Whitby Jolly Up

A local pub, the Colpitts Hotel, organized a bus trip to Whitby – they call it a “Jolly Up!”

Whitby is a Yorkshire seaside town known for its Abbey ruins and its affiliation with the Dracula story. According to Bram Stoker’s novel, Whitby is where Dracula came ashore when he arrived in England. Stoker had the idea for the setting of the book when he and his family visited in the 1890’s.

Of course we had to go to the Dracula Experience! It was 5 pounds to enter and super cheesy! Well worth it!

As a small seaside town it is full of local shops, sweets, restaurants, and pubs. If you are from Oregon, think Seaside. If you’re from New York, think Alexandria Bay.

We went up to the Whitby Abbey, originally built in the 7th Century, the ruins you can now tour are from the 11th-12th centuries.

First you ascend the “199 Steps” (or the steep ramp next to the stairs) to get up to the Abbey on the top of the hill overlooking the town and the North Sea.

At the top you find the Abbey. We had a cold but beautiful day.

At the end of the “Jolly Up” we met at a local pub where some mates tried their hand at Karaoke.

Whitby was a hauntingly cool place!