Whitby holds a special place in people's hearts, perhaps that's why Which? Holiday magazine awarded it Best Seaside Resort 2006.

The original Whitby Abbey was founded in 657 AD by Oswy, the Anglo-Saxon king of Northumbria. The Synod of Whitby in 664 is where it was decided how we calculate the date of Easter. It was destroyed by Vikings in 867, then refounded in 1078 where it stood until it was dissolved by Henry VIII in 1540. At that time Whitby consisted of fewer than thirty houses. The Abbey was further bombed by German battlecruisers in 1914. You can visit the Abbey, there are 199 steps up to it.

In 1753 Whitby was a shipbuilding town and started to build whaling ships and prosper from the industry. West Cliff, where we are, has a commemorative whalebone arch alongside a statue of Captain James Cook who worked from Whitby and went on to be the first European to sail to Australia (1770).

The geology of Whitby is interesting, with many fossils and the dinosaur footprints being discovered along the coast. Of course it's where Whitby jet, a black stone used to make jewellery, is found. Try the musem.

Whitby was the inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula book which is set here. There's a Dracula museum and a Gothic Weekend twice a year.

Although small, Whitby is still a functioning and important port, being well placed for shipping from and to Europe and Scandinavia. It also has a fish market, and lots of excellent fish restaurants. Whitby kippers are smoked here in the traditional way, try some for breakfast.