
It's official - Whitby is Britain's best seaside resort
Holiday Which? has voted Whitby "Britain's best seaside resort"
Read what the papers have to say about it below
Boatyard, Quayside, Cuddy and Seagull cottages are all on or off of Church street (which runs alongside the river Esk) and are all grouped in the centre of the cottages in the first picture above. Whitehall and Sail loft apartments are both in the area of the second picture right next to the river. If you would prefer a quieter location then Hackness cottage is a perfect country cottage just 20 minutes from Whitby.
Vampires and
chips make Whitby best resort
By Paul Stokes Telegraph.co.uk
(Filed: 09/05/2006)
The charms of Whitby were recognised by Captain Cook when he set sail on his voyages of discovery and by Bram Stoker as he embarked on his Victorian Gothic horror novel, Dracula.But its appeal has now been noted by the authors of the consumer magazine Holiday Which?, after it was voted Britain's top seaside resort.The small Yorkshire port is described as having everything you could want, from a postcard-perfect harbour to the sweep of Whitby Sands where children can excavate under the gaze of Cook's monument.With a population of 14,500, Whitby attracts some 550,000 visitors a year and around a fifth of residents are employed in the tourist industry.Locals, though unsurprised by the accolade, were still delighted yesterday to learn that it had come first in the top 10 resorts after Holiday Which? "combed these shores from St Ives to the Firth of Clyde".Goths flock to Whitby for festivals, as do folk musicians, and the Magpie Cafe in the harbour is regarded by Rick Stein, the celebrity chef, as serving the best fish and chips in the world.Ian Robson, the cafe's owner, was officially warned last year after lengthy queues outside obscured other traders' frontages.
The other resorts in the list were: Wells-Next-The-Sea, Norfolk; Frinton-on-Sea, Essex; Swanage, Dorset; Sidmouth, Devon; St Ives, Cornwall; Tenby, south Wales, Abersoch, north Wales; Rothesay, Isle of Bute and Portrush, Northern Ireland
A picture postcard harbour and two miles of unbroken beach have
helped Whitby win the title of Britain's best seaside resort.
The historic port - famous for inspiring Bram Stoker's Dracula and
the place where Captain Cook set sail - has 'everything you could
possibly want', according to judges from Holiday Which?
Beyond the chip shops, candyfloss and games arcades on the
quayside, children can enjoy donkey rides or run riot on the
glorious sweep of Whitby Sands.
From high on the grassy cliffs, day trippers are overlooked by the
monument to Captain James Cook, who sailed to explore the world in
ships built in Whitby.
Stoker wrote his classic horror story, published in 1897, beneath
the shadow of the North Yorkshire resort's ruined Abbey.
Modern-day visitors enjoy the port's highly rated restaurants
including Trenchers and the Magpie Cafe, which has been named the
world's best fish and chip shop in countless competitions.
Whitby beat off stiff competition from runner-up
Wells-next-the-Sea on the Norfolk coast Its 'wide open skies, salt
marshes and miles of golden sand' impressed researchers. Frinton-on-Sea,
Essex, came third for the traditional 'back to the Fifties' values
of this 'low-key time-warp resort'.
Next was Swanage in Dorset - 'laid-back with a lovely gently
shelving beach and stunning coastal walks'.
Lorna Cowan, editor of Holiday Which?, said seaside resorts had
improved, but not everywhere.
"For every resort with funky bars, trendy restaurants and boutique
hotels, there's another stuck in the doldrums of ageing
infrastructure, tacky amusements and uninspiring B and Bs," she
said. Fifth place went to Sidmouth, Devon, described as 'an
elegant Regency town flanked by glorious coastal cliff scenery'.
Sixth was St Ives, Cornwall, with its 'necklace of heavenly
beaches perfect for surfers' and arty side.
Tenby, South Wales, was seventh for its 'medieval town centre and
three gorgeous beaches', followed by Abersoch in North Wales.
This resort is 'great for a life on the ocean waves with amazing
beaches and great walks'. Ninth-placed Rothesay on the Isle of
Bute is a 'splendid Victorian island resort'.
Portrush in Northern Ireland made the top ten for its 'safe
bathing, clean white sand, traditional funfair and stylish
dining'.