Clock this!

Another view from a terrace above Blackburn's Yard, off Church Street. The clock belongs to Whitby's old town hall. Non-native speakers might be interested in the title, which is, or used to be, slang for Look at this!

Galatea

Just a few hundred yards from yesterday's picture, the lighthouse itself with what is now a holiday cottage alongside. The brochure reassures potential visitors by informing them that there is no functioning foghorn on site. For more photos of the site and of the interior, click on the title. Galatea, she who is milky white, is the classical name chosen by Trinity House for the cottage.

Red, white and blue

Another view taken on a circular walk to and from Whitby taking in the cliff path. This is just before the turning point by the lighthouse itself. The conveniently passing tanker enhances this shot nicely.

Larger than life

She's looking at what you see reflected in this Church Street shop window on the east side of Whitby. 

Low tide

Taken from the swing bridge this shows Whitby west harbourside on a cold autumn Saturday morning. An enlargement only just reveals the whalebone arch and the Cook statue top centre. The high grassy area is known locally as Spion Kop after a Boer War battle in which the British came off quite badly. It overlooks the equally inappropriately-named Khyber Pass.

Whitby Gothic beauty

The cliff walkers we saw a few posts ago were eventually rewarded with this view of Whitby Abbey silhouetted against lovely evening pastels. The fortuitous band of cloud adds to the effect, setting off the gradually fading blue of the sky to produce another version of a classic North Yorkshire picture. Click on the title for the history and more photos.

Seen from the Donkey Path

The outer harbour viewed from the east-side Donkey Path. The huge wall on the right retains the 199 steps leading to St Mary's church and Whitby abbey. An enlargement will show that the mid-autumn chill does not deter tourists from visiting this popular resort.

To buy a fat pig?

Not in Whitby market! The title line is from a children's rhyme:

To market, to market to buy a fat pig!

Home again, home again, jiggety jig!

There are stalls under the old town hall too, and sometimes buskers (street musicians).

Shepherd's Purse cottages

Delightful Whitby holiday accommodation in Sanders Yard, off Church Street on the east side of the River Esk. 

What goes up …

must come down, and here we are at the bottom of the 199 steps which lead to and from St Mary's Church and Whitby abbey. Church Street is straight ahead and immediately left; Henrietta Street, famous  for Fortune's kipper-smoking shed, is to the right. There are not too many tourists this early in the morning, but in a couple of hours it will be weaving rather than walking through the town.

Pincer movement

Returning walkers along the cliff path are rewarded with this view of Whitby pier extensions jutting out into the North Sea, with Sandsend Nab in the distance. 

I've never seen a barn dance …

but I have seen a housefly. An autumn mid-afternoon shot of an agricultural storage building with typical external steps leading to what would have probably been the hayloft. This is a couple of miles out of Whitby, heading for the lighthouse and cliff path for the return journey.

Overlooked

A Ropery chimney stack on Whitby's east side overlooks the inner marina and the Coop superstore below Fishburn Park. 

Tea or toast?

Shop signs on Whitby's Church Street give you a choice of liquid refreshment. 

Last leg …

for a party of walkers returning to Whitby along the popular cliff path. They will soon be rewarded with views of the abbey silhouetted against the autumn sky, and of the piers jutting out into the darkening sea.

Whitby bags …

at Venus Trading on Sandgate. There used to be a shop unfortunately, or perhaps deliberately, named Whitby Bags. A bag is slang for an unattractive teenage girl, referring more to character than to appearance. For a lovely view of the harbour side of Sandgate, go here.

What we did on our holidays …

well, on our church weekend away. The title reference is to Fairport Convention's second album, and while holidays does not really convey the idea of a mini-conference, there was time for a 5-mile country walk, returning along the cliff-tops, and some exploration of the old town. Our speaker was Tim Davies of Christ Church Central, Sheffield which describes itself as a church for people who don't go to church.

The youth hostel, pictured above, was a brilliant venue, right next to the iconic Whitby Abbey at the top of the famous 199 steps. The accommodation was comfortable and the service very good. 

A little Whitby night view

A first excursion into night-time photography which demonstrates how difficult it is to keep the camera steady without a tripod . This is Whitby from the east side, near the bottom of the 199 steps and looking over the harbour. It's no wonder it's such a popular destination; the town itself has many attractions and then there is so much to see and do nearby: Scarborough, Robin Hoods Bay,  Goathland for Heartbeat and Harry Potter fans, the North Yorkshire Moors centre at Danby, great walking, the Roman road, Pickering - endless!

But every silver lining has a dark cloud: the popularity of the town has led to a rise in house prices in recent years as the demand for holiday lets has intensified, making it difficult for local first-time buyers to get onto the property ladder.

Whitby, 199: The First Step

The Hundred and Ninety-Nine Steps

Blackburn's Yard 3

We've been to Blackburn's Yard before. This is the Church Street entrance;  take it as an alternative route via the Donkey Path to St Mary's church and Whitby abbey. Just inside the yard is Wash House Pottery  views of which are to be had here. These yards are a feature of old Whitby both on the east and west side of the River Esk harbour and there are cottages to rent in many of them. 

Esk Valley Walk: Ten Linking Walks from Westerdale to Whitby

Trillos of Whitby

Trillo? Not a Yorkshire name, you might say, and you would be right - and wrong. Neil Trillo is one of the third generation of an Italian family who arrived in Britain in 1912, so he is Yorkshire born and bred, but justly proud of his roots. Service is friendly and personal, and Neil engages easily with customers young and old.  We caught him on the last day of the season, at least for this location by Whitby Abbey and Youth Hostel. Down in the town, his Full of Beans kiosk at the bottom of Khyber Pass serves quality coffee at reasonable prices. For more information and photographs, go to Off the Beaten Track. Go here for a 360º view of Whitby from Spion Kop.

Bucolic beauty, Whitby

A beautiful autumn scene just out of Whitby, with dramatic sky and lengthening shadows. This is yet another Martin Ashburner composition; the juxtaposition of the shed, hedge and shadow pull it together, and the contrast of dark sky and sunlit meadow is very atmospheric. 

Walks on the North York Moors: Bk. 2: An Illustrated Guide to Thirty Walks of Outstanding Beauty and Interest (Jack Keighley's Northern England)

Walking to Crosses to the North York Moors (Lonely Planet Walking Guide)

Frank Meadow Sutcliffe, Hon. F.R.P.S: Whitby and its people as seen by one of the founders of the naturalistic movement in photography : a second selection of his work

Autumnal River Esk

Another Martin Ashburner contribution, this time of the River Esk just out of Whitby. To make further acquaintance with this delightful river and its descent from the heights of the North York Moors, visit Doc and Molly Brown's wonderful site. Phil Brown taught chemistry at Whitby Community College, whilst Molly taught in the primary sector.

Steamed up in Whitby

This engine hardly needs any commentary, except to say that steam trains were reinstated on the Whitby to Middlesbrough line a few years ago, to the delight of local enthusiasts as well as tourists. I don't know if this train has done the whole journey or only the Grosmont to Whitby run. 

If you have never visited the North York Moors Railway site, don't miss this opportunity, but don't reach for your pens when you come to the Levisham entry; I've already informed them about the who's / whose typo.

This is one of several Martin Ashburner photographs he sent this evening; it was difficult to choose which one to post, so the criteria were to be able to see something of the town and to have some steam.