Whoo hoo - was this a big day! And a fantastic day too. We were bound for Whitby, but on the way made a couple of stops.

First to Helmsley, a market town with a large central square. We were impressed by the floral decorations here. So many shops with flower baskets outside. It really seemed there was a lot of civic pride here.
 
We continued across the moors to Goathland, a town with notable film and television location history. This village was used as Adensfield in the television series Heartbeat. The railway station is also the Hogsmeade train in the Harry Potter films. So the town was busy with visitors, though it seemed the Heartbeat fans were in the majority. 
 
 
 
From here to Whitby, a gorgeous town on the mouth of the River Esk. On each side of the river, houses creep up the hill, while the lower areas are busy catering to the needs of the many tourists that flock here. The majority of cafes are 'fish and chip' joints. It seems the locals exist on little else. We had been recommended 'Magpies cafe', but even at 2pm there was a queue, so we had our fish in a cafe down the road.

Whitby also has some famous inhabitants from the past. Captain James Cook made his first sea journeys from here, and Bram Stoker's Dracula  is partly set in this area. Also found here is jet, a mineraloid which became famous for use in jewellery in the 19th century,

The town is attractive, with its hills on either side of the river, but Whitby Abbey, or the ruins of, I should say, add to the picturesque nature of the town. We climbed the hill to the Abbey and St Mary's church, but also walked along the cliffs to Whitby Sands, a long expanse of beach north of the river. It was a grey day, and I was surprised when the Life Guards were moving the flags on the beach. I asked if they expected anyone to swim, and they said 'yes', there had been someone earlier in the day. I just can't imagine swimming in that water on this day.
 
 
 
Back in the town, a line of tractors made a noisy entrance to the esplanade. This was the end of an annual charity run from Liverpool to Whitby and back, a total of 550 miles! A couple of guys were riding in a trailer, as their tractors had broken down but they wanted to do the whole trip. A bone shaking experience that would be.

On the way back we took in a couple more sights. Firstly Robin Hood's Bay, just a few kilometres south of Whitby. There is a very steep road down to the village, so we parked in the carpark and walked downhill to Old Bay, the oldest area of the village. This is where 'Coast to Coast' walkers finish their trip. We hadn't come that far, but took a drink at the pub overlooking the beach and took in the view.

And after this there was just a drive through Scarborough, a spa town and beach resort since the 1600s. Like many beachside towns in the UK, it has suffered a downturn after Britons discovered Spain, Majorca and similar places. But it still has some lovely old hotels alongside the fun parlours, and has a long waterfront that would make for some lovely walks.

So, all in all a very good day. And so back to York, and bed.