I had never been to Whitby before, but I had heard plenty of good things about it. From beautiful scenic views to quaint little independent shops and a seaside town steeped in history, there wasn’t much not to love about this place. As soon as I arrived there, I could instantly see why it gets so much praise.
I went with my family last month and we thoroughly enjoyed our time there. There was plenty to do and see, including exploring Whitby Abbey, climbing the 199 Steps, wandering through Pannett Park and Whitby Museum.
We also enjoyed having a look around Whitby Harbour and of course, tucked into a hearty meal of classic fish and chips. Besides all the obvious family fun activities, the town is rich in history, with fascinating ties to Dracula.
Bram Stoker, the author of Dracula, visited the little seaside town in 1890 and found his inspiration for the famous novel there. He used local landmarks like Whitby Abbey and St Mary’s Church graveyard, for the story’s setting and even the true-life shipwreck of the Russian schooner the Dmitry became the ship Demeter in the story.
As interesting as all the above is, there was one particular highlight to my trip – Saltwick Bay. The bay faces northeast and is about one mile east of Whitby. You can get to the beach by taking a footpath that begins close to the Whitby Holiday Park, which is situated on the cliff overlooking the bay.
Saltwick Bay was such an amazing place, and I quickly found out that it is a popular spot for fossil hunting along the Yorkshire coast. Time absolutely flew by as we scoured every rock pool and inspected every spherical rock with our little hammer, chisel, gloves and goggles. I felt like a kid again and would happily go back again.
There were so many fossils to find, and we discovered fascinating things like ammonites and belemnites. There is also plenty of Whitby jet, which local shops turn into jewellery to sell.
There are also said to be remains of marine reptiles (ichthyosaurs) and even dinosaur footprints and plant fossils in the upper layers – those these are protected and can’t be collected. We found that the best way to search was by looking for ammonite nodules among the pebbles along the shore, which you can gently crack open with a geological hammer.
We made sure to arrive while the tide was low, and after several hours of fossil hunting, the tide slowly crept back in. During this time, I managed to take some really pretty pictures of the beach—the kind you would happily share with your friends on Instagram.
The bay has some stunning cliffs, jagged rock formations, and an impressive Black Nab outcrop—no wonder it is a favourite among photographers and nature enthusiasts.
If you plan on visiting, keep in mind that Saltwick Bay is not a typical manicured beach and lacks facilities. You can only access it via a steep and fairly challenging path or from Whitby Holiday Park. The steps aren’t an easy journey up or down – but getting there is worth it.
Another really unique and fascinating part of Saltwick bay is its shipwrecks, especially the Admiral Von Tromp, a fishing trawler that went down in 1976. There is also the SS Rohilla, a hospital ship that ran aground back in 1914.
You can only see the haunting abandoned wreckage of the Admiral Von Tromp on the beach during low tide. This scene is especially great to capture if you’re a keen photographer or simply enjoy history.
On TripAdvisor, there are plenty of other people who rate Saltwick Bay and Whitby. A recent review reads: ” Beautiful views and interesting geology. However, there are extremely steep steps down so probably not a good idea for anyone with mobility issues.”
Another said: “Within minutes our children had found a fossil just laying on the pebbled beach by the rocks. There was some hardcore hunters there with all the gear and a bit of an idea.”
Someone else said: “Great little beach where you can go fossil hunting. It’s clean and tidy and dog friendly, steepish walk down, you’ll need to be mobile. Limited parking but we got a spot nearby, there’s a free car park for about 10 cars and considering Whitby was jam packed we still got a spot.”
A fourth put: “Absolutely beautiful beach! This was our first visit and we hope to return again. The beach is clean, dog friendly and just beautiful!”
One more wrote: “AMAZING, fossil hunting beach 10 minutes from Whitby. Beautiful and my boys found plenty of fossils in their two hour search.highly recommended.”