daytrip to whitby

---

We where again blessed with fine weather as we headed off to Whitby.

Whitby was founded under its Old English name of Streonshal in 656, when Oswy, the Christian king of Northumbria, founded Whitby Abbey, under its first abbess Hilda. The Synod of Whitby was held here in 664. In 867, the monastery was destroyed by Viking raiders, and was only refounded in 1078. It was in this period that the town gained its current name, Whitby, (from "white settlement" in Old Norse). In the 18th century Whitby became a centre for shipbuilding and whaling, as well as trade in alum and jet.

Tourism and fishing now form the mainstay of the town's economy. There are rail and bus links to the rest of North Yorkshire and North East England. Whitby has featured in literary works, television and cinema; most famously in Bram Stoker's novel, Dracula.
The Stone wall piers at Whitby have been in existence since 1632 when they replaced the old wooden piers that used to protect the harbour entrance. The new wooden extensions which now give extra protection to Whitby harbour were added in 1913.

Another tourist attraction here is a steam bus . It cost over £20000 a per year in coal to run the bloody thing and it only does a short lap of the town.

---