Encircled by the wild North York Moors and edged by a spectacular coastline with the highest cliffs in England, this area is one of striking beauty and character. Breathe deep, feel free and relax. With stunning scenery and quaint towns and villages, as well as history and tradition, superb local food and world-famous festivals, this is a truly captivating place.

Whitby town is an ancient and beautiful sea port, surrounded by the magnificent countryside of the North York Moors National Park. Explore the Heritage Coast, to discover quaint fishing villages such as Staithes and Robin Hood's Bay clinging to the steep cliffs to the north and south of Whitby. Moving inland, the breathtaking moorland vistas surrounding our upland villages, such as Goathland, Danby and Castleton, contrast with the gentler, more pastoral setting of the villages on the banks of the River Esk, such as Lealholm and Egton Bridge

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This coastal town has something special, and has long been popular with visitors to Yorkshire’s Coast, owing to it’s delightful harbour, which is surrounded by pretty houses and accommodation, restaurants and fun things to do. All this splendour is overlooked by historic Whitby Abbey, and alongside a sandy beach.

The town is famous for its association with Bram Stoker‘s Dracula, English explorer Captain James Cook and the mysterious Whitby Jet. Visitors can stroll along the harbour walls, from where seals, dolphins and porpoises can be seen as little fishing boats chug by. A boat ride is highly recommended

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Whitby is a seaside town, port and civil parish in North Yorkshire, England. It is on the Yorkshire Coast at the mouth of the River Esk. It has a maritime, mineral and tourist economy. The fishing port emerged during the Middle Ages, supporting important herring and whaling fleets,[2][3] and was where Captain Cook learned seamanship and, coincidentally, where his first vessel to explore the southern ocean, HMS Endeavour, was built.[4] Jet and alum were mined locally, and Whitby jet, which was mined by the Romans and Victorians, became fashionable during the 19th century.

The earliest record of a permanent settlement is in 656 AD, when as Streanæshealh it was the place where Oswy, the Christian king of Northumbria, founded the first abbey, under the abbess Hilda. The Synod of Whitby was held there in 664 AD. In 867 AD, Viking raiders destroyed the monastery. The town's East Cliff is home to the ruins of Whitby Abbey, where Cædmon, the earliest recognised English poet, lived. Another monastery was founded in 1078 AD. It was in this period that it gained its current name, Whitby (from "white settlement" in Old Norse). In the following centuries Whitby functioned as a fishing settlement until, in the 18th century, it developed as a port and centre for shipbuilding and whaling, the trade in locally mined alum, and the manufacture of Whitby jet jewellery. Tourism started in Whitby during the Georgian period and developed with the arrival of the railway in 1839.

Whitby's attraction as a tourist destination is enhanced by the nearby high ground of the North York Moors national park and the heritage coastline and by association with the horror novel Dracula. The abbey ruin at the top of the East Cliff is the town's oldest and most prominent landmark. Other significant features include the swing bridge, which crosses the River Esk and the harbour, which is sheltered by the grade II listed East and West piers. Its maritime heritage is commemorated by statues of the explorer Captain Cook and the whaler and scientist William Scoresby, as well as the whalebone arch that sits at the top of the West Cliff. It also has a strong literary tradition and has featured in literary works, television and cinema, most famously in Bram Stoker's novel Dracula.

While Whitby's cultural and historical heritage contribute to the local economy, it is financially constrained by its remote location, ongoing changes in the fishing industry, relatively underdeveloped transport infrastructure and limitations on available land and property. As a result, tourism and some forms of fishing remain the mainstay of its economy. It is the closest port to a proposed wind farm development in the North Sea, 47 miles (76 km) from York and 22 miles (35 km) from Middlesbrough. There are transport links to the rest of North Yorkshire and North East England, primarily through national rail links to Middlesbrough and road links to Teesside, via both the A171 and A174, and Scarborough by the former. As at 2011, the town had a population of 13,213.[1]