Whitby Abbey

The ruins of Whitby Abbey face the cold North Sea and the old seaside town of Whitby, built on either side of the River Esk. It’s a lovely sight: majestic ruins high on a bleak, windy headland; rows of cottages climbing up the hillsides; and, gazing over the scene, a statue of the town’s most famous mariner, Captain Cook. Cook circled the world twice, explored the coasts of Australia and New Zealand, and charted Newfoundland and the North American Pacific coast before being killed by natives in Hawaii.