Coastal town Whitby and the North Yorkshire Moors

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On my first full day in York, I took a day tour with Mountain Goat Tours and JJ and seven other people and headed east, toward North Yorkshire and Whitby and the moors. I desperately wanted to experience the moors of the Bronte sisters and Heathcliffe and Cathy from Wuthering Heights. The original tour I planned on was cancelled and nothing else fit my limited time frame. I was told I could probably get up to the Bronte estate on my own via bus and train connections, but my superior ability to get lost, even under the most ideal conditions, I thought a planned tour would be better for me.

One of our early stops was in Goathland, which is a stop on the scenic railway, and was also a location used in the British drama Heartbeat, as well as the railway station being used as Hogsmeade in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, but I couldn't tell. We had some time to stroll around, grab a snack and watch the sheep.


Seen in Heartbeat




The next major stop was the town of Whitby which is a seaport on the North Sea. The remains of Whitby Abbey overlook the town and the sea. Bram Stoker wrote Dracula in Whitby and was inspired by the Abbey. The origins of the abbey date back to the 600s. I wasn't able to walk around the grounds of the abbey as much as I would have liked, but I was able to visit the St. Mary's Church; the interior dates from the late 1700s.



      



Interior of St. Mary's Church

I had delicious fish and chips, and walked around, enjoying the sun and warm weather. I was ready for a nap, but then I might miss something on the drive up to the North Yorkshire Moors National Park. We saw grouse and pheasants, and I tried imagining one of the weekend shooting parties that appear in Agatha Christie novels or any number of BBC dramas (I'm not a shooting or hunting person, that's just what they do in the stories and movies), although I think they usually happen in the rain. I was also hoping to get the Wuthering Heights vibe, but the weather was too nice, a little windy, but no storm on the horizon. We were up on the hills, and could look over across the landscape for miles. I'm a little disappointed in the photos, because I don't think they really capture the atmosphere, but it doesn't dampen the memories. 








One of the last stops was at a Saxon church (400s - 1000s), called St. Gregory's Minster to look at a Saxon inscription, which is not easily read unless magnified.


It was a full day, with plenty of photo opportunities and ample chances to try different foods. The small group size was nice and our driver and guide, JJ gave plenty of information, including showing us the house where he used to live. Nothing like local knowledge.

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