Whitby…

Tuesday 18

Today in Whitby, home of the Whitby collier, Captain Cook’s apprenticeship, dramatic abbey ruins, fishing boats, smoked kippers, Whitby jet jewellery and a wonderful, embracing harbour. Whitby is bounded by the North Yorkshire Moors and the sea – which makes it, at least in times past, particularly inaccessible. I came here first in 2010 and loved it.

After breakfast we packed the car, left it in the long stay park up near the abbey and came back down the 199 steps to the waterfront.

We wandered, enjoying the houses, the people, the dogs, the boats – though not as the morning went on, the increasing crowds. We went out to the harbour moles and walked along to the end, also up the tower at the very end of one mole for an even more extensive view. It was a balmy day but the wind was very blustery. Didn’t feel it would take much more to blow us off the jetty. The construction and appearance of the moles is remarkable. Reminds me of the Doris Lusk paintings of the jetty near Collingwood (which was what first really sparked my fascination with derelict jetties…).

We called in to the Lifeboat Museum which had so impressed me in 2010. One of the best small museums I have seen and very moving. Then lunch away from the tourist traffic and a sit on the waterfront, Russ painting and me writing. The painting tends to attract interest and then conversation, so in fact not much painting gets done! Everywhere (Wales, Scotland, England) we have found locals very willing to chat, once the ice has been broken. English reserve? Nah.

Evening, a remove to the other side of the harbour and an AirB&B stay with Hazel who lives in one of the tall, skinny, Victorian? Houses up on West Cliff, probably built for a sea captain. Hazel, an interesting woman who had worked in mental health pre-retirement. We found a very lively, interesting street just round the corner to which we returned the following morning for a proper, genteel morning tea (with an eccles cake for me) at Bothams.