We picked a beautiful day in January to visit the East coast of Yorkshire. We haven’t been out much since the start of the pandemic so it was nice to blow away the cobwebs.
I have been to Whitby a few times before but it has never been this quiet! Going off season meant that some of the shops and cafes were closed, but it also meant fewer visitors.
One thing we noticed is that Whitby is really dog friendly! We didn’t take our pooch but I wish we had because she would have been in good company.
We parked near the harbour and walked across the bridge into the main shopping area. The steep cobbled street hosts lots of independent shops and cafes and is a good place to buy jewellery made from local jet.
Whitby is famous for fish and chips and it was easy to find a gluten-free version but we decided to have a lighter option and stopped for lunch at Crumbs n Cobbles. I had a tasty jacket potato with a nice cup of tea!
We then climbed the steps up to St Mary’s Church and Whitby Abbey. Whitby was the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula and standing in the churchyard, you can see why!
Looking in the opposite direction, you get some lovely views of the harbour and the cliffs.
We then drove a few miles further down the coast to Robin Hood’s Bay. This is a lovely village on a steep hill and we had the place almost to ourselves!
Diary of a middle-aged backpacker 