Whitby Folk Week 17-23 August

Yeah! What a hill climber's holiday! Forget the long promenade walks, the flat easygoing constitutionals, the leisurely evening stroll to the sea. Whitby is a hill walker's paradise of a seaside town with its cobbled snickets, its winding ginnels, its half hidden courtyards, and of course the 199 steps up to the ruined abbey that dominates the cliff top. Yes, there was a lot of up and down involved during our three day stay in Whitby.

But for those not so agile, don't let this put you off. There are hotels on the harbour side from where you can saunter to the end of the pier and enjoy the full flavour of the town's attractions - shops, amusement arcades, pubs, fish and chips, candy floss, the band stand area, the replica Endeavour ship, and boat trips out to sea and back. It's all there in one little gem of an English seaside resort, and I for one had a whale of a time (excuse the pun).

To top it all, last week was Whitby Folk Week, and there was music and dancing throughout the town, day and night. We were entertained by musicians who had travelled far and wide to attend workshops and put their skills to the test in front of lively audiences. The outside spaces were full of Morris dancers with bells jingling, and happy feet skipping and hopping to a plethora of squeeze boxes, and tambourines. And if poetry was more your thing, then the famous Angela Topping was on hand to encourage wordsmiths at her poetry workshop.

All in all, David and I had a great time. We stayed at a little B&B called The Smugglers' Rest which was just lovely, and we travelled to Whitby from Barnsley by bus, (the X10 to Leeds then the 840 Leeds to Whitby) a journey that didn't cost us anything because we were able to use our pensioner bus pass. And the route was fantastic, through the centre of York, on to Pickering and over the moors to Goathland before dropping down a steep hill into Whitby.

Have Hats travel through York

Old York building

Andy Martin and Nick Moorland from Derbishire

It was great to meet you guys, and we thoroughly enjoyed our dance on the harbour. Thank you for the music. And thanks to all those musicians who performed in the street and in the pubs.

In the Black Swan

David dipping a toe in the North Sea

Music in the Elsinor Pub

Meeting an old friend from Crete, Mandy, it was so good to bump into you.

And a night out with Pauline and Tony

Look! I'm right!

In The Arch and Abbey 

The famous whale bones that dominate the west cliff.

It was a whirl of a break, and the sun shone, and the seagulls squawked, and we ate fish and chips, and drank cider. And now we are home to gather ourselves in readiness for our next little adventure. We've got to keep those feet moving, I don't want to seize up now I've got my health sorted out.

I hope you have had a whizz of a Bank Holiday, and oh, if you haven't read my new novel, Higgs Bottom, yet, you can get a copy here. It is also available as an e-book. Go on take a look for nothing!

Love and best wishes to all,
Jane x