- See also Whitby
(disambiguation)
Whitby is a fishing port and tourist destination in North Yorkshire on the north-east coast of England. At this
point the coast curves round, so the town faces more north than east. It sits at the mouth of the River Esk and spreads up the steep sides of the
narrow valley carved out by the river's course.
The town has spread both inland and onto the west cliff, whilst the east cliff remains dominated by the ruins of Whitby Abbey and by Saint Mary's Church. It is quite a distance to reach the east
cliff by road, the alternative being to climb the 199 steps, which are famed enough that many who make the climb can be heard
counting on the way up. The west cliff has its own landmarks - a statue of Captain James Cook, who sailed from the town, and an arch of whalebone, in commemoration of the once large whaling industry.
One unusual feature of Whitby is the Dracula museum - a large portion of Bram Stoker's famous novel was set in Whitby, including Dracula's arrival in Britain,
on a ship washed ashore in the harbour. Lucy watches from the churchyard as the sun sets over the nearby headland of Kettleness, but doesn't know how many steps
she climbed to get there.
Whitby was the site of the Rohilla disaster of October 30, 1914; when the hospital ship Rohilla was sunk (either by running aground, or hitting a
mine; accounts differ) within sight of shore just off Whitby. Eighty-five people lost their lives in the disaster; most of them
are buried in the churchyard at Whitby.
Whitby also hosts the twice-yearly Whitby Gothic
Weekend, a festival for members of the goth subculture.
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