What a lovely place. Nestled in the valley where the River Esk meets the sea the natural harbour has drawn fishermen, whalers and sealers and seafarers for years. But my prime reason for being here was to see what more I could find out about Captain James Cook RN.
I have spent 45 years travelling the worlds oceans. I have visited many of the places that Cook did from the NW passage over Canada to Antarctica, from French Polynesia down to Australia, Tasmania and New Zealand. I have found some of the passages quite tough on the cargo ships I sailed on and back in the 80s before satellite navigation is so everyday as it is now we used sextants to find our way across the globe. But nothing can compare to what Cook and his expedition teams endured. I have read all his log entries and it is fascinating stuff.
The resident seagull sat on Cooks head refused to leave for a photo. The monument has a commanding view out to sea, standing in Peoples Park on Westcliff. More info here.
What I did not know was that his ships were built in Whitby. I had no idea of the scale of shipbuilding in this port. More here. One of the plaques at the foot of the monument says this:
I also did not know until today how much sea time Cook accrued as an apprentice sailing on colliers out of here to Newcastle and afield. It was at this time he became familiar with the different ships being built in Whitby.
How to absorb all this knowledge? Why ponder it whilst having a Fish and Chip with Prosecco afternoon tea at Hetty And Betties Ballroom. A delightful place. Who knew such an afternoon tea even existed, complete with mushy peas! Not sure if you put them in the scone or with the fish 😁.
The town clearly was one of wealth. Large Georgian town houses line the roads running down into the town. Now mainly guest houses, in their heyday they were magnificent. Bagdale Hall, a Tudor building dating back to 1516 stands proudly at the bottom of Bagdale just as you enter the town. Now a hotel and restaurant it is assured of a future.
The afternoon drizzle descended so we returned to the motorhome. What a wonderful day. I loved Whitby. I love any harbour with a story to tell. Whitby has many still to be uncovered. This is a place worth visiting. Yes there is some tat on the north side. Amusement arcades that are the scourge of many and English seaside town are to be found here too. But keep away from those and the town has plenty to offer.
Tomorrow we drive home and my last entry for this road trip will be a summary of life in a motorhome with my wife and our dog travelling through Ireland, Scotland and England. What we liked. What we did not like and what we would do different if we ever did this again.
Todays distance: nothing by van but around 5 miles on foot.
Woodend Wanderer 