York Travel Forum

Hello,

I'm getting crazy with Traveline Journey Planner trying to plan the best and easier way to travel between Durham, Whitby and York.

The trip will be on a late November weekend. Me and my boyfriend we'll arrive on Saturday evening at Newcastle airport. The plan is to spend the night in Durham, a quick tour of the town on Sunday morning and then moving to Whitby and York (spending one night in each place) before catching the flight back at Newcastle airport on Tuesday evening.

The problem is the Durham - Whitby - York part of the journey.
I can't figure out if it's better to travel from Durham to York by train and then take the Yorkshire Coastliner bus to Whitby
or
take the bus from Durham to Middlesbrough and then another bus to Whitby (this second options would be on a Sunday, so no way to take the Esk valley train!).

Both options seem to take a long journey time, like spending around 3 hours on the means of transports...should we rent a car instead? I have no idea!

Thanks in advance!

I visited these three places two years ago and chose York to be my base. From York to Durham there is a very good train service with the added advantage of getting a wonderful view of Durham when entering the station. Make sure you sit on the right side in travel direction to see it.
I went back to York in the evening and took the coast liner coach to Whitby the next day.
Of course I could easily have spend more time in each place, but by making York my base I didn't have to carry my bags around, plus the service - train and coach - seemed to be much better from York.
However,coming from Newcastle this would mean passing through Durham on your way to York, but I'd still choose York as my base.

Yes Whitby to York does take quite some time but a lot of it is spent on the North York Moors National Park with its breathtaking scenery so there you won't be bored. It's only Malton-York which is more boring and then you're almost there. I haven't done the M'boro-Whitby leg by bus. I guess that too has some quite scenic stretches. The advantages with going by bus is that they are often double deckers so you get a grand view of the moors. The disadvantage is that some drive like maniacs up and down the dales! It all depends on the driver and tightness of schedule and seems to have got worse in later years. The advantage with a car is of course that you go whenever you want and can make brief stops in Thornton-le-Dale and other nice places without having to wait for yet another bus departure.

Thank you Christine!

As you suggest make York the base for the whole trip would be easier.
But I forgot to add that the first night we have to stay in Durham anyway 'cause we will probably miss the last train to York, scheduled at 20.46.
We can make York our base for the two nights left and from there move to Whitby.

Thanks for the advice!

Tack Sjalen!
(Think I got an answer from you about Stockholm a couple of years ago. Then I spent there 6 months and keep going there as soon as I can...it's my favourite city, I love it!)
About York, thanks for the advice. Travelling through the Park to Whitby sounds wonderful!

Haha, yes Stockholm is a lovely city, if a bit stressful. I'd love to live there again but I like my job too much to leave the south now...Having said that, I wouldn't mind living in York again either. It's a great city with lots to see and do.

I would rent a car and collect it at the airport.[check the web sites]with your first night in Durham, I would then travel to York and then on to Whitby on the way to Whitby I would try and visit Scarborough,Bridlington and also Robin Hoods Bay.Your time is very short,so I would make the most of it.
Have a good trip.

Much as I like Scarborough, I would not spend such a short weekend on it. It just isn't as cosy as Whitby and as scenic as the moors. But the castle is of course always interesting and with great views. Robin Hood's Bay however is indeed a wonderful place and very close to Whitby. Some steep hills to get there if you're driving! :)

What about Durham on Sunday morning - then to York by train on Sunday afternoon and stay there Sunday night. Then on Monday morning York to Scarborough and a bus to Whitby from Scarborough - the buses are reasonably frequent I think (I could check if you want me to)and its less than an hour on the bus. Monday night in Whitby and then on Tuesday a train from Whitby to Middlesbrough ( a very scenic ride) and then Middlesbrough to Newcastle ( if there was anytime you could see a bit of Newcastle)before flying home. That way there is only one short bus ride (Scarborough to Whitby).
All the places mentioned have great VT pages and you will glean a lot from these pages.
Don't drive unless you feel comfortable driving here and bear in mind it will be dark at 17:00.

We have a lot of options now, thanks everybody for the great help!
I will compare all the timetables to figure out which plan is more suitable to our short time. The way back from Whitby to Middlesbrough on the train sounds interesting, I read somewhere is one of the most scenic railway route in England.
Thanks again!