The Road to Skye - via the Yorkshire Coast

I had never been to the Yorkshire Coast, and Whitby was the perfect place to introduce me to this part of the country. The town faces the seaside, making for a postcard-worthy view of the cottages and leaves you wanting to explore the hidden cobbled streets surrounding it. From afar, you can see the Whitby Abbey, which I believe is the focal point of this coastal town buzzing with life.

Most of the must-see places are along the clifftop path. Here you will see the Whale Bone Arch that came from a Bonehead Whale. It's been replaced a few times before, but the whalebone original was installed in 1853. 

Right next to the Whale Bone Arch is the memorial of Captain Cook, the famous British explorer who had ships that were made here in Whitby, and he also was an apprentice here, so we can say he's a local celebrity.

Staying on this side of the town, you will also find a Heritage Trail, which features life-size sculptures by Emma Stothard highlighting some key points and people in Whitby's history. On this part of the trail, I was able to "kiss" Dora Walker, the first female skipper!

To get to the other side of town, you will have to go down a steep hill and some steps. Consider this your warmup for the 199 steps that will take you up to Whitby Abbey. 

You can visit the Abbey for free during the opening hours if you are a member of the English Heritage (or £10 if you are not. More here) , or you can be cheeky like me and peek over the wall or send a drone up. I believe this is a much better view than the one you'll see during the day. 😁

A sunset view from the 199 steps !

A view of Whitby Abbey

Right next to the Abbey, you'll find Whitby Brewery, and if you like local brews, it can't get any more local than this. Of course, Whitby is famous for not just being the inspiration for Dracula but also fish and chips. The competition is fierce here, but I guarantee you that it will be amazing no matter where you choose. My only advice would be to make sure you get your dinner by 9 pm as most places will be closed then, but some restaurants stay open for longer. 

A view of the Abbey from Whitby Brewery

Sunset in Whitby

If you base yourself in Whitby, you'll have the best of all worlds. There are more accommodation options in Whitby than the other coastal towns, more food options, and you can still go to the other towns. Better yet, you can walk to them. One of the popular walks is between Whitby and Robin Hood Bay. It's a beautiful clifftop walk but rather long (it would have taken 2h:30min each way, not including photo stops). So we decided to drive to Robin Hood Bay and walk to Ravenscar instead. I'm not sure if that was any better. Although it's about 5km each way, the hills and steps made the journey there much longer than it was. The North York Moor National Park views more than made up for it, and when we got to Ravenscar, we went to the Ravenscar Hall Hotel and had ourselves a celebratory drink. 🤣

The walk back to Robinhood Bay was considerably quicker, considering we were walking downhill most of it.

Another beautiful bay we had a chance to go and see was Runswick Bay, another beautiful little village with stunning views of the coast and killer hills. I mean, you will need to be dedicated to 

If you're looking for a beach to chill on, then you are in luck because the beaches are incredible! Beautiful sand, lots of space for you, and if you are travelling with children, you can let them loose on the rocks for some fossil hunting. We were able to see some stones that had ammonites on them, and I must say it's pretty amazing. Just make sure to leave them there and not take them away to preserve the coast. 

The Yorkshire Coast was as beautiful as I imagined it. As we continue our road trip, I'm looking forward to seeing some more stunning views! 
Next Stop : Bamburgh