Visit theEsk Valley

Attractions ยท Whitby

Whitby Harbour and the 199 Steps

Fishing boats, fish and chips, jet shops, the swing bridge and the climb up to St Mary's churchyard.

Photo: aude, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The Esk reaches the sea between two piers at Whitby, and the harbour in between is the heart of the town. On the east side, Church Street winds beneath the cliff, lined with jet jewellers, fudge shops and the old Market Place, to the foot of the 199 steps that climb to St Mary's Church and the abbey. Count them as you go.

On the west side are the beach, the bandstand, the whalebone arch and the Captain Cook statue on West Cliff, and the fish quay where the day's catch comes ashore. Boat trips run from the harbour in summer, and the swing bridge between the two sides opens for taller vessels.

Fish and chips are the local religion; the queues outside the best-known shops are part of the experience.

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St Mary's Church, Whitby

The extraordinary Norman church at the top of the 199 steps, crammed with Georgian box pews and galleries like the inside of a ship.

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History & heritage

Whitby Lifeboat Museum

The story of one of the busiest lifeboat stations on the east coast, told in the old boathouse on Pier Road.

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Whitby Abbey

The gaunt Gothic ruins on the headland above the harbour, inspiration for Dracula and site of a 7th-century monastery.

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More photos

Whitby Harbour and the 199 StepsWhitby harbour from the 199 StepsWhitby harbour from the 199 StepsEast PierBark Endeavour in Whitby Harbour