Disclaimer: If you haven't already done so, please read parts 1 and 2 before reading this entry. Things will just flow better and everything will make a lot more sense. Otherwise, welcome back!
Our second day in Whitby dawned bright and sunny, although slightly cooler than the previous day. We had once again struggled for sleep the night before, a product of the heat and the cacophonous dawn chorus of seagulls that plagues any seaside town. Following a shower, we headed down to the B&B's basement dining room to blow away the cobwebs with a full English. Suitably revitalised, we went over our plans for the day. With it being a Sunday and predicted to be cooler but still very pleasant, we had decided that we would use the morning to visit one of Whitby's most notable and historic landmarks: Whitby Abbey. We would then follow this by effectively carrying on where we'd left off the day before, by visiting more of the local shops as well as quite a few pubs along the way. Without much further ado, we headed out. Those familiar with Whitby will know that the easiest way to access the famous abbey from the town and harbour is to climb the famous 199 steps to St. Mary's Church that looks out from the clifftop adjacent to the abbey. These are the self-same steps that Dracula, in dog form, scampers up upon landing in Whitby at an integral point in Bram Stoker's novel. We made our way back down to the harbour from the B&B, crossed the swing bridge over the Esk, turned left into Church Street and made our way to the end. There, the steps greeted us, stretching up the cliffside in the morning sun. I'd tackled the steps many years ago on my previous visit but this was Amy's first attempt at climbing them. She was anxious to give them a go to see if she was able to do it, particularly as she has a long term ligament injury in her knee. On paper, 199 steps sounds daunting. In reality, it only takes a couple of minutes or so to reach the summit. We managed it successfully! Amy completed the steps on her first try and with minimal discomfort. She was really pleased that she was able to do it and I was very proud. Having reached the top of the steps, we spent some time exploring the churchyard, trying desperately to read the headstones, some of which have been rubbed almost completely illegible after hundreds of years of exposure to salty sea air. Whitby Abbey is now owned by English Heritage and open to visitors every day from 10am. We'd arrived a few minutes before it was due to admit customers.
Before too long, the gates were opened, we paid the admission and in we went. The Abbey itself is an imposing Gothic ruin, all that remains of a once grand building that succumbed to many years of trauma and neglect throughout history. It began as a Christian monastery in the 7th century, and later became a Benedictine abbey. It was confiscated and closed by Henry VIII during the Dissolution of the Monasteries between 1536 and 1545. Despite its closure, its impressive shell has continued to be used by sailors as a landmark when traversing the waters of the North Sea. It certainly is an imposing site and it's hardly surprising that Bram Stoker was sufficiently inspired by it to include it in Dracula. In more recent times, the ruins were shelled by German battleships in 1914. The abbey is now designated a Grade I listed building, for good reason. We spent a good hour or so exploring every inch of the crumbling Gothic edifice, which served as an almost surreal contrast against a blazing golden sun in a cloudless sky. We also explored the adjacent museum, housed in what was formerly the manor house of a prominent local family, which contains artefacts from the site going back to the Bronze Age. The gift shop, through which you exit the site (obviously), is brimming with Whitby memorabilia, including various versions of the Dracula novel, alongside Viking themed pieces, local spirits and beers, and even replica weapons, for anyone planning a raid on their nearest Saxon neighbours. It was an hour well spent and totally worth the entrance money paid (£17.50 each, which included an optional Gift Aid donation).
We had both thoroughly enjoyed our time immersed in the history of Whitby's most well-known landmark. It's certainly worth a visit and helped us work up a bit of a thirst. This turned out to be a convenient turn of events, as our first pub stop of the day is located a literal stone's throw from the abbey. There is now a microbrewery just outside the walls. Leaving the abbey the way we'd come in, we crossed the car park and followed the road round to the right where, a short distance away, you will find Whitby Brewery and Taproom.
This Good Beer Guide 2025 listed brewery tap opened in 2013. Whitby Brewery beers are brewed on site and sold to drink in, or take away from the bottle shop inside, 7 days a week. The aesthetic is of modern, contemporary style inside old farm buildings that have been repurposed. The bar is accessed through a door to the left of the central building, where fridges can also be found. This smaller room leads through to a larger space, where the brewing vessels can be found and where there is also a stone pizza oven providing sustenance. As well as the substantial outside seating, there is also seating inside, which is composed of converted barrel tables and stools. The toilets are outside, in another converted part of the building. Despite arriving only a few minutes after opening time, we were by no means the first customers here. A sizeable group were waiting patiently to be served at the bar, or perusing the adjacent fridges. Service was swift though and before long it was our turn. There are 6 handpulls on the bar here, together with a selection of keg beers. All of the handpulls supply Whitby Brewery beers and they also feature amongst the guest offerings, although there are a small number of guest keg lines too. We were very much spoilt for choice. The handpulls offered us the following choices: Saltwick Nab, Jet Black, Whitby Whaler, Smuggler's Gold, IPA and Abbey Blonde. I eventually decided on the Smuggler's Gold, whilst Amy went for Fossil Fuel, a kegged NEIPA, also from the brewery's range. We opted for a pint of each to start the day, which set us back £11.20. There were still plenty of tables available outside in the sun so we quickly grabbed one of these. Before long, most of the tables were full, primarily with locals and their dogs, although there were definitely some fellow tourists around too. There really is no better sensation than drinking local beer, on the premises where it is made, under the summer sun, with a stunning view of a 1400 year old ruined abbey. There, I've decided. What a way to start our day. The beer was also sensational. Smuggler's Gold (4.4%) is a very easy drinking golden ale. It's moreish, with a smooth maltiness, and a slight spiciness from the use of Goldings hops. In short, it's fabulous! This whole place is wonderful. I didn't want to leave. On another day, I could have stayed here for the duration and drunk my way through the range. However, it was not to be. We had things to be getting on with and so, once our glasses were empty, we made our way out.
The rest of our day was to be spent back in the town, primarily on the eastern side. To return meant to head back the way we had come. This meant descending the 199 steps which, by now, were a bit busier, although not to the extent that we'd observed the previous day, albeit from a distance. Once again, actually traversing the steps doesn't take that much time at all, although it's not helped when people in front keep stopping just to look at things or, more annoyingly, to take the perfect photo for social media. Still, in the end, we weren't delayed for long and it just so happens that our next stop occupies a space directly opposite the steps. Our second pub visit of the day would be to the Duke of York.
The building that is now the Duke of York can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, later becoming an ale house. It has been a pub for at least 150 years and is now operated by Stonegate, who have recently carried out a refurbishment. Inside, the pub is fairly traditional. The entrance leads through to the main bar area. The bar stretches along one wall, with booth seating opposite. Wooden tables and chairs make up the rest of the furniture throughout. There is snug-style space to the left of the bar with windows looking out over the harbour. A larger section towards the rear acts more as a dining space. TVs can be found throughout. There is also a lower level, with a separate bar, and a harbourside beer garden can be accessed around the side of the pub. The toilets are located either side of the entrance door. When we entered the Duke of York, it was steady but not too busy. We were lucky enough to find a spare table roughly equidistant between the bar and the door, whilst we made a decision about what took our fancy. On the bar, there are a trio of handpulls, all offering well-known real ale brands. On the day in question, these brands were Timothy Taylor Landlord, Theakston Old Peculier and Wainwright Gold. I opted for the latter of the three, with a half for myself and a Coke Zero for Amy totalling £5.70. We'd also decided that we'd get a snack here to tide us over until later in the day so we shared some loaded fries. We'd timed our arrival here just right. A few families and small groups arrived shortly after us, so we were lucky to have found a table when we did. The pub also has accommodation above, which we witnessed people arriving to check in for. The Duke of York can best be described as a decent, family friendly boozer. It comes as no surprise that here, as with most of the other harbourside pubs in the town, the outside beer garden is the first thing to fill up. What was the beer like? It wasn't bad at all. Stonegate do at least try and make an effort as far as looking after beer goes. In the case of the Wainwright here, they'd done just that.
After leaving the Duke of York with beers supped and hunger sated, we spent a little bit of time perusing some more local shops. Amy bought some jewellery made with the local Whitby Jet, a black mineral made from the fossilised remains of the monkey puzzle tree and popularised in the Victorian era as mourning jewellery, even though it has been extracted and worn for centuries. We both treated ourselves to a set of miniature Whitby spirits with gin for Amy and rum for myself, and then we continued on our way. Heading back down Church Street, we returned to Grape Lane, where we had ended our day the night before. It would have been positively rude not to pop back into the Green Dragon so we did just that. After consuming our halves, we pressed on but we didn't have to go far. After a brief nosy at a neighbouring premises that will become another licensed premises, operated by the people behind Valhalla in York no less, we arrived at our next location, which is situated just on the end of Grape Lane. Our attention now turned to The Quirky Den.
This micropub, opened in August 2018, would be the final Good Beer Guide 2025 listed venue on our itinerary but by no means the final pub we would visit. Despite being a relative newcomer to the scene, the Quirky Den occupies a building that dates back to 1639 and was once a pub known as The Pelican. The stone floor on the ground floor dates back 400 years, with some of the panelling known to be 18th century, although the facade dates from the 19th. The current landlord is reputed to be the youngest landlord in Whitby. This is a pub over two levels. The ground floor houses the bar with a small number of tables and chairs directly opposite. The first floor, accessed up a wooden staircase, is slightly more modern, with a carpeted floor, high stools overlooking the stairs, barrel tables, stools and a banquette that looks out over the street. The decor is piracy and sailing themed, including a steampunk pirate skeleton mural on the upstairs wall. The toilets can also be found on the upper level. The bar benefits from 4 handpulls. Two of these always serve Theakston Old Peculier, with one serving this particular beer from an old sherry cask. The remaining two feature guest beers which, on the day, were Wilde Child Hot Fuzz and North Riding Irish Cream. Not a fancying a dark beer at the present time, we went for a half each of the Hot Fuzz (£5.00 for both) and headed upstairs. This little place is building itself a decent reputation within the town and I, for one, approve. As well as the warm welcome we were given, they were playing the songs of our people. A soundtrack of rock and metal was music to our ears, at least until it was abruptly switched to Motown halfway through a song. We suspected that the older clientele downstairs objected to so many pinched harmonics. Either way, this is indeed a quirky little venue, which even has it's own catchphrase: 'a quickie at the quirky'. Juvenile? Yes. Hilarious? Of course. The beer isn't bad either. The Hot Fuzz (5.6%) is billed as a raspberry cream doughnut pale. It's certainly very sweet but it avoids being cloying or overpowering. It's basically a dessert in beer form although I suspect that more than a half of it in one go could become quite sickly quite quickly. Overall, The Quirky Den is exactly that: an unusual place with a great aesthetic that happens to have good beer and a great soundtrack, at least most of the time. It's worth noting, should you be planning to visit, that the pub is closed Mondays and Tuesdays in summer and is also closed on Wednesdays in winter. Following New Year, the landlord takes a break and the pub is closed until March.
With our quickie in the Quirky Den completed, we set our sights on our next destination. The following trio of pubs are all in close proximity to each other and some of them were not on the original agenda. We decided that the best option would be to visit the furthest one away first and then do the other two on the way back. That way we'd be going in the right direction to head back into town and back over the river. Turning right at the end of Grape Lane, we were now back on Church Street, with the lower harbour on our right hand side. A few yards further down this road, we would locate our next stop, which was on the other side of the road. Things were about to get weird at the Middle Earth Tavern.
I know what you're thinking. Why is there a pub named after the fictional geographical setting of J.R.R. Tolkien's body of work in a seaside town in North Yorkshire? In a nutshell, the name honours Tolkien's sketch of Whitby Abbey, that he carried out in 1910 when he was 18. The connection seems to go no further than that but the pub has picked it up and run with it, even down to having Gollum himself on the pub sign. Would we find a 'precious' for ourselves once inside? Another uniquely named pub in a town full of them, the Middle Earth Tavern features low ceilings and bare brick walls, the latter a decision made after a flood from the nearby harbour. There is a large amount of outside seating facing the road. Inside, the pub is mostly two rooms. The largest, the lounge, features a bar to the back and banquette seating around the edges of the room, with scrubbed wooden furniture in the centre. To the right of the entrance is a pool room, featuring pool tables and a dart board. There are a couple of TVs throughout, usually tuned to music channels. A spiral staircase in one corner leads upstairs to further seating, with full length windows that are opened on warmer days. Needless to say, we were a tad confused when we arrived. Barring everyone's favourite literary jewellery obsessive being featured on the pub sign, there didn't seem to be any other references to Tolkien or any of his work, at least not at first glance. We made our way inside and went to the bar. A helpful member of staff then approached and told us that the pub was fully table service. Fair enough. We went to a banquette table in one corner and then she followed us over and took our order. Thankfully, I'd had time to scope out the beer options from the pubs 3 handpulls. The choices were Theakston Light Foot, Old Peculier and the first appearance of Sharp's Doom Bar. A half of the Light Foot for me and a half of Salt Alpacalypse for Amy set us back a surprisingly reasonable £4.55. This is a very odd place. On the day of our visit, the outside tables were understandably rammed. There was still plenty of available seating inside, although there were other customers inside too, including some in the pool room. The concept of full table service in a pub, whilst literally everywhere in the days of the pandemic, and rightly so, seems odd 4 or 5 years later. I can't think of anywhere else that still has this policy in place, with the exception of a couple of micropubs that don't have a physical bar. Still, each to their own. It also turns out that there indeed a few more Tolkien references about here, although they're not immediate obvious. Amongst the bric-a-brac on display are some wooden artefacts that at least appear to have elven script on them. We were expecting some more blatant imagery though. Perhaps a cave troll on the door or hobbit bartenders. Maybe even a mounting block for Nazgul. The beer does at least come in pints and, I have to say, the Light Foot was in good form. Fool of a Took!
I was confident that the next couple of stops would make a bit more sense. Thankfully, I was right. Retracing our steps back up Church Street, we crossed back over the road and approached our next destination, a pub from which we had seen several bikers emerge on our walk down earlier. This was either going to be a good sign or an ominous one. We would find out which, as we entered The Fleece.
Standing alone on the east bank of the Esk, The Fleece is another pub that benefits massively from its location. Inside, a central bar serves an unaltered public bar room and a comfortable lounge. Banquette seating, wooden furniture and some leather chairs provide the seating options while the decor is a mix of traditional and modern. Paintings and photos of Whitby adorn the walls, along with old beer adverts, and decorative plates. The main entrance leads to a small vestibule with the options to go left or right to either section of the pub. The toilets are located down a corridor from the public bar. The bar is well stocked, wooden and modern. There is a pool table and, to the rear, an outside beer garden and smoking area with excellent river views. The aforementioned bar features 3 handpulls. On the occasion of our visit, these were stocked with yet another outing for Old Peculier, alongside Wainwright and Whitby IPA. Still reminiscing about the Whitby beer from earlier in the day, going for the IPA was a no-brainer. Amy went for a Diet Coke which, combined with my half, added up to £4.55. We retreated to a snug-like part of the lounge. I was pleasantly surprised with the decor and the atmosphere here. It was relaxed, calming and a great place to eavesdrop on the bar staff talking about how hungover they were. The beer was cracking too. Punching in at 5.2%, Whitby IPA is exactly what a beer of this style should be. It's very hoppy with notes of grapefruit and passionfruit. New World hops have been used, which have lent a distinctive freshness to the beer. It's very refreshing and very tasty indeed.
We were starting to think about food again by now and I'd already earmarked a place. However, we had another location to tick off first. Thankfully, it was virtually opposite our current location. Leaving The Fleece, we turned left and crossed over the road. A few yards on, we visited The Endeavour.
Named after Captain Cook's flagship, not Inspector Morse, The Endeavour was originally built in 1935. It's a one roomed pub with a comfortable interior. The entrance leads directly through into the bar. The servery is roughly central to one wall, looking out into the seating area, which is a mix of traditional wooden furniture with some banquettes and longer tables. The toilets are located adjacent to the bar. A small, enclosed garden is to the rear. Nautical memorabilia is prominent and there is a real fire, although this obviously wasn't lit when we visited. As well as offering their own 'Yorkshire tapas' food options, there is a dedicated menu just for dogs, which is a nice touch. They also allow for people to bring in their own fish and chips and will provide the salt and vinegar if required. The bar features 6 handpulls. Two of these are reserved for ciders, which were Rosie's Pig Rhubarb and Rosie's Pig Cloudy cider during our visit. The remaining 4 pumps all feature various cask ales. Our options in this respect were Three Brothers Mosaic Pale, Three Brothers Ruby Revolution, Timothy Taylor Landlord and Brains Rev James. I hadn't yet had any Three Brothers beer on the trip so went for the Mosaic Pale, with Amy following suit. We also grabbed a bag of crisps each, bringing our round total to £8.60. We clutched our goodies and grabbed a table adjacent to the rear door that leads to the garden. The Endeavour really surprised me. The cosy surroundings, with it's one room layout, brick frontage and comfortable furnishings, make this a great place for a beer. Any pub that goes the extra mile for canine companions should be commended. This place was certainly hiding its light under a bushel. The beer quality is also worthy of note. Mosaic Pale (4.2%) from Stockton-on-Tees based Three Brothers is a great beer. Single hopped with Mosaic, it's packed with hoppy flavours and is clean, crisp and refreshing. I would recommend this beer. More so, I would recommend The Endeavour to anyone looking for a nice pint (or half) off the beaten track, and who wants understated comfort on the side.
Having thoroughly tackled the east side of town, we would now make our way back over the river to the west side. We still had a handful of pubs to investigate and the next two are virtually next to each other. The first of these would be a much-needed food stop. Crossing back over the Esk, we kept walking in pretty much a straight line until we reached a sloped street between two buildings. This was Golden Lion Bank. Following the road around to the left, we found our next stop: The Esk Vaults.
This would turn out to be another unusual place to visit but it would certainly work its charm on us. Despite the name, the Esk Vaults is situated on the first and second floor of a quaint brick building, directly above a pig themed breakfast cafe. Climbing the stairs to the first floor leads you to a moderately sized open plan room with minimalist decor and tables and chairs, including some leather sofas. A small bar is tucked into a corner, adjacent to a single toilet. A couple of mirrors and an old fireplace complete the look. During busier periods, additional seating can be found on the second floor, accessed up a staircase directly above the first. We had come here for a couple of reasons. Firstly, there was a bar, and therefore beer, and secondly, the pub serves pizzas, which we were very much in the mood for. Whilst there is no real ale available here, the Esk Vaults prides itself on a selection of craft beers and ciders. 5 keg beer lines jut from converted beer crates and pour a variety of styles. The choices for us here were Pivovar Mittel Pilsner, Only With Love Tapster, Arbor Nitro Stout, Fierce Iron Brew and Campervan Mango Mimosa. Snail's Bank Raspberry Ripple and Sandford Orchards Devon Red were in attendance for the cider contingent. We were both drawn to the Iron Brew, from Aberdeen's Fierce Beer. This is part of their range described as beer coolers. Essentially, they're alcoholic drinks but based on and flavoured as well known soft drinks. No prizes for guessing what this one is inspired by! It's 4.5% but tastes for all the world like Scotland's favourite soft drink. It's even the same shade of bright orange, to fully maintain the illusion. Amy and I went for 2/3 of a pint each, which cost us £9.60, and, following a discussion with the member of staff on duty, sat down to peruse the pizza menu. We decided to order a pizza each and duly returned to the bar to order. The pizzas are made and cooked in house, in a tiny room behind the bar. It has to be said though, they were very tasty and very filling and we felt like we'd made a good choice. Visiting the Esk Vaults had been a good idea too. It was a slightly surreal experience as we were the only customers there during the entirety of our stay but there's also something soothing about the identity of this place, with its unpretentious vibes and its soundtrack of soft jazz and country music. I certainly hadn't expect to be drinking Irn Bru flavoured beer in a craft bar above a cafe called Greedy Pig but Whitby has a way of subverting expectations.
After our time at the Esk Vaults, we were now suitably full of meat and pizza dough. We had something more traditional lined up next. Just around the corner, and back down the slope, you will find the Golden Lion.
This Grade II listed pub has been a licensed premises since at least the 18th century and lends its name to the street, Golden Lion Bank, on which it stands. The name is thought to be derived from the coat of arms of either Henry I or the Percy family, earls of Northumberland. Both Captain Cook and William Scoresby are known to have frequented here, where they recruited men for their respective exploration and whaling missions. The pub was closed for some time but has since reopened, rethemed as the only Irish theme pub in Whitby. The single door leads into a corridor. The pub is laid out into two rooms. To the right, a small lounge, with banquette seating and, straight ahead, a larger public bar, are both served by a servery to one side. The Irish theming dominates throughout, with posters for Guinness and Irish whiskey as well as Irish flags, sayings and adverts for the regular Irish folk nights. The tables in the lounge are adorned with old coins. In the public bar, the furniture is primarily wooden tables and chairs, although there are some higher stools. A large Guinness mirror dominates the far wall. The toilets are located in a corridor outside both rooms. Despite the overwhelming Irish theme, cask ale can still be found here, often a rarity in Irish pubs. A bank of 3 is located on the bar. Tetley Bitter is the regular beer which, on this occasion was accompanied by Timothy Taylor Landlord and Wychwood Hobgoblin Gold. A half of the Hobgoblin, along with a lime and soda for Amy, came in at a very reasonable £3.65. Having acquired our various refreshments, we headed around to the public bar, where we were able to find a seat easily enough. The Irish retheming of the pub has, thankfully, not taken away from the traditional feel of the pub. The original features are still present and prominent. This is an interesting place from an historic point of view, although it is a much smaller pub than we expected. As well as it's history, the Golden Lion is also inextricably linked to one of Whitby's most well known ghost stories: that of the Oyster Man. As the story goes, back in a time when oysters were a quick meal for the poor, a local, scruffy gentleman would ply his trade in the pubs of Whitby, selling oysters to all and sundry. His distinctive cry of 'Oysters alive-oh!' would summon any would-be customers. On one such occasion the oyster man was in the Golden Lion when he fell foul of a well-known local ruffian named John Smith, who began to insult and berate him. Not wanting any trouble, the oyster man began to pack up his wares and leave, but not before muttering some comments under his breath. Unfortunately, John Smith heard what had been said and turned his wrath upon the oyster man and things got physical. In self-defence, the oyster man pulled out his small, oyster-shucking knife and, with a single, fateful blow, ended his tormentor's days. The oyster man, who had merely been defending himself, was never prosecuted or tried over the incident but, wracked with guilt and remorse, he passed away less than a year after the infamous event. Allegedly, his cries of 'Oysters alive-oh!' can still be heard echoing through the dark streets of Whitby on quiet nights. A tragic tale indeed. The Golden Lion certainly has the air of a place that has witnessed its share of dark events. Thankfully, on this particular Sunday even, things were a touch lighter. The Hobgoblin Gold was passable and the pub was calm.
We were almost at the end of our time amongst Whitby's pubs. We still had a final duo in our sights. Leaving the Golden Lion, we turned left, back down hill and then again onto St. Ann's Staith and onwards onto Haggersgate. Our penultimate stop loomed large on the left, in the shape of The Star Inn.
This Grade II listed, three storey building dates back to the 18th century. It occupies a group of buildings that include what was once a sluice house, a building that is used to house machinery to operate sluice gates, which in turn are used to control water flow, in this case from the nearby river. Steps lead up to the entrance, beyond which you will find a single room, served by a central bar, but divided into sections by the use of the internal structure. The seating is primarily along one wall to the left of the bar but there are also tables and chairs in a smaller section to the right. A rear corridor houses the toilets, along with a staircase leading up to accommodation above. The decor is basic and a mix of traditional and contemporary. The Star is notable locally for being the one of only a couple of pubs in Whitby with a jukebox although, at the time of our visit, they were busy setting up for Sunday evening karaoke by allowing a young lady, either a customer or staff member, to systematically ruin the Cranberries 'Zombie'. Only one person should ever sing that song. R.I.P. Dolores O' Riordan. Anyway, back to the bar. There are 3 handpulls here, which were offering Bass plus a couple of guest beers from Ossett, namely White Rat and Riwaka. A half of the latter and a Diet Coke came to £3.50. We took a seat at a table dangerously close to the DJ/karaoke station and people watched. This seems to be a popular pub and certainly had a few locals, and a very cute dog, in attendance waiting for things to get underway. The impression was one of controlled chaos. The attendant locals definitely all seemed to know each other so this pub clearly has a group of tight-knit regulars, which is always good to see. More pubs should ban vaping inside though. Nobody wants to go out for a beer and have to inhale, or walk through, a cloud of raspberry flavoured smoke, like a particularly shit version of Stars in their Eyes. We kept ourselves to ourselves here. The beer was in good nick though. Riwaka (4.3%) is part of Ossett's Single Hop series with this one showcasing the eponymous New Zealand variety. It's known for bold, citrusy aromas and this pale ale is certainly chock full of those. Expect, lychee, pineapple and grapefruit with a full body, leading to a clean and dry finish. In summary, strong points for the beer, less so for the karaoke and the ambience.
It was almost time to bid farewell to our day's activities but we had one final stop to make. Going left out of the Star, and continuing a short way along Haggersgate, will bring you to one of two entrances to The Ship.
As indicated above, this small, Grade II listed pub, and our final stop, has two ways in. The main entrance is located on Marine Parade, overlooking the harbour. We'd come in the back way but it makes no difference. Either way you end up in a one room pub, with the bar in the corner. Opposite the bar is seating, in the form of wooden tables and chairs. The toilets are halfway down the room, beyond which is further seating and the door we'd come in through. To the front, there is a comfortable lounge with harbour views and some outside seating. A pool table and a jukebox are located inside as well. The pub decoration is quirky, with slogans, posters and lots of visual merchandising. The bar, though small, is stocked well, including 4 handpulls. The pub has its own house beer, Shipfaced, brewed by Laines and the other beers on offer were Timothy Taylor Landlord, Wainwright and Theakston Old Peculier. It seemed only fair to finish the day on the house beer. This turned out to be a very tasty pale ale, with floral and citrus notes and a clean aroma. A half of this, combined with a lime and soda for Amy, totalled £3.50. We spent some time here chilling, reflecting on our day and laughing a dog that had legged it, barking, out of the pub in order to fend off that greatest of threats: a lad on a skateboard. By the time our drinks were done, so were we. Tiredness had set in. All that remained was to return our empty glasses, gather our things and head out into the evening sunshine.
With that, our tour of Whitby's pubs had concluded and our second day in the town was over. The following day, we would be continuing our road trip which meant we had the remainder of the night to mull over our experience and truly think about our feelings for Whitby. Back in our attic room at the B&B, we felt an overwhelming sense of accomplishment but also intense joy. Whitby had been superb. I was very glad that my return visit had vindicated the emotions it stirred, and the connection I had made with it on my first trip. More than that, I was very happy indeed that Amy had fallen in love with Whitby as much as I had. We will definitely be returning in future, although we'll very likely pick a later time of year when it's not quite as busy and substantially cooler. The big question remains: what can be said about Whitby's pub scene? It has a mix of everything. The older, traditional venues have their niche. So to, do the newer micropubs and brewery taps. All of the venues we visited had their own unique points that help them stand out, some of them for better reasons than others. Whitby is a town of two sides, both geographically and metaphorically. Behind the chip shops, the independent shops and the literary connections, there is a sense of a darker side. You can feel it in the narrow back streets and almost hear it unfurling as the sun goes down. There's a reason that one of the world's most famous and celebrated horror novels uses the town as a setting, a character even, in its narrative. The pubs then, are a refection of the town. Light and dark butt heads and intertwine and the town is much the better for it. You can't help but notice the liminality and the juxtaposition of two worlds. Whitby is a town like no other. Why not see for yourself? It is all in a sea of wonders.
Next time: We return to York for two days of old favourites, new discoveries and cracking food.
Pub of the Day: Whitby Brewery Tap. Cracking beer and a fantastic place to drink it.
Honourable mention: The Quirky Den. Quirky both by name and nature
Biggest surprise: The Endeavour. Welcoming, comfortable and unexpectedly good.
Beer of the Day: Whitby Brewery Smugglers Gold. I would 100% raid a ship for more of this beer.
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