When the wind blows in Whitby it smells of fish and chips. The Sun is up and the beach is teeming with people. From where we stand we can see the Whitby Abbey standing way above this quaint little seaside town . My eyes are drawn to the sea and we walk along the pier gazing into the distance. The sand looks lovely. In a distance we see a little ship, Captain Cook's tours they seem to call themselves. The horizon is speckled with colour. At the end of the pier is a light house and we walk all the way up and look down into the waters of the swirling ocean.
We linger on and watch gulls squeak and fight, noisy in their claims. They seem perfectly comfortable with the people frequenting this place.
It is hard deciding what to do, Every direction an invitation to explore. As always I am drawn to the sight of boats, the colours they make on the waters below them. We cross shops selling trinkets , restaurants, eateries and in the end spy a maze of little streets running away into the heart of the town.
The labyrinth of streets is all colour. There are cakes and cream teas on offer and beautiful old pubs dotting this place. The Union Jack flies proudly and you can tell who the tourists are by the pace they are walking at :).
When we finally decide to visit the Whitby Abbey it is almost evening. It is summer and we will still have light for a few more hours. We decide to go see the inspiration behind Bam Stoker's Dracula, climbing 199 steps to the top, an easy climb, with great views of Whitby unfolding as we walk up.
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| St Mary's Church |
Right on top is the Church of St Mary's. Grey tombstones stand solemnly lining the path. The church is beautiful. Brownish grey with elegant windows, we walk around.
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| The ruins of St Hinlda Abbey.. |
And then there is the abbey, strikingly beautiful against the blue blue sky. As old as 657 AD it was built by the Saxon king of Northumbria and his niece Lady Hilda was appointed Abbess. The abbey has a long history of weathering conflict and as most structures of its time has seen kings come and go. But whats truly amazing is that it still stands today, maybe in ruins but every bit as beautiful as when it was first built
Stone columns seem stuck firmly in the grass and through the columns we can see the blue of the sea and the slight swell and rise of the green hills beyond. Compared to the noise and activity in Whitby right below us, this place is a picture of calm
In what looks like a courtyard we see something we have seen before. It is a replica of the Borghese gladiator statue which we had seen a month ago at the Louvere in Paris.
After walking around for ages, we finally stroll down stopping to take pictures.
When we decide to go exploring again its in the opposite direction, all the way along the beach to where the cliffs stand.
Multi coloured cottages dot the shore line, as people sit outside soaking up the sun. The wind seems happy and we gladly walk along. It is a long walk to the end and back. Having grown up in two coastal cities, I always am drawn to the sea shore.
Tomorrow we decide to explore the Yorkshire Moors!
