Ha ha ha
You realise there's a fair few whitby natives and locals on this thread?
Late at night the pubs can get a tad rowdy. Not as bad as some other local towns and I've found it's usually the stag and hen dos that aren't locals.

Bothams for cake, Whitby buns and ginger biscuits.
Mr Chips for fish and chips - can book tables here or there is a takeaway next door. The one on the abbey side.

Question for the locals; years ago I bought a blackjack flavoured ice cream from a window behind a covered market area; it was the street behind the main road from
the bridge to the abbey steps; maybe half way along; google can’t get me an answer but can the blackjack flavoured ice cream still be found!?
I have yearned for it for years and years and craved it whilst pregnant 5 years ago!

Whitby is just stunning, my all time favourite place, lots of lovely little shops, the Abby, love the place.

I think it will be this shop:

www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100078653666708

The owners have change within the last year or so so I'm not sure if they will still do it but you could always message

Love Whitby 🙂
The Magpie Cafe is best around for fish and chips and plenty of other dishes too, expect a queue in peak times though

The Humble Pie and Mash cafe definitely worth a visit - gorgeous food and 1940s world war 2 themed

Yes you can find jet on the beach if you're really lucky, and look out for sea glass too - found a lovely green piece last time I was there

@WhitbyNative Thank you! Alas! Looks like they’ve ceased trading very recently.

Blackjack ice cream will forever be unspoiled in my memory!!

I had been planning on staying indoors during daylight...

@twolilacs Like I said, I wouldn't recommend it as anything other than a half-day trip. It's just so small.
I would however, recommend Saltburn if you have small kids as there's a miniature railway, play frames, a lovely beach etc etc. Scarborough for ages 6+ as there's TONNES to do there. A huuuuge seafront promenade with rides, lovely beach and even a big waterpark not far from the centre. Peasholm Park is fab.

If you have no kids however, then Robin Hoods Bay & Staithes are beautiful, although there's not a lot to do there. Very very pretty places to relax though.

Lots of great suggestions on this thread. If you're fit then I suggest a walk down the cliffs (there's a path) down to see the seals at Ravenscar. If you take binoculars you can see them from halfway down. We found it absolutely magical.

White horse and Griffin gone downhill imo.
Grew up fairly locally and have family there too.
Personally think it's changed massively over the last few years. Rammed most of the time (but always has been tbh - half Teeside heads down on a sunny day). Lost some of its quirkiness. Too many second homes and investors buying new builds hence the action of the council. Every other shop's a cafe, bar or selling expensive boho tat.
Dont get me wrong, if it's to the benefit of Whitby, great but there are areas of some deprivation despite superficial appearance that aren't doing well.
And Becketts is lovely 😂

The steam trains are now pricing as annual admission so for price of one ticket you can go as many times as you like and kids go free. It’s bloody amazing deal as you can get off at Hogsmeade or Heartbeat and wander round as well as going full route to Pickering. Whitby us lovely, I’m jel - have a good time

Where’s heartbeat

Thanks for that, I'm planning to go there over the summer, so will take my binoculars.

Ravenscar is an interesting place as there was the beginnings of development as a coastal resort late in the 19th Century, but it was never finished, but there are a couple of information boards up about what it could have become.

Not a ghost tour per say but I highly recommend the red hat tour, actually wheelchair accessible and run by a native who is very knowledgeable. A bit ghostly and a bit history.