Whitby station

The end of the line, right on the harbourside, shared with the steam trains of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway in season.

Photo: Tilman2007, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Whitby station is a handsome 1847 building beside the harbour, at the end of both the Esk Valley line and, in season, the North Yorkshire Moors Railway's steam services from Pickering. Step outside and the swing bridge, the old town and the 199 steps are a few minutes' walk; the bus station is next door and the beach and West Cliff are ten minutes away.

From the platform

Everything in Whitby: the abbey, the harbour, fish and chips, jet shops and boat trips.
The riverside walk to Ruswarp begins beside the marina.
The Cinder Track to Robin Hood's Bay and Scarborough starts from the station car park.
The Cleveland Way south past the abbey to Saltwick Bay.

Facilities change. Check National Rail or Northern for current details before you travel.

Walks from Whitby

Whitby to Ruswarp riverside3.0 km · EasyA level stroll up the Esk from the harbour to the boats and pub at Ruswarp, with a train back.

Near the station

History & heritage

Whitby Abbey

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

Shops & crafts

Botham's of Whitby

A family bakery and tea rooms trading in Whitby since 1865, famous for plum bread, ginger loaf and lemon buns.

History & heritage

Captain Cook Memorial Museum

The 17th-century house where the young James Cook lodged as an apprentice, now a museum of his life and voyages.

Food & drink

Fortune's Kippers

A smokehouse on Henrietta Street that has cured herrings the same way over oak and beech since 1872.

Food & drink

Magpie Café, Whitby

The black-and-white harbourside café whose fish and chips have drawn queues along Pier Road since 1939.

Nature & views

Saltwick Bay

A dramatic bay of rock ledges, fossils and shipwreck remains beneath the cliffs south of the abbey.