Whitby by Steam Train

The next event which formulated future my travel plans, and subsequent blogs, came about when my car failed its MOT requiring replacement headlights which proved very hard to find! I found myself approaching the Easter holidays with no means of transport. Harking back to my youth I remembered the 'Mystery Tours' which ran from Durham City bus station during the summer months on a Wednesday afternoon. A bit of 'Googling' revealed that coach trips are still very popular and I eventually settled on Woods Coaches of Leicester where I happened to be living at the time. A trip to Whitby by steam train caught my eye. Born in the North East of England this was a destination of choice when my dad was feeling exceptionally keen.


The coach picked me up at the bottom of the street at about 08:30 and off we went to Pickering, an ancient market town in North Yorkshire. Pickering you ask, "What has that got to do with Whitby?" Well, as I recall for the princely sum of about £20.00, this trip included a journey by steam train on one of the few days in the year when the journey is allowed to terminate at Whitby railway station. A rare treat! We arrived in Pickering with time to have a look around this beautiful town before embarking on our designated train. I wandered up the high street to have a look at the church and intended to view the motte & bailey castle too but was doubtful about the time.

The Whitby & Pickering Railway was originally opened on May 6th, 1836 when cannons were fired, brass bands played and most of the town retired to the Black Swan Inn! The line closed under Beeching but reopened as far as Grosmont in the national park. During summer months on selected days it now runs through to Whitby once again. At 18 miles it is the second longest heritage railway in England.

As I recall we boarded at 12:00 hrs with a journey time of 1 hr 44 mins passing through Levisham, Newtondale, Goatland and Grosmont, arriving at Whitby in a cloud of steam to the amazement of normal travellers there. Both Pickering and the railway are well documented in wikipedia© and their respective websites if you would like more details.

I took photographs from the train as we travelled marvelling at the line and the scenic North Yorkshire moors. A relaxing journey then and now which can be viewed through the linked photo album. The advantages of travelling by bus are that one arrives at one's destination fresh and ready to explore, one doesn't have to look for a parking spot, worry a pint of beer or the journey home and, in this case the bus meets the party in Whitby affording the maximum amount of time to look around.

Leaving the station the the town is dominated by the ruins of the abbey on the headland built in 656 when Oswy, the Christian king of Northumbria. It was here at the Synod of Whitby that Easter was fixed according to the rules of Rome rather than the customs practised on Iona futher up the coast. Walking down into the town one arrives at the historic swing bridge over the river Eske. In 1331 permission was granted for the collection of tolls to maintain the bridge. Fortunately there is free passage today.

From here there are views of the grade II listed east and west piers of the harbour which, when I was a boy, was home to a large fishing fleet, whose trawlers, formerly whalers in the 1800's, braved the north sea to bring home the cod. Indeed I stopped off in the town for a plate of fish and chips, who could resist! Continuing over the bridge one can see the fisherman's monument at the base of the cliff and a flight of steps leading up the cliff to St Mary's Church and the abbey on the headland. I visited the 'James Cook' museum along a side street on this bank of the river. He began life on the 'colliers' before setting sail on the 'Endevour', formerly a coal carrier named the 'Earl of Pembroke' to find fame and fortune and Australia of course.

Alas the fleets no longer exist but I managed to board a replica of the 'Bounty' or was it the 'Endevour' for a tour round the harbour and along the coast. This trip afforded spectacular views of the headland and piers and the swing bridge before I disembarked for a look around the town, browsing the shops selling local 'black jet', used since the Bronze Age to produce beads, jewellery and other decorative items. This is formed from the compressed remains of the forerunner to the 'Monkey Puzzle' tree otherwise it would probably have been coal.

Returning to the coach, tired but satisfied the return journey I was surprised when we passed 'Fylingdales', gone the three landmark golf balls to be replaced by more efficient but less interesting structures. That's progress I suppose.

Click here to view my 'Whitby trip' photo album

(unfortunately you can only read the comments using the 'info' button against each photograph now that Google is using 'photos' instead of 'Picasa'.)

The walk around portrayed in the linked photo album laid the ground work for subsequent trips and ultimately my adventures elsewhere in the world.