To start with, as Harry says on his Ghost Walks, there is the right way, the wrong way and the Whitby way. No where else on the east coast will you find a harbour with an East Cliff and West Cliff, so these names may be a bit puzzling a best. Well, the straightforward answer is the Abbey is on East Cliff and the bigger shops etc are on the East Cliff.
There are stacks of different places to choose to park in Whitby, so I start the description on the swing bridge over the River Esk, stuck between the two cliffs. From here we start up the road and into the East Cliff area. If you take the first left, just before my top fish and chip shop, there are a few shops to browse, including a fish mongers with an array of sharks jaws in the window!
Keep walking along the road until the old Marketplace and turn into here. As you traverse this small but interesting district, you will see on the opposite side of the road Justin Chocolatier. This remarkable little shop on Church Street is an exceptional place to make a stop in, even though crowded in peak season. There are regularly some seasonal treats in store, we regularly pop in for Treacle Toffee at the end of October ready for bonfire night. At this time, it is also frequently busy with the Goths buying Halloween treats such as Dracula's Coffins. There is a superb assortment of not only chocolate, but also toffees and fudges. Well worth a visit, but watch the wallet and waistline.
Turn right out of Justins and start following the road in the direction of the sea. Go beyond the second and much smaller Justins shop and turn up at the bottom of the Abbey steps. This is where most people would stop and head up the steps, but hold off that treat and continue along the road which now becomes Henrietta Street. Round half way along on the right is one of Whitby's hidden gems - Fortunes. It has featured in well-liked TV cookery programs and is the merely remaining traditional smoke house still running in Whitby. Pop in for some smoked kippers, or if you do not fancy them, try some pate or traditionally smoked bacon.
Go back over your steps from here back to the Abbey steps. There are 199 steps up to the Abbey and you will typically see children and adults alike walking up and down counting the steps. Pop up the steps if you are feeling brave, for a good view from the Church back over Whitby, or a walk round the Abbey.
Lastly, go back over your steps as far as Justins and when you get there look across the road and you will see what is our preferred cafe, Monks Haven Cafe. Astonishing service and well worth a brief stop at the end of a walk around Whitby's East Cliff.
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