Whitby Abbey

A talk with our B&B hostess gave me a picture of the economy of Whitby, which depends heavily on tourism. In addition to a wide variety of music events, regattas, livestock shows, and the like, Whitby is a favorite gathering-place for Goths. She describes them as quiet, cheery, well-behaved people, and says the hearse-led procession through the town is not to be missed.

As the setting of a good deal of Dracula, Whitby was a natural choice of venue for a Gothic Weekend which takes place over Halloween. The presence of the ruined Abbey can't have hurt either.

Set at the top of the hill and scoured constantly by the sea winds, the abbey boasts an impressive collection of all-but-illegible historic tombstones and sky-framing gothic arches. The surviving pillars rise surreally from a carpet of well-tended grass.

Whitby Folk Week

The Whitby Folk Week takes place around the little coastal town of Whitby in East Yorkshire. Whitby is all steep hills and picturesque - windy! - cliffs. Pictured here, an arch made from a whale's jawbone.

The best picture I missed taking: two morris dancers (probably members of the Shropshire Bedlams) in blackface and tattered coats, wearing top hats adorned with pheasant feathers and swooping down a steep incline on bicycles.