Day 1
We arrived at Manchester airport right on time, met a campers flight from France without any problems, connected with our driver, and by 10am, we were on the road, crossing from Manchester in the West to the gorgeous seaside town of Whitby with its 800 years of heritage, on the East coast. We dropped our bags at the hostel – which is literally steps from the 6th century abbey ruins – and headed down a pathway to town, taking in wonderful views of the river Esk all the way. Then, it being lunchtime, we bought fish n chips and ate them on the beach while donkeys wandered up and down with children on their backs.
Our afternoon continued with a walk up through the town, taking in the 12th century streets and smugglers’ haunts, as we headed for Pannet Park, where we spent an hour browsing the art gallery and museum. The exhibits were arranged in 19th century wooden display cabinets, and included dinosaur bones – and an entire Ichthyosaurus – found on the beach nearby. Everyone found something to fascinate them, whether it was the chess set carved from Whitby Jet, the ornate shops in bottles, the many fossils, or the creepy-looking Punch ‘n’ Judy puppets.
We ended the tour of Whitby with a couple hours free time, exploring the town’s gift shops, buying dinner, watching children crabbing by the harbour wall, enjoying a display by Morris Dancers and seeing the heritage swing bridge in action. Finally, we walked the 199 steps back up to our accommodations, taking in St. Mary’s church with its many Dracula associations, before giving in to jet lag and heading off to bed.
Day 2
Today was spectacular! After a hearty English breakfast, we hiked past the abbey and along the coastal path to Robin Hood’s Bay, 6 miles to the south. We found a lovely beach to wander around on the way, and had a detour adventure when one member of our group lost both soles on her hiking boots – which were brand new! The caretaker of a caravan site fixed them as best he could with construction tape, and we were on our way again. The views were glorious – out to sea, past rugged cliffs to our left, and over rolling fields to our right. Occasionally, the pathway would dip down into a bay, where we would find ourselves in the cool of a small woodland, crossing a bubbling stream via stepping stones. It was a dry, warm day and the pathway wasn’t muddy at all – with the exception of one place. Three of us slipped and ended up in the mud!
Robin Hood’s Bay is a beautiful little village, with tiny winding streets lined with pleasant gift shops. We had a couple of hours free time to browse the shops and the beach, before catchin a local bus back into Whitby. There, our ten group members decided what they wanted to cook for dinner, and shopped for groceries (while Katie accompanied one member of our group on a hunt for new hiking boots!). We wandered back up to the hostel (the 199 steps again!) and half our group made dinner, while the other half washed and cleaned. We ate very well – a choice of two salads or two pasta sauces, with pasta and cheese, followed by cake and English custard.
The campers don’t know it yet, but when the dishes are all cleared away, we are heading to the edge of St Mary’s churchyard to the point where Lucy had her first encounter with Dracula in Bram Stoker’s novel. There, we’re going to read a section of Dracula by flashlight!
Day 3
After another cooked English breakfast we headed over to Whitby Abbey this morning. The ruin shone gloriously under a sky that was vivid blue. Our youth hostel is literally attached to the abbey, and from there you have an idyllic view of rugged cliffs, sea, and far below, the harbour and town.
After touring the Abbey, our campers could choose between staying in the abbey grounds to enjoy a performance of Dracula by a travelling theatre troupe, or wandering back down the 199 steps to explore Whitby on the east side of the river, with its quaint shops and tiny alleys dating back to the 14th century. Most chose the town, returning with stories and souvenirs.
Our coach picked us up from the youth hostel at 1pm and took us to the lovely Yorkshire village of Goathland, located only 20 minutes from Whitby, on the North York Moors. There, we wandered through the railway station, famous because it was the fictional station of Hogsmead in the Harry Potter movies. We were fortunate enough to see a steam train pull into the station identical to the one in the movies! On our day in London we will see platform 9 and three quarters – so we will have viewed both ends of the trip to Hogwarts.
After the considerable excitement of the railway station, we crossed the tracks and tackled a hiking route up onto the moors where the heather shone purple in all directions. It was so pleasant walking over the moors in bright sunshine. We followed a little pathway across a bubbling stream to the neighbouring village, then walked back into Goathland via country roads where sheep wandered freely. Our group had a short time to browse the village shops (which form the fictional village of Aidensfield, in the British TV show, Heartbeat!) before our coach picked us up again. Perhaps it was the healthy country air and the exercise, but most of the group slept the two hour journey to our next hostel, on the edge of Haworth, in Yorkshire.
Tonight we ate dinner in the youth hostel – an imposing ex-mill owner’s house which is over 300 years old. Afterwards, we headed out in the gardens where we told everyone the story of the Bronte sisters, and how the wild moorland scenery so shaped and influenced their unconventional imaginations. Katie’s favourite Bronte novel is Jane Eyre and mine is Wuthering Heights, so we each read an excerpt for the group. The evening ended with a discussion about Gothic fiction, and a writing prompt. Everyone wandered off to write, paint, sketch or read.