The Dracula Experience

Although Whitby is mostly well know for its beautiful beaches and fascinating history, there is also a slightly more sinister twist to the town;Whitbyis the home of one of the world’s most famous literary monsters: Count Dracula.

Whitby’s link to the Dracula Novel comes from its hillside monastery ruin, first spotted by the author, Bram Stokers, on a visit to the town. It’s not hard to see why the ruin was such an inspiration either, with its gothic arches and eerie nighttime silhouette. The town itself also played its part in the book, with its winding streets and the spooky graveyard, it’s no wonder the town inspired the author to write his spooky classic.

The reason the book was such a classic was not just down to the town though, Bram Stokers was originally a talented journalist; his method of writing with “multiple narrators,” telling the same tale from different perspectives, tricked the reader into thinking ‘they can’t all be lying.’

If you want to learn more about the author, and this fantastic book, while in the area then a trip to the Dracula Experience is a must. The Dracula Experience is setup to take you on a journey through eight scenes starting with Bram Stoker himself creating the story of Dracula while looking out over Whitby, it then goes on to recreate various other scenes from the book to give you a real feel for the story.

This really is a great experience for anyone staying in either one of the Whitby Hotels or the nearby Robin Hoods Bay Accommodation.

Image Credit: epicnom (Flickr.com)

Yorkshire Treats

If you like nothing more than indulging your taste buds by treating them to tastes from around the world, then you can’t go far wrong by booking yourself into a Whitby Hotel and whiling away the days enjoying the brilliant cuisines of Yorkshire.

Yorkshire isn’t often the first place that springs to mind when you think of food destinations of the world, but it does have a long history of foods associated with it. Let’s take the most obvious: the humble Yorkshire pudding. It’s such a simple dish, one that’s been a staple in the British Sunday Lunch since 1737 and with good reason.

The area features other classics too; one that’s still in production here is the famous Wensleydale Cheese. The Wensleydale Creamery has been hand producing the tangy cheese for more than 100 years, that’s a whole lot of cheese making experience. The fresh acidic tang and subtle honeyed flavor makes this cheese a favorite all over the world

The Yorkshire area is also famed for a number of other treats. On a trip here you can experience the much maligned Curd tart, the tasty treat that is a traditional Parkin, sweet ginger cake for those with more of a sweet tooth, ginger beer, dark and bitter Liquorice and a whole range of other confectionary produced at some of the counties famous factories: Rowntree’s, Terry’s and Thornton’s.

If that’s not enough to tempt you into some of the great Whitby Accommodation in the area then maybe knowing that Yorkshire also has a beautiful scenic countryside, modern cities and a whole range of attractions will.

Image Credit: ZapTheDingbat (Flickr.com)

The Whitby Wizard

In this blog we take a look at one of the quirkiest science centres in the UK, the Whitby Wizard.

If you’re up in the north east of the country and looking for something to do while on a day out and about with the children then the Whitby Wizard might just be the thing for you.

Referred to as ‘the quirkiest science centre museum in the U.K’; this fantastic museum takes inspiration from other world famous science museums like the Exploratorium in San Francisco or the Questacon Science Circus based in Canberra. It features a huge array of curious exhibitions and educational hands-on exhibits, making it an ideal day out for both the children and the parents.

The ‘hands-on’ focus of the museum is part of what makes the experience such and entertaining day out. The exhibits are all custom built interactive ‘prototypes’ and because of this are only found here in the museum. This makes for a great chance for adults and children alike to experience science like they never have before. It’s an educational extravaganza that will help you understand more of the scientific world education by encouraging the use of your five senses, smell, hearing, touch, vision and taste.

The Whitby Wizard is located on the West Cliff, near Whitby’s seafront, and it makes for a great day out for all the family. So if you’re staying in any of the nearby Whitby Accommodation, or maybe in one of the nearby Robin Hoods Bay Hotels, why not pop down and see all the many curiosities the Whitby Wizard has to offer.

The Famous Faces of Scarborough

You are sure to have heard of the large town of Scarborough, located on the coast in North Yorkshire the town is one of the largest holiday resorts in the whole of the region. Over the years Scarborough has seen a huge influx of travellers and holiday makers, but the town itself has produced many famous and notable people. All types of notable people have come from the town such as actors, members of parliament and even musical idols.

Scarborough has produced many actors and actresses over the years, the most famous of which is Ben Kingsley. Most renowned for his portrayal of Gandhi in the film of the same title and released in 1982 the film brought Kingsley national acclaim and an academy award for best actor in a leading role. Many other residents have featured in film and television roles including Joanne Froggatt who has appeared in programmes such as Downton Abbey, Robin Hood and Life on Mars. Another Scarborough resident who has graced our screens is the actress Penelope Wilton has been cast in many British productions such as Doctor Who, Downton Abbey and the film Shaun of the Dead.

Plenty of writers have also come from Scarborough or taken up residence over the years.  Authors of note include the author Susan Hill and Graham Taylor. Graham Taylor is better known by the name G. P. Taylor and has written best sellers such as Shadowmancer and Wormwood.

Lastly, you may well remember the song ‘Addicted to Love’, well that was written by another Scarborough resident, the late Robert Palmer. Featuring a whole host of models dressed in black and miming with music instruments the song reached number one in the US billboard charts and climbed up the UK charts back in 1986.

So next time you are considering taking a break consider Whitby hotels for a chance to explore Scarborough and the surrounding areas. With so much great Whitby accommodation available you may find that you will never want to leave!