Whitby West Cliff, Beach located in Yorkshire

Whitby has long been hailed as the gateway to the North Yorkshire Moors, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The town itself is split in two by the River Esk and you will find the old town in the harbour area. The beach at Whitby is fine and sandy and there are countless nearby attractions to keep visitors busy. Towering over the parish church of St. Mary, whose graveyard inspired Bram Stoker to include it in his novel, Dracula, are the ruins of the historic gothic abbey of St. Hilda, which dominates the East Cliff. On the West Cliff stands a bronze statue of the great explorer Captain James Cook, who was apprenticed as a teenager to a Whitby shipping firm.

For details of all Blue Flag beaches in England and Northern Ireland please go to www.blueflag.org.uk