Whitby Travel Forum

Hi, I will be based in whitby for 6 months in 2005. I would like as much info about this area, what I should and shouldnt do, all that sort of thing. Im a virgin traveller and at this moment finding quite daunting, hopefully this will pass and excitement wil set in. Is the accent quite thick or will I be able to understand this fine? coming from Australia to Whitby in april should I pack heavy clothing or mddle or light? Thanks for your help. Cheers

G'day. Welcome to VT.
Depends where in Oz you're from. In Tassie you'd be used to the cold, in Cairns you wouldn't!
You'll be there Spring, Summer into early Autumn, so you shouldn't really need serious Winter clothing. Layers might be the answer, but make sure you have a waterproof coat. If you use the search box up there on the left it'll take you to VT members' pages on Whitby, where you'll get plenty of honest, unbiased advice and opinions about the place. It's actually a very nice little seaside town, full of history. Accent? Ever watched the gardening show on ABC? The presenter's accent is Yorkshire.

I agree with Colin's assessment. Definitely waterproofs -- you'll need them throughout your stay.

Whitby is a wonderful place. If your into sea fishing then you may be able to join the boats going out.

Captain Cook has some ties with \Whitby, there is a monument their about him.

There are some beautiful villages and countryside around Whitby. The television programme' Hearbeat' shows many scenes of Whitby and the surrounding area.

Whitby also has a good trian link to MIddlesborough.

There are also some very good pubs in Whitby serving good food and beer. And, of course, the fish and chips are something to die for!!

Have a great time, Pete

Whitby is a ggreat place full of history, Captain Cook and Dracula feature heavily here. Some great pages on VT here so have a peruse.
Nearby Scarborough is also worth a visit :-)
Have fun in the UK

Bear in mind its a very small town - the shops sell the essentials but you will need to go to Scarborough ( a hour on the bus) or Middlesbrough for really good shopping.
As everyone else says its a wonderful town in a great location. Can be very busy in the summer - one Sunday a few years ago we could not find any car parking anywhere in town and had to drive out without even stopping.

Me and my York husband went there for romantic weekends when we still lived in England so it has some very nice memories of picnics by the Cook monument etc. for us :)

The fish and chips are gorgeous (esp. at the Magpie) and yes Cook came there early on in life so you can visit his house. There are also links to the vikings and on Fylingdales Moors behind town (see pics on my North Yorks Moors page) there are wonderful old roman footpaths to trek along (just don't enter Ministry of Defense land - but it is usually signed). There is also the lovely but touristy village of Goathland which features in "Heartbeat" indeed, and where sheep sleep in the village green bus shelter :)

In Whitby you have trains north to Middlesborough which makes the Cleveland city dwellers go there a lot to party on weekends...hm...

There are also direct buses to historic York and on to Leeds if you need real shopping and clubbing for a weekend. Buses to Scarborough are frequent and that is also a nice town. In the middle, you will find gorgeous Robin Hood's Bay (see page).

I forgot...about the dialect...many words are Scandinavian (so my husband feels great here in Sweden) with words like bairn (child), kirk (church) and beck (stream).

It is also common to drop the "h" in the beginning of words - 'ave you seen 'im?

You can read a lot more here (click on North Riding to hear a local man):

http://www.yorksj.ac.uk/dialect/Index.htm

My family are from Robin Hoods Bay - just around the coast from Whitby, so i know the area well and i was brought up in Middlesborough.
As to weather and clothing, i would agree with the other writers except add that a pair of gloves, skarf and walking boots / strong shoes are a must. There is very little beach in that area of the coast so waliking on the rooks requires decent foot wear.
Try and get out to Robin Hoods Bay as it is very pretty and has a lot of charcter - try and stay a night in the Bay Hotel at the beginning of your stay before the tourists all arrive later in the summer.
You will also be on the edge of the north york moors and getting out and exploring them is a must.
York is also very close by and is great to have a walk around. As for the accents i wouldnt worry, most people in the North East of England have family living in Aus and it doesnt seem to be a problem. Dont forget that you are going somewhere that prides itself on the friendliness of the people. For example dont be surprised if when you are sat in a pub or on a bus someone comes over to sit and chat with you.
Have a great time and if you need any more info let me know.
Chris