Whitby

North Yorkshire

Whitby harbourWhalebone arch, West Cliff, WhitbyBeach huts, WhitbyTate Hill Pier and St Mary's Church, WhitbyAs a seaside resort, Whitby is slightly more isolated from the rest of Yorkshire than some of the region's other seaside towns, but only through having to cross the beautiful landscape of the North York Moors National Park to get there.

Captain James CookGetting there is well worth it. The town is centred around its charmingly picturesque harbour where the River Esk meets the North Sea.

On the East Cliff are the magnificent ruins of Whitby Abbey and the historic Norman Church of St Mary the Virgin, reached by a flight of 199 steps.

At the opposite side of the harbour at the top of the Khyber Pass on the West Cliff is a whalebone arch landmark commemorating the town's whaling history and a statue of ocean explorer Captain James Cook, who served his apprenticeship in Whitby.

In an age of wooden shipbuilding between the mid 18th and 19th centuries, Whitby was one of the largest shipbuilding ports in the country. The coal-carrying ship later converted by the navy to Cook's HMS Endeavour was among the most famous to be built there.

At around the same time, Whitby was also a prosperous whaling port with 55 whaling ships and boiler houses on the harbour side. These turned whale and seal blubber into oil, which was used, among other things, for soaps, candles, lubricants, paints and street lighting.

Although the whaling industry eventually ended, Whitby's history as a traditional fishing port continued and still does, albeit to a lesser extent today. But the harbour is busy with an amazing selection of sea trip boats ranging from coastal cruises to trips in a miniature replica of Captain Cook's HMS Endeavour or one of the town's old lifeboats. There are also longer whale-watching excursions and sea fishing trips. The port has plenty of sea fishing charter boats available.

Whitby's Blue Flag beachBelow the West Cliff a sandy beach has an international Blue Flag Award as well as a Keep Britain Tidy Seaside Award. It has traditional multi-coloured beach huts and stretches for around 3 miles northward towards Sandsend. At the top of the cliff are a number of seaside attractions, including crazy golf, go karts and an indoor leisure centre.

Whitby has become famous for some its places in literary history. Whitby Abbey is where Caedmon awoke to poetry. The 7th century poet, in what was then part of the Kingdom of Northumbria, was the earliest named poet on record in England. More recently, Whitby was an inspiration of the 1897 Gothic horror novel Dracula by Bram Stoker. It has led to Whitby hosting Goth Weekends, now held twice a year — at the end of April and the end of October. The event has grown since 1994 to become one of the foremost events in the calendars of those who celebrate all things Gothic.

Royal Crescent, West Cliff, WhitbyThere are other Yorkshire seaside places to visit a few miles away, picturesque villages including Staithes, Runswick Bay, Sandsend and Robin Hood's Bay. The North York Moors National Park starts just outside the town as does a 36-mile section of Heritage Coast, one of three sections of the Yorkshire coastline so defined by Natural England.

The town has plenty of places to stay, including hotels, but more noticably a large number of high-quality guest houses to choose from.

Town features

Old Town Hall and Market Place, WhitbySandgate, WhitbySandgate, Whitby

On the west side of the harbour is a traditional town centre and seaside shopping, but cross the swing bridge across the Esk to parts of the town close to the old Market Square beneath the East Cliff and you will find a host of craft, art and jewellery shops, some selling the black jet jewellery for which Whitby has become famous.

The main post office in Whitby is at Bridge Street. There are also branches at the Co-op at Endeavour Wharf and at The Parade, in Upgang Lane.

Whitby has bank and building society branches.

Whitby has a number of pharmacies.

A good selection of pubs centred around the harbour keep the area lively well into the evening. Some have expanded to cater for the tourist trade with a few offering live music at weekends without intruding too heavily into the peaceful harbour setting. There are also plenty of quieter and less bustling pubs in villages around the Whitby area.

Whitby has some of Britain's finest fish and chip and seafood restaurants, but within its quaint streets can also be found cafes, restaurants and pubs catering for many different tastes.

Whitby has a good range of guest house accommodation, a few hotels and self-catering cottages.

St Mary the Virgin Church, East Cliff, Whitby

Tourist Information can be found at Langborne Road, between the harbour and the station.

There are a number of public toilets around Whitby which are run by Whitby Town Council which varies opening times depending on the season and requires school parties to fill in a form and pay a £10 per day fee in advance if they need to use the loo. Find the form and opening times via this

Whitby Town Counci - public toilets web page. North Yorkshire Council run toilets at Whitby beach and at the Marina Car Park. This

North Yorkshire Council - public toilets web page has more details, including opening times.

Whitby has Anglican, Catholic, Methodist, Baptist and United Reformed places of worship.

Among the churches in Whitby, the Norman Church of St Mary the Virgin on the East Cliff stands most prominently in the local landscape in front of the ruins of its historic abbey, about which there are more details below.

A section of the King Charles III England Coast Path runs through Whitby.

Whitby is on the Cleveland Way long-distance trail, a 110-mile waymarked hiking path around the edges of the North York Moors and North Yorkshire coast with Helmsley and Filey at its end points.

Entertainment

Whitby Pavilion

Whitby Pavilion
West Cliff
Situated on the town's West Cliff overlooking the beach, Whitby Pavilion is a multi-purpose entertainment venue with music, comedy and drama, dances, cinema, cafe and an exhibition, conference and banqueting hall.

Sport

Whitby Town

The Seasiders play at The Turnbull Ground, Upgang Lane.

Whitby Town official website.

Whitby Rugby Club

Whitby Rugby Club play Rugby Union at White Leys Road.

Whitby Rugby Club official website.

Whitby Cricket Club

Whitby Cricket Club play at Upgang Lane.

Whitby Cricket Club official website.

Museums

Captain Cook Memorial Museum

Captain Cook Memorial Museum, Whitby

Grape Lane, Whitby

A fascinating and detailed insight into the great voyages and life of Captain James Cook and his crews as he navigated coastlines and charted much new territory, including circumnavigating New Zealand and building upon the work of other sea explorations and the Dutch explorers who had sailed to Australia before him. Excellently presented information about the explorer is contained in the museum in a 17th century house where Cook lodged as an apprentice and trained as a seaman. The museum is open from February to November with opening by appointment in the winter.

More details at the Captain Cook Memorial Museum website.

Whitby Museum

Pannett Art Gallery and Whitby MuseumPannett Park
Whitby Museum is in Pannett Park, a short walk from the harbour and station and the West Cliff area. It tells many aspects of the town's history with whaling, natural history and jet jewellery among several featured collections. The museum is run by the Whitby Literary and Philosophic Society, founded in 1823. Admission to Whitby residents is free but there is an admission charge for visitors. The museum adjoins the municipal art gallery, which is free to enter for all and features a fascinating collection of historic paintings of Whitby and other subjects.
More information at the

Whitby Museum website.

Whitby Lifeboat Museum

Pier Road
An exhibition celebrating the lives saved by volunteer crews from Whitby since 1802 is in a boathouse used by the RNLI from 1895 to 1957 which still houses one its historic lifeboats. Stories are documented of tragic wrecks and amazing rescues which have led to no less than 36 RNLI gallantry medals being awarded to Whitby crews over the years. Admission is free, but the RNLI is a charity which depends on public donations to help save lives at sea.
Find out more at the

RNLI - Whitby Lifeboat Museum web page.

Places to visit

Whitby Abbey

Whitby Abbey illuminated at nightThe hilltop of the East Cliff at Whitby was first settled with a monastery in 657. It is of religious significance as the location of the Synod of Whitby of 664 where Christians in the then Kingdom of Northumbria adopted Roman rather than Ionian traditions as the norm when both had prevously been practised. The abbey church ruins exisiting today date from the 13th century. They are a significant landmark high above Whitby, which can be reached from the town via the flight of 199 steps. For the less energetic there is a bus service and a car park nearby. Though a substantial part of the abbey remains, it has over the years suffered the damage of storms and an attack on Whitby by the German navy in 1914. Fascinating finds are exhibited in the Abbey House, an extension of what was probably the abbot's house after the supression of the monastery. The abbey hosts events for wildlife spotters and for fans of Bram Stoker's Dracula. Whitby Abbey is managed by English Heritage.

More information at the

English Heritage - Whitby abbey website.

Find Whitby Abbey on map

Heritage coast

Ravenscar - part of the Heritage CoastWhitby is at the centre of 36 miles of coastline which make up the North Yorkshire and Cleveland Heritage Coast. This is Yorkshire's Jurassic Coast, where ammonites can easily be found and occasionally bones from marine reptiles and dinosaurs have been discovered. For more see our Heritage Coast page.

North York Moors National Park

Starting just outside Whitby is the beautiful scenery of the North York Moors National Park, which covers 554 square miles (1,435 square kilometres). Within its area are moorland and coast, historic stateley homes, remains of castles and abbeys and attractive villages including, not far from Whitby, Goathland, famous as the location for TV's Heartbeat, and Grosmont, location of the locomotive sheds of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. For more information see our page dedicated to the North York Moors.

Travel

A North Yorkshire Moors Railway locomotive steams out of Whitby station with its train heading for PickeringWhitby ststionStation Square
Whitby is a terminus station with two platforms. Northern trains operate along the Esk Valley line towards Middlesbrough through the North York Moors National Park with stations at Ruswarp, Sleights, Grosmont, Egton Bridge, Glaisdale, Battersby and Great Ayton.
Some journeys on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway between Pickering and Grosmont, usually steam-hauled, are extended along the rail network to start and finish their journeys in Whitby.
Station managed by Northern. Operators: Northern and the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.

Northern - Whitby Station and departure information at Northern website.

North Yorkshire Moors Railway Website of the heritage railway with trains to Whitby.

Bus services

The 840 route between Whitby, Malton, York and Leeds was voted Britain's Most Scenic Bus RouteWhitby bus stationWhitby bus station is the destination of the trip voted Britain's Most Scenic Bus Route in 2018 — the 840 Yorkshire Coastliner bus operating across the moors to Thornton le Dale, Pickering, Flamingo Land, Eden Camp, Malton, York and Leeds. Whitby's small bus station is conveniently just outside the station, connecting the railway with bus journeys to other coastal destinations, including X4 northwards to Sandsend, Runswick Bay, Staithes, Saltburn-by-the-Sea and Redcar and X93 X94 buses south to Robin Hood's Bay and Scarborough. A few X93 X94 buses also operate in the opposite direction through the North York Moors via Guisborough to Middlesbrough. Local park and ride services also operate from the bus station.

An open top Town Tour bus also runs around Whitby from the harbour-side bandstand to the West Cliff, Pannett Park and Whitby Abbey.

Road travel

Reaching Whitby usually means travelling by one of the main roads across the North York Moors National Park. From the north the most direct route from Middlesbrough via Guisborough is the A171, while the A174 takes a longer route from Middlesbrough, past Redcar and some of the magnificent seaside towns and villages along the coast. The journey north from Scarborough is also via the A171. Long lanes from this slightly inland route lead to the coast at places like Ravenscar and Robin Hood's Bay. The short cut from the centre of Yorkshire to Whitby is on the A169 from Malton to Pickering and across Fylingdales Moor.
Whitby is a town for exploring on foot having first found somewhere to park. There are busy car parks near to the station and some controlled on-street parking, principally around the West Cliff area. There is also a car park near Whitby Abbey. A late-March to late-October park and ride scheme operating from the A171 near Cross Butts Farm at Low Stakesby, just outside Whitby, aims to take the pressure off finding a parking space in the town by offering a 15 minute bus service.

Emergency services

North Yorkshire Police

North Yorkshire Police website.

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service

North Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service website.

Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust

Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust website.

HM Coastguard

Coastguard - Coastal safety webpage.

Local government

Civil parish council

Whitby Town Council
Whitby Town Council provides public representation and a limited range of services in the town and elects a Town Mayor and deputy each year. It holds its meetings at the Pannett Art Gallery.

Whitby Town Council website.

Unitary authority

North Yorkshire Council

The North Yorkshire Council is a new unitary authority formed from the previous County Council from April 1, 2023. It covers the existing county duties including highways, schools, libraries and transport planning over an area of 3,109 square miles while also taking over the responsibilities of the seven huge district authorities also created in 1974 — Craven, Hambleton, Harrogate, Richmondshire, Ryedale, Scarborough and Selby — these including local planning, waste collection, street cleaning, parks and car parks, housing and markets serving a population of around 615,500*.

Councillors were elected to the County Council in 2022 and continue as councillors of the new North Yorkshire Council unitary authority. There have been a few by-elections to fill councillor vacancies since then.

Places in North Yorkshire

Link to council website: North Yorkshire Council

^ Area figure from ONS Standard Area Measurements 2022 (converted from hectares).
* Population figure from Census 2021 (combined total of former districts).
Contains public sector information licensed under the

Open Government Licence v3.0.

Political composition:

453CI 1311 NY Ind92 LC421

90 members

CI = Conservative & Independent NY Ind = North Yorkshire Independents group LC = Labour & Cooperative
Composition and groupings - source North Yorkshire Council (February 2024)

Strategic authority

York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority
The York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority was created in December 2023 combining the unitary authority of York and the unitary authority of North Yorkshire — that created in April 2023 after the abolition of the county authority and its seven district authorities. The combined authority will run some functions under the new mayor elected in May 2024 as part of the government's so-called "Devolution deal" which ties the availablity of funding to the new governance arrangements. As well as having powers over housing development, transport and boosting skills and education across the 3,214 square miles of York and North Yorkshire, the elected mayor also takes on the role and functions of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner across the area.

Elected mayor: ❚ David Skaith Labour & Cooperative

York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority website.

Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner

Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner North Yorkshire
Covers the county of North Yorkshire and City of York. This role is being transferred to the new elected mayor of York and North Yorkshire in 2024.

Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner North Yorkshire website.

Parliamentary constituency

Scarborough and Whitby
Elected MP: ❚ Alison Hume Labour

National government region

Yorkshire and the Humber

Ceremonial county

North Yorkshire

Historic

1894-1974 Whitby Urban District and Whitby Rural District (for areas around Whitby) within North Riding of Yorkshire.
1974-2023 Part of the enlarged Scarborough district authority within county of North Yorkshire.

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