North Yorkshire: From Coast to City 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Eee-by-gum, North Yorkshire will welcome you with open arms and warm northern hospitality! In fact, it is the largest county in England by area and calls itself ‘God’s Own Country’! Nowt quite like blowing one’s own trumpet don’t tha know.

Here’s a look at two of the main highlights when visiting North Yorkshire – Whitby and York.

Whitby

Forget Filey, Staithes and even Scarborough – Whitby is the seaside town to visit when you’re in North Yorkshire. At least, it is in my opinion.

Whitby is a quaint, coastal fishing village with character and charm by the bucket (and spade) load! Famed for its association with Bram Stoker’s Dracula and the best award-winning fish and chips the Yorkshire folk have to offer, it’s reet grand!

Yorkshire speak: Lads n’ lasses in Yorkshire have their own unique language which can be both challenging at first encounter and endearing in equal measure. ‘Reet grand’ simply means fantastic, wonderful, amazing!

Now let me start by telling you about the two personalities to Whitby, as I see it. To me, it feels as though the town is split into two distinctive parts, linked by a beach and a small swing bridge. One side is packed full of fun amusement arcades and shops selling rock and candy floss, with the famous Magpie Cafe and chip shops galore. A real ‘day at the seaside’ feel.

Across the swing bridge, you’ll find an altogether entirely different side to Whitby, with not an amusement arcade in sight. Here you’ll find narrow, cobbled streets and ginnels (alleyways) offering high quality gift shops, cosy cafes, jewellers selling famous ‘Whitby jet’ and the ‘Lucky Duck’ shop….to name just a few. This part of Whitby has maintained more of its original 18th-century character.

Whilst on this side of the bridge – and if you’re feeling energetic – it’s well worth climbing the 199 steps up to the Church of St. Mary, accessible from Church Street. This is a tourist attraction all of its own, given the promised panoramic views of Whitby from up high.

Once at the peak of the 199 steps and just behind the church, sits one of Yorkshire’s most visited attractions – the gothic and domineering Whitby Abbey ruins. Add some mizzle to the mix and it becomes even more atmospheric!

Yorkshire speak: Mizzle = fine mist and drizzle.

The Abbey was the inspiration for Bram Stokers ‘Dracula’ back in 1897, when during a stay in the town, Stoker was overawed by the dramatic cliff tops and the bats circling the Abbey. There began the story of the world’s most famous vampire. As such, Whitby has since become something of a goths playground and even plays host to a ‘Goth Weekend’ annually.

As an English Heritage site, you can visit Whitby Abbey for a small fee (or free if you’re a member) and see the ruins up close for yourself. There’s also a rather large gift shop and cafe on the site, so why not take the opportunity to enjoy something ‘bloody’ tasty in the picnic garden, with picture-postcard harbour views below?

Hop back across the swing bridge to the ‘seaside side’ (as I’ll call it) and you’ll find West Beach with its golden sands and rock pools that stretch for miles, surrounded by crashing waves and a sheer cliff face above. Depending upon what time of year you visit, you may well be lucky enough to have the beach almost to yourself. Come the summer months, however, you’ll need to be prepared to share the sand with other holiday-makers, day-trippers and donkeys. A word of warning if you are taking your canine family member, though – dogs are not allowed on the beach during the spring and summer months.

From beach huts for hire and a pier feeding out into the sea, Whitby is the epitome of the Great British Seaside! If reet lucky, you’ll also get to witness an amazing sunset in Whitby too.

Tip: Any trip to Whitby would not be complete without sampling one of the local delicacies – something you’ll struggle to find anywhere outside of Yorkshire – the ‘Lemon Top’. This cheeky number is essentially a Mr Whippy topped with a generous swirl of lemon sherbet sorbet. Quite frankly, it’s enough to turn the head of any ice cream connoisseur!

Before you leave West Cliff, there is one particular tourist attraction (and selfie hotspot) that must be seen – a huge 20 foot whalebone arch that commemorates the Whitby whaling industry in the 18th and 19th centuries. Not wishing to spoil the fun here but this is not the original arch – in fact it is the third – with the most recent having been brought across from Alaska. The reason behind the first two going? They fell victim to extreme weathering from storms. Also in this area is a Captain James Cook monument in remembrance of the famous English explorer and navigator of the seas, who lived in Whitby.

Now onto the scran (food). There are plenty of lovely restaurants to be found in Whitby, many specialising in fresh seafood from the catch that morning. You can’t go wrong with the famous ‘Magpie Cafe’ that I mentioned earlier (I can recommend the salmon and haddock gratin). Be aware, however, that the queues are gigantic for The Magpie no matter when you go – so be sure to book a table in advance to save being disappointed! If you can’t get a table, fear not – they also have a takeaway fish and chip shop next door too – just watch out for the dive-bombing seagulls!

Just a few doors down from the Magpie, the Marine serves up a lobster lovers’ dream! The cocktails (alcoholic, not prawn variety) are also pretty spectacular there if you find yourself nettled! The lunch time special is really good value and you get top harbour-side views too.

Yorkshire speak: Nettled = thirsty/ gasping/ will die if don’t get a drink.

There’s no denying that Whitby is great if you love seafood, but if your tastebuds prefer something different, you can be sure you’ll still find it without problem. I particularly loved a little 1940s themed restaurant called ‘The Blitz’ on Church Street, which served up tasty tapas and a super sangria!

If you’re planning more than just a day-trip to Whitby, you’ll find plenty of options for accommodation. Over the years, we have stayed in town houses, guest houses and cottages – all of them fantastic. A particular favourite of mine was a townhouse called Coral Cottage (view on Sykes Cottages), right in the centre of the town and with all the amenities needed. It also had a spacious rooftop terrace to take in views of the Abbey. If you’re a small family of four (or two couples, as we were) this is the perfect sized accommodation. As an added bonus, the rental also included one car parking space which saved on expensive parking costs.

Tip: Whilst in Whitby, you should really make the five mile trip down the road to Robin Hoods Bay! This is easy to reach by car, bus or even on foot, if you’re a keen walker! Why? Well because it’s just so pretty! It’s not as big as Whitby – far from it – but it has a handful of cute shops, cafes and pubs, as well as a huge stretch of sand that is renowned by fossil hunters as being one of the best! 👇🏻

York

I’ve visited York on countless occasions over the years as it’s just a mere hour and a half from my home in Manchester and one of our favourite places to spend a weekend away.

Nestled where the Rivers Foss and Ouse meet, York is the medieval heart North Yorkshire – and one of England’s most visited cities. It really only takes just one visit to see why as it’s bursting with character and elegance. Undoubtedly the most iconic building in York is the 7th-century Minster Cathedral, which dominates the city and remains as a church to this day. Nobody really mentions York without mentioning the Minster in the same sentence.

Quick history lesson: The Romans founded York and its surrounding areas in around 71 AD and it became the military capital of Northern Britain. They called it Eboracum, meaning ‘place of the yew trees’. There – some trivia for your next pub quiz. As civilians came to Eboracum over the years, it developed into a colony before declining around 400 AD due to unkempt roads, abandoned buildings and a lessening population. I’m not a historian so I’ll canter past the Anglo-Saxon years and go straight to the Vikings in the late 800 AD. Vikings are more exciting. Fighters by nature, this new army of horned warriors captured York. From then on it was as known as Jorvik and became the Viking Capital of England – and the rest, as they say, is history.

Viking history is still very prevalent in York, with Norse-derived street names like Coppergate, Stonegate and Micklegate and the popular Jorvik Centre, which is open all year round.

You can also walk around the city walls which follow the line of the original Roman walls too. In fact, almost everywhere in York is full of medieval streets – ‘The Shambles’ being one of the oldest. Originally called ‘Fleshammels’ – an Anglo-Saxon term meaning ‘Street of the Butchers’. In fact, back in the 1860s, the streets housed 26 butcher shops – all long gone now.

Today, The Shambles is perhaps the most enjoyed part of the city and the place where many visitors head for first (or at least, after seeing the Minister).

You don’t even need to go looking for The Shambles because all of the sudden, oh there it is! Spot the nobbly-bobbly cobbles and wonky timber framed buildings and you know you’ve arrived. Here you will find a whole host of independent shops selling all sorts of delights – from homemade fudge, to traditional teddy bears, old fashioned antiques and quirky beer shops. Down the hidden snickets (alleyways) lie tantalising tea rooms and come-hither cafes, enticing you in.

It’s also of little wonder that Harry Potter fans – young and old – flock to The Shambles given its partial-resemblance to ‘Diagon Alley’. Of course, York capitalises upon this and it doesn’t take a great deal of effort to bag yourself a wand at ‘World of Wizardry’, a broomstick at ‘The Boy Wizard’ or something magical and mystical at ‘The Shop That Must Not Be Named’. For die-hard muggles, ‘Potions Cauldron’ even has a ‘Wizard Experience Room’ where a ‘master wizard’ will guide you through the art of making potions (no goblins permitted, as per sign on the door).

As well as the goblins and wizards are the ghosts, too! York is said to be England’s most haunted city and according to some, may even be the most haunted city in Europe! Fair to say, it has had its share of ghastly goings on, due to the city’s history of violence, gore and torture during the reign of the Romans and the Vikings. So it makes sense that there may be a few bad-tempered boggarts in residence – right?

Yorkshire speak: Boggart = mischievous ghost or spirit.

From nuns that reportedly haunt backstage at the royal theatre, to Roman soldiers who are said to roam pub cellars and Vikings who walk the walls in the dead of night – there are apparently over 500 gruesome hauntings in the city! Again, capitalising upon this, it goes without saying that York has a ghost tour or two on offer to all eagle-eyed Egon Spengler’s.

I can’t say that I’ve ever been tempted onto a ghost tour myself, but I’ve supped many a drink the most haunted pubs in York, such as the Guy Fawkes pub on High Petergate, just a stones throw from the Minster. It is said to be haunted by the main man himself, who was born there in 1570. Dark, dingy and lit only by candlelight, it’s my favourite pub in the city, by far. If you get a seat, you can consider yourself quite lucky – it’s that popular! If you don’t get a seat, there are more drinking holes where the spirits aren’t just the ones behind the bar, including the Golden Fleece, the Red Lion, the Snickleway Inn and the Lamb and Lion.

Yorkshire speak: To ‘sup’ means to have a drink and is referenced in this well known ‘Yorkshireman’s motto’: ‘Ear all, see all, say nowt. Eat all, sup all, pay nowt’ – which translates as ‘hear everything, see everything, say nothing. Eat everything, drink everything, pay nothing”.

Ask anyone what the next most iconic York landmark is after the Minster and The Shambles – and they’ll tell you it’s Cliffords Tower. This is now all that remains of York Castle. You’ll spot this stone tower perched high on a grassed mound on the city’s edge and for a small sum, can climb the steps up to the castle ruins. Here guarantees the best views across the city. It’s a fairly interesting site to spend a short some time exploring, too, as it used to be a prison and a royal mint. A word of advice, if you’re unsteady on your feet or you suffer with vertigo, it’s probably not for you – the stairways are pretty steep!

Now to the really important stuff. Where the bloomin’ eck do you get a decent brew and a slice of cake?

Yorkshire speak: Brew is cup of tea – and ‘Yorkshire Tea’ is favoured. In fact, ask for anything else and you’ll nark folk. Annoy them).

The most well renowned dining experience in York is undoubtedly Betty’s Tea Room, which has been tickling the tastebuds since the 1930’s. I speak from experience when I say that Betty’s Afternoon Tea is a very worthwhile treat for anyone with a sweet tooth! A little like Whitby’s ‘Magpie Cafe’ that I mentioned earlier, Betty’s also gets seriously busy – so be sure to book ahead well in advance because the queues go all around the building.

If you’re put off by queues that resemble something at a theme park, you can still pick up a cake or ten from their takeaway cafe on Stonegate. And if even that’s too busy, worry not, because York probably has almost as many tea rooms dotted around the city as it does ghosts. Almost.

York is not just a place for cake connoisseurs, historians and ghost-hunters though – it’s pretty good for shopaholics too. Aside from the small, independent shops you will find in The Shambles, you will also find some of the most popular high street stores in York, including Boots, Pandora, Primark, Office and JD Sports. York also has a Fenwicks department store if you want something a little more high end.

After a day shopping, ghost hunting, walking the walls and indulging one’s self with a Fat Rascal (a Yorkshire cake!) it could be argued that there’s little better than a meander along the River Ouse on a sunny day, ice cream in hand. Who needs the French Riviera? As well as seeing the local Yorkshire folk enjoying a cycle or a jog, you will see York Millennium Bridge, Rowntree Park and Tower Gardens along the route. If a river cruise appeals more than a river walk, York has that too. Of course it does!

Cold, not sunny? Best advice – bed down in one of the pubs, pint in hand in front of a roaring fire.

Last but not least, if your visit to York is going to last longer than just a day, you’ll need to know where to stay. Lucky for you, I’ve tried lots of hotels, apartments and guesthouses in York over the years! Favourites include what was Marmadukes Boutique Hotel (now called Clementines) on St Peter’s Grove and what was The Blue Bicycle ‘Blue Rooms’ (now Franklins apartments). The former is a short 5-10 minute stroll from the centre of York but with that comes the benefit of free parking. The latter is slap bang in the city centre and the apartments are stunning and spacious – perfect for a longer stay.

Before I go, it would be remiss of me not to mention my very favourite York restaurant – Rustique – on Castlegate. Without fail, every trip to York involves a dinner at Rustique, which not only serves delicious French food at very reasonable prices, but has a lovely warming atmosphere, with lots of old wooden tables, stained glass and flamboyant decor.

Reet champion!

As I see more of North Yorkshire, I’ll be sure to update this blog. In the meantime, if you have any tips of your own, please share them below 👇🏻