How to Be 50: Part III...

The Missus took me away to Whitby for the weekend for my 50th birthday. Here are some of the highlights with me in sort of travel writer journalist mode…

199 Steps & Church of St Mary

The 199 steps leading from Church Street up to the Church of St Mary offer breath-taking views of Whitby town and the harbor. The fact they also lead up to the church featured in Dracula make it a must-see attraction for lovers of the Bram Stoker novel. Fans can sit on the benches and look out to sea in the same way that Lucy Westerna does in the book when she chats to the old fishermen just before the Lord-of-the-Undead-carrying ship, Demeter, arrives.

The church itself is quite sweet and well worth a look inside, but the real attraction is the spooky cemetery with its graves of pirates and mariners, and the amazing scenes looking out from the East Cliff into the North Sea.

Whitby Abbey 

The Whitby Abbey complex has just had a reboot and it’s a truly inspiring place to while away two or three hours. 

The entrance, visitor centre and gift shop are all housed in a 17th century mansion. The visitor centre tells the story of the Abbey, which was founded in the seventh century and hosted the Synod of Whitby in 664AD. It then continues its tale through its reinvention as a Benedictine abbey founded after the Norman Conquest to its dissolution under Henry VIII and beyond. 

There’s also a first edition of the novel, Dracula, by Bram Stoker, in a display case at the end of the exhibition. 

But it’s the ruins of the abbey itself that are the real jaw-dropper. Perched on the edge of the East Cliff at Whitby, the imposing ruins are large in scale and still possess genuine beauty and grace. There’s also part of the ceiling still standing at one end, too. 

It’s an amazing place set in a stunning location. It’s utterly beautiful. And it’s less than £10 to get into if you’re an adult.

Whitby Brewery 

The Whitby Brewery does two things really well. 

First off, it brews really excellent beer. My favourite offering was the Whitby Jet Porter, which is smooth and rich with licorice and coffee flavours. The Saltwick Nab Ale is also a really lovely drink, with vanilla and malty tones, and the Whaler is eminently drinkable bitter with a sweet and citrus taste. 

Secondly, the brewery has a shop and a bar on site, so visitors can buy beer from the shop or the pump and chill out in either the indoors bar room or the exterior beer garden. As an added bonus, there are also regular folk music and other gigs on in the bar room. 

It’s an excellent place and it’s all housed a converted barn next door to Whitby Abbey. It’s well worth a visit. And the beer is excellent. And I am repeating this information because it is that good!

Whitby Museum 

We did a Whitby Ghost Walk with local tour guide Dr Crank and he told us several tales about the Hand of Glory, an enchanted tool for burglars made from the severed hand of a hanged man, a magic potion and a lit candle. He also explained how Whitby Museum in Pannett Park had one of the few remaining examples of this in its collection and he encouraged us to pay the place a visit. 

We’re glad we did because it’s a hidden gem among the many treasures that Whitby has to offer. The ground floor houses a great collection of fossils from the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods, plus sections on birds and mammals, textiles, Whitby jet, boat building and much more. The section on the town’s maritime history, James Cook and William Scoresby is fascinating. The Hand of Glory, meanwhile, remains a spooky sight. 

Admission for adults is £5 and that lasts for one calendar year. It’s amazingly good value. My advice: go and enjoy.

Whitby Walks

My Missus took me to Whitby for the Goth Weekend in April and we decided we wanted to do a ghost walk. Online research suggested Dr Crank provided the best of the local tours, so we rocked up at the Whalebone Arch outside the Royal Hotel at half seven… and it was excellent. 

Dr Crank met us, and the rest of the group, and he kept us entertained and informed for about an hour and a quarter. He took us down main roads, side streets and alleyways, and he regaled us with spooky tales about the genesis of Dracula, a horrifying hound, a creepy churchyard coach, bedeviled boozers and several spectres. He also included lots of quirky information about the history of Whitby, including a couple of macabre yarns about the Hand of Glory, an example of which resides at the local museum. 

Dr Crank was an entertaining, knowledgeable and fascinating guide. I loved the additional twist of why he decided to become a full-time tour guide. Sadly, you’ll have to do the tour to find that out. 

Even better, the tour cost £5. Ridiculously cheap for something this good!