Whitby, North Yorkshire

Whitby is a traditional seaside fishing town on the North Yorkshire Heritage Coast

Whitby is a historic town in North Yorkshire on the north-east coast of England. Nowadays it is a fishing port and tourist destination. It is situated at the mouth of the River Esk and spreads up the steep sides of the narrow valley carved out by the river's course. At this point the coast curves round, so the town faces more north than east.

Many interesting fossils have been found in the Whitby area including entire skeletons of pterodactyls. Whitby is known for its well preserved ammonite fossils, which can sometimes be found on the seashore, or purchased from any number of stalls or shops in town.

The town is served by Whitby railway station which forms the terminus of the Esk Valley Line from Middlesbrough, formerly the northern terminus of the Whitby, Pickering and York line. Whitby is also served by the Yorkshire Coastliner bus line, which can take travellers to and from Leeds, Tadcaster, York, Scarborough, Bridlington, Pickering, Malton and many more towns in the Yorkshire area.

The town was awarded "Best Seaside Resort 2006", by Which? Holiday magazine.

Whitby also boasts a fish market, with the freshest, highest quality fish available anywhere. There are also many proper English "chippies" (fish and chip shops) in Whitby, serving up some of the UK's finest traditional fare.

Whitby Regatta occurs once a year for three days in August. Originally a local rowing competition, over the years it has expanded to include events such as a fair on the pier, police dog demonstrations, fireworks and military displays - including the spectacle of the Red Arrows.

Each year, on the eve of Ascension Day the Penny Hedge ceremony is performed.

For at least the last two decades the town has hosted the Whitby Folk Week, which currently includes around 600 different events in various venues.

Whitby also hosts the bi-annual Whitby Gothic Weekend, a festival for members of the goth subculture.

The town has played host to Musicport, an annual world music festival, since the late nineties.

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