A day in Whitby was an interesting experience.  Finding a parking space was the first challenge, but one a suitable car park was found, with disabled space availability, the fun began.

The initial problem being that despite the parking space being conveniently located at the entrance / exit to the car park the pay and display machine was a good fifty yards away.  Not perhaps the cleverest set up.  Next problem was that the pay and display machine didn’t work.  Nor did the next one in the car patk.  Eventually I noticed a large crowd of what appeared to be a coach party.  In reality it was a huge queue at the only functional machine in the place – the furthest away from the disabled parking.

Then the more interesting things came along.  The Abbey.  An impressive hillside ruin.  The legend of Dracula.  £8.40 to get in and no toilets.  English Heritage are taking the proverbial charging to get into the place which is basically a field on top of a hill.  Quite what maintenance they do to the ruins that justifies the charge is beyond me.

Still, the sun was out.  The views were magnificent and despite being in ruin the old abbey is pretty cool too.

After a short intermission in the Whitby micro-brewery and the purchase of more fridge magnets for the kids it was ice cream time.

A brochure in my inland B&B had identified a Whitby ice cream parlour making the magnificent claim “From Cow to Cone in Three Hours”.  A picture of their Jersey cows adding to the compelling strap line.  While I have my doubts about their ability to milk, churn, freeze, flavour and distribute within that timescale I was sold on the concept, handing over my £2 for a superb strawberry cone.  Cool, creamy and deliriously tasty.

As I stood staring across the river and up at the abbey I was blissfully unaware of unexpected interest in my indulgence.  Until a huge seagull swooped and grabbed my cone, dropping to the side of the river several feet below me.  It was a truly magnificent effort to extract the ice cream without being heard and without making bodily contact.  Then another seagull landed and stole it from the original thief.  Ha!

In one motion the gull guilty of receiving stolen goods lifted the cone into the air and downed it, ice cream and all, in one go.  A brilliant effort.

I didn’t cry.

The Hole of Horcum – It’s Not a Meteor Crater