Whitby

We visited the seaside town of Whitby on the warmest day in 2002, a modest (for Canadians who've lived in Hungary) 26 degrees celsius if memory serves. Kassie had a grand time playing in the sand at the beach, taking a turn or two on the rides at the kiddy amusement park, and indulging in an ice cream cone or two.

We started off with a visit to Whitby Abbey, pictured left, which sits high atop a cliff and overlooks the town and the sea. The photo at bottom left was taken from one of the 199 steps that lead from the abbey to Whitby town. Kassie refused to ride on Daddy's shoulders and ended up demonstrating as much dedication as a monk or nun of old, trudging down the much-travelled route from the abbey to Whitby and back up again.

Whitby Abbey was founded in 657 by St. Hild. The Synod of 664 was apparently held at the abbey, and the two branches of early English Christianity, the Celtic and Roman churches, were summoned to agree on the date of Easter. In 867 the abbey was destroyed in a Viking invasion but later revived by a knight of William the Conqueror's in the late 1070s. By 1220 the Norman church proved inadequate for the many visiting pilgrims and rebuilding began.

After the dissolution of monasteries in 1538, Whitby Abbey passed to the prominent Cholmley family who proceeded to plunder the monastery for materials to build a mansion. Today remains of both the abbey and the mansion are open to visitors, the latter in the form of an impressive information centre.

Date of Our Last Visit: July 2002