Whitby, North Yorkshire
Whitby is one of the jewels in the north-east of England; it stands surrounded by the North York Moors National Park and nestles either side of the River Esk. The old port stands on the east of the river beneath the cliffs and in the shadow of the famous 199 steps leading to St Mary’s Parish Church, which, in turn, inspired Bram Stoker to write his novel “Dracula”.
The now ruined Abbey of St Hilda’s dominates the East Cliff as it has done since approximately 600BC. On the West Cliff are the resort hotels developed during Victorian times when it became fashionable to “take the waters”.
As the East Cliff is dominated by the Abbey, the West Cliff is presided over by a statue of Captain James Cook the 18th Century explorer and voyager; and nearby is Whitby’s famous whalebone arch, a reminder of Whitby’s links with the whale trade.
More recently Whitby and the surrounding villages and countryside have been the setting for the TV series “Heartbeat”.
The Whitby Yacht Club Sonata fleet is thriving and looking forward to hosting the 2010 Northern Championship on 26th and 27th June.