Whitby

Yorkshire is a beautiful county … it has all kinds of beauty from the most simple, stark scenery, to areas where you simply have to catch your breath and wonder how it could have all been sculptured by nature so perfectly.

Whitby is an ancient town that stands on the North-East coast of Yorkshire. It is unique. Noted for its jet and for the birth of Dracula … it is the one place that everyone should try and visit once in their lifetime.

Jet is the beautiful hard stone-like semi-precious jewel that was formed in pre-historic times from the Monkey Puzzle tree. It is actually pre-historic driftwood that has been squashed and submerged on the seabed; an ancient coal that has been mined at Whitby for its value as a jewel; popularised by Queen Victoria when she went into mourning over the death of Prince Albert. Tourists to the area of Whitby often find small pieces of it on the beach and unlike many other precious artefacts which are treasure-trove, these lovely deep black jewels are ‘finders keepers!’

Whitby is known as the birth place of Dracula. The ancient, still Abbey that sits on the hill was the place where Bram Stoker feasted his eyes and conjured up the character of Dracula. Whitby, the English Transylvania and the Abbey with its cold, crooked grave stones - ooze the dank, darkness of chilling fangs after the long climb of the stone steps from the town up to the ancient Abbey. Only in the twilight does the shudder of the ghosts caress the tourists.

Whitby Jet