The popular town of Whitby on the Yorkshire coast with the famous ruins of Whitby Abbey, on the cliffs left of centre.
Commentary.
Whitby is a popular seaside town on the Yorkshire Coast at the mouth of the River Esk.
As far back as the Middle Ages it had an established Herring and Whale fleet.
It is renowned as the town in which Captain Cook learned seamanship and where his exploration ship HMS Endeavour was built.
James Cook made three epic voyages to the western Pacific between 1768 and 1779, becoming, it is believed, the first European to chart the east coast of Australia and much of New Zealand.
Settlement in Whitby dates back to 656 A.D.
The first Monastery was destroyed during Viking raids in the 9th. Century.
The present Abbey ruins stand high on Whitby’s East Cliff as an unmissable landmark.
Its demise, like so many others, came as a result of
King Henry V111’s Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th. Century.
Whitby’s fishing fleets still exist but have declined in recent centuries.
The Whaling fleet has gone because of moral and ecological reasons.
The status quo came to see it as cruel and unnecessary.
Shipbuilding too, has greatly diminished, but boats do still cross the North Sea, trading with Scandinavia.
As with so many seaside locations around the British coast,
tourism began to grow following the coming of the railway in 1839.
Similarly to places like Royal Tunbridge Wells, Leamington Spa and Harrogate, the discovery of Chalybeate springs in the town encouraged wealthier families to benefit from the medicinal waters.
If it was good enough for Royalty, it was good enough for them.
Now, the town is a very popular holiday resort for day-trips, week-ends and longer holidays.
It could be seen as a good base to visit many valued locations in North and East Yorkshire.
However, the North York Moors to the west of the town
can be seen as a major physical barrier to getting there.
Thus, the local roads infrastructure needs developing, and this
can make the town feel remote and a tad inaccessible.
However, my visit this time, being in late evening, was well rewarded with a splendid sunset.
The popular town of Whitby on the Yorkshire coast with the famous ruins of Whitby Abbey, on the cliffs left of centre.
Commentary.
Whitby is a popular seaside town on the Yorkshire Coast at the mouth of the River Esk.
As far back as the Middle Ages it had an established Herring and Whale fleet.
It is renowned as the town in which Captain Cook learned seamanship and where his exploration ship HMS Endeavour was built.
James Cook made three epic voyages to the western Pacific between 1768 and 1779, becoming, it is believed, the first European to chart the east coast of Australia and much of New Zealand.
Settlement in Whitby dates back to 656 A.D.
The first Monastery was destroyed during Viking raids in the 9th. Century.
The present Abbey ruins stand high on Whitby’s East Cliff as an unmissable landmark.
Its demise, like so many others, came as a result of
King Henry V111’s Dissolution of the Monasteries in the 16th. Century.
Whitby’s fishing fleets still exist but have declined in recent centuries.
The Whaling fleet has gone because of moral and ecological reasons.
The status quo came to see it as cruel and unnecessary.
Shipbuilding too, has greatly diminished, but boats do still cross the North Sea, trading with Scandinavia.
As with so many seaside locations around the British coast,
tourism began to grow following the coming of the railway in 1839.
Similarly to places like Royal Tunbridge Wells, Leamington Spa and Harrogate, the discovery of Chalybeate springs in the town encouraged wealthier families to benefit from the medicinal waters.
If it was good enough for Royalty, it was good enough for them.
Now, the town is a very popular holiday resort for day-trips, week-ends and longer holidays.
It could be seen as a good base to visit many valued locations in North and East Yorkshire.
However, the North York Moors to the west of the town
can be seen as a major physical barrier to getting there.
Thus, the local roads infrastructure needs developing, and this
can make the town feel remote and a tad inaccessible.
However, my visit this time, being in late evening, was well rewarded with a splendid sunset.