Father in Law has requested that we pay Whitby a visit for our next 3 generational family holiday.

Any tips for what to do? Ages range from 10 to 80.

I think we’ll visit Robin Hoods Bay and Scarborough. What else is round there?

It’s gorgeous. Climb the steps to Whitby Abbey. Watch for black dogs. It is the site of one of the most important events in the history of Britain: the Synod of Whitby in 663. You might say it was the first time Britain chose Europe over insularity!

Race the 10 y.o.`s up the steps to the Abbey.

A walk from pier to pier is nice. Fish and chips at the magpie, up to the Abbey, Dracula experience for cheesiness. Head inland to the moors and go on the train.

North York Moors steam Railway. Good for different abilities walking different distances but all ending up in the same place. Or just enjoying the trains. Gothmont Station was used in Harry Potter

Cheeky bike ride on the Moors

Goth spotting

Abbey

Shop that sells photos of Whitby so old they have sailing boats in them

Whitby is one of the few places in the world I am happy to waste a day pottering around town. No more than a day though!

So much to do in that area. We had our best multi generational (and multi continental!) holiday ever there a few years ago. We stayed in Staithes (up the coast) in an ex pub cottage that slept 10. This was a great base. We did fishing with “All our sons Angling” in staithes, bringing home fresh mackerel. Then there is the NYMR railway. There is family friendly cycling from Whitby to Robinhoods bay (old railway line, goes further if you fancy). Best fish and chips are Silver Street fisheries. So many shops to look at and the Abbey. Nearby you have Cropton Brewery on the edge of Pickering, they do brewery tours and their North Yorks Moors beer is my fave. If nicer weather then Dalby Forest is nearby. Obviously MTB is an option, but there are picnic spots and things like go-ape and Segway rides. Phew…. that’s a taste. If you have any suggestions on the kind of things you enjoy then I am sure we can all make more suggestions.

Trains. Excellent. He likes trains.

No bikes I’m afraid. We just need a few day out ideas.

Both sides of the pier can easily be reached.
The church next to the Abbey is worth a visit.
Captain Cook museum.
Take a ride on the old lifeboat. If the weather is kind he’ll take you out to sea. If not you’ll roll about in the harbour mouth!!!
Some good fish and chip restaurants.
Generally pottering about the harbour.
Visit RNLI station.
Generally pottering about the town is interesting. There is always something going on in the streets.
Care if SWMBO sees the Whitby Jet shops. Nice. Very nice. But expensive. Very expensive.
Abbey is worth a visit but you have to pay. Try and find the alternative route back to town. That’s interesting.
Abbey is lit up at night. Use the map to get your car up the the car park at the back of it for some good night time photos. Excellent night time photos if you are prepared to be cheeky(work it out for yourself- it’s easy!)
Inland there’s the railway. Grosmont and the engine shed are a must for boys of all ages.
Goathland and Pickering are good pretty, pretty places for wives and grannies. Get a rail rover ticket.
And so much more….

Plan to have a nice fish and chip dinner in the magpie, followed by the ghost tour and a few nice ales in the lovely pubs by the abbey.
Get drunk in the chippie, miss the start of the ghost tour and pay money to enter a night club called ‘Raw’.
Not a night I’ll forget in a hurry!
The YHA is good value accommodation BTW. It’s a lot of steps when pissed!

The YHA is good value accommodation BTW. It’s a lot of steps when pissed!

I’ll pass this information on to my 80 year old Father In Law.

If you like art galleries (as in see the owner do some painting while you browse) there’s a good one opposite Grosmont station car park, called The Geall Gallery. Chris is a cyclist as well, If you go, ask him about the time his brakes failed on the bike coming down Wrynose Pass!

Whitby is quite local for me, was there today. Surfing or beach if weather permits there are places to rent.

The coastal path around there is fantastic. The local buses are good to help with point to point walks. The Abbey is worth a look around. Great place for picnic on the right day.

Localish Falling Foss and Goathland have great waterfall walks that can be tailored to suit all abilities.

The NYM railway is cool. Very much worth looking at the timetables. An out and back to somewhere like Goathland would be cool.

Whitby is great, as suggested the NYM railway is good, maybe go to Pickering and back. As well as Potter, Heartbeat was also filmed at Goathland.

Eat at the Humble Pie ‘N’ Mash shop.
Buy kippers from Fortunes.
Magpies is good but can be busy and is maybe a tad overrated. I personally like Hadleys.
Beach is nice, lots of coastal paths.
Buy some Whitby Jet as a memento.

The bus tour is cheap and stop off at the brewery opposite the abbey. Not keen on the magpie myself. Plenty of boat rides to be had. There’s a couple of working Whitby jet jewelers. And the usual seaside tat.

2020 Whitby Fossil Hunting Trips

(or DIY at Port Mulgrave or Robin Hood’s Bay)
https://whitbymuseum.org.uk
proper old fashioned museum
Loads of good pubs – just google

Things to do in Whitby

…when you’re dead; there’s the Dracula associations with the place…

No one mentioned buying a lucky duck yet?

Nothing much to add to CHB & Sarawak ^^^
Some of the jewellers also do pieces in Amber which, I think, is more interesting than Jet.
Take some packable waterproofs.
Personal view is that The Magpie is over-rated.
Take the kids to the fish market and/or watch lobstermen near the old lifeboat station.
Enjoy!

Has the magpie reopened? It had been closed for ages after a fire. Its a lovely walk to Sandsend barefoot along the beach. Try and take a photo of the colourful beach huts without anyone in front. Have a climb up the old lighthouse. Must get back soon.

My missus was raised in Whitby. Go there loads still (we are in Leeds with parents in Malton and Pickering. Lots of time spent on the A64) Magpie overrated, Mr chips ftw!

And a +1 for Falling Foss tucked away in magical woods. Brilliant tea room.

A bit out of the way but the miniature pub in beck hole is entertaining and loads of great walks around there.

Ps last time we went out drinking in Whitby the star attraction was the craft ale bar in the station. Brilliant. It closed early doors though.

Tour de Yorkshire in May.

No help at all but any opportunity to post this. 🙂

Surfing https://www.whitbysurf.co.uk

Old boy in the cafe with bino’s

One of the boat tours is worth doing, reasonably priced.

Had a good tapas meal with lots gin at a WW2 era themed place on the abbey side of the harbour. Bays to the north and south all worth a visit.

Surf, pub crawl, Bees, then Raw till four. Kip in a van in Beevers car park… Fun for all generations

Trenchers is better than the Magpie ( though the Magpie has better marketing ).

Surprised it’s no been mentioned more but the beach is a great for families – wide, flat and sandy. Less busy the further you go up towars Sandsend.

If RAw till four doesn’t work, here’s a couple of short fun walks…

Walk from Sandsend through Mulgrave estate woods to Mulgrave castle. Surprised this isn’t better known. Have luch in the big shed cafe or bridge bistro.

Clamber down to Port Mulgrave beach and explore the spooky surrounds. Find fossils and jet. Having checked tide times, walk under the cliffs to staithes (fantastic place, have tea and cakes at Dotty’s). Return to PMG along clifftops on the cleveland way and top up with tea and cakes at the fantastic tearooms.

Do Robin Hoods Bay when the tide is out you can then walk along the beach to Boggle Hole and have Coffee and cake at the YHA in the old mill there.

Go to Ravenscar and go down the cliff path(Not pram or small child friendly as its very steep) see the seal colony and fossil hunt at the bottom.

Love visiting Boggle Hole, and it’s where some of Dirt was filmed.

Trenchers doesn’t have the same menu choice as the magpie but is perhaps better for a big family meal.

Lots of great ideas – the only I would add (if anyone is up for it) would be a day/half day sea fishing (a full day gets you out to the wrecks and you will likely net bigger fish). I did it a while back and it was great fun – then go home to cook up the cod we caught 🙂

Walk down the beach to sandsend, I could quite happily spend the rest of my days there.

Walked to RHB from Whitby along the cliff tops, I loved, it. When we got to the pub at the end they surrounded us in caution signs as we formed puddles wherever we stopped. It was a might wet. On the odd occasion the view opened up it was lovely.

I stay at a friends in Aislaby, going for a run down to Sandsend and then walking the dogs on the beach is one of my favourite starts to a Saturday!

Further to the above there are often plays and the like at the Abbey which would be a great location though I’ve never actually made it to one.
Also date dependent they have a big 40s weekend at somepoint (sept/oct i think) in pickering and goathland*, accessible via the NYM railway, including ww2 reenactments complete (in the past) with tanks and things on the auction field.

*The “Germans” have congregated there for years but there were complaints last year (apparently) that there were folk in German (i think particularly SS) uniform so not sure quite what will happen this time

(Edit) wrap up warm too – it’s very chilly regardless of the weather when the wind picks up.

Ohh and if it’s on when you are there, go to see the WW2 mock battles at Peasholme Park in Scarborough – great fun for anyone interested in war and bombs and stuff. Linky

On one of our family holidays we went to yorkshire, and spent the day in and around Whitby.

Cracking fish and chips, some very good rock pooling (think it was robin hoods bay), a look at the steam trains, but we had our best ever day of crabbing off one of the jetties. I used two nets and one was full by the time I’d dropped and emptied the other. Took a small amount of time to fill the whole bucket

Use bucket style nets and chicken bones

You could try and find a parking space on a bank holiday, that should kill a few days 🙂