EXPLORING WHITBY AND ROBIN HOOD'S BAY ON THE NYMR STEAM TRAIN
To kick off our recent summer staycation with The Epicurean Club (which you can read about here) we finally managed to visit a corner of England we had been longing to explore since we moved to this side of the world back in 2014! The North Yorkshire Coast; and the scenic towns of Whitby and Robin Hood’s Bay. And as if that wasn’t a lovely enough combo, we also did the whole trip on the charming North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) steam train.
Whitby
Robin Hood’s Bay
NORTH YORKSHIRE MOORS RAILWAY
Our adventure started on a Sunday afternoon in the market town of Pickering. As we walked towards the local railway station the tell-tale puffs of steam and the piercing call of the train whistle filled the air, making us feel as if we’d stepped back in time. After a peek in the gift store (we couldn’t miss the chance to add to our collection of travel magnets) we boarded ‘ The Optimist’ and settled in for the 1hr45min journey to Whitby. The railway is completely run and maintained by a team of dedicated volunteers! You can check the NYMR website for current timetables and a rundown of their COVID safety measures.
The novelty of sitting in the vintage carriages, quietly bobbing along to the tempo of the tracks was not one that quickly wore off. Especially as the train wound through the beautiful North Yorkshire scenery, leaving a foggy cloud of steam and cheerfully waving on-lookers in it’s wake.
Pickering Station and ‘The Optimist’ steam train
WHITBY
We soon reached the coast, and as we stepped out of the station we were welcomed to Whitby with the smell of fish and chips and the cry of seagulls. In true British fashion it also started to rain. But the gloom suits Whitby in our opinion, this atmospheric spot featured as a backdrop to Bram Stoker’s novel ‘Dracula’ and is actually cited as being the Goth capital of the UK!
We suggest heading straight up hill to the old Abbey and the insta-famous ‘199 steps’ for a great view overlooking the town. From their you can wind your way back in to the the buzzing main streets for some shopping, or sit along the seaside for lunch with a side of people watching.
In truth we didn’t stay in Whitby long as things felt a little too busy for us and we were actually more excited about using our time to visit the picturesque Robin Hood’s Bay.
ROBIN HOOD’S BAY
‘Bay’ as the local’s call it, is a charming fishing village nestled against the brooding Yorkshire cliffs just a 10minute drive further down the coast from Whitby. The maze of streets down by the water are only accessible for locals, so it is thankfully car-free and far less busy than neighbouring towns. After having seen endless stunning photos of this place over the years, we were so happy to finally have the chance to experience the steep lanes of Bay for ourselves. To look in the windows of the stores and stop by the pubs. Our camera’s certainly got a work out as every inch is captivating! but we’ll let the pictures do the talking for us:
No matter the weather, every trip to the seaside needs an ice-cream break and this time was no exception. After a final amble around we used the energy from our sugar highs to get us back up the hill and into a taxi back to Whitby for our return train journey.
The return journey on the steam train back to Pickering was equally enchanting, although perhaps a little shorter thanks to a combination of tired legs, our full bellies and the nap-inducing lull of the train. Its an experience we’d recommend to anyone visiting North Yorkshire no matter the season.
