Trip to Whitby

Whitby is a place of which I am extremely fond, having gone there on holiday as a kid pretty well every year since I was six.  I always make a pilgrimage whenever I'm in the area, and this time was no exception.  First port of call is one of my favourite shops: the Carlsberg of bakeries, E. Botham & Sons.  A magical place which produces the best sandwiches and scrummiest cakes in the world.  On this occasion I was banished outside as I had Amber with me, but the "Queen Of Hearts" made this an entertaining experience while she replenished the window display.

Whitby was extremely busy with tourists, in contrast to the sleepy fishing town I remember from the mid sixties.  The narrow streets of the East Side, in particular, were heaving with people, so Amber and I headed for the 199 steps up to the Abbey and St Mary's Church.

Amber then proceeded to pull me up the steps at break-neck speed, much to the amusement (and envy) of some onlookers.  It was mercifully quieter at the top, and as an added bonus the sun came out!

We took the descent at a rather more leisurely pace (thankfully), and watched the world go by as we went.

The final shot on the steps was of a fellow tourist attempting to balance a camera and rapidly melting ice cream while taking a shot of the view.  I was struck by the similarity in colour of her dyed hair and the pantiled rooftops.