Diary of a Doggy Day Out in Whitby

Dear Diary,

All the other dogs are always woofing about how wonderful Yorkshire is, so I was super excited when we arrived at our holiday cottage here in Whitby last night.

I know my humans wouldn’t want to miss a minute of our trip, so I made sure to wake them up nice and early this morning with a big slobbery kiss. They really love it when I do that.

Morning!

I absolutely wolfed down my breakfast and got so giddy with anticipation when I smelt all that sea air at the front door that I could barely stand still to let my humans put my lead on. I wouldn’t want them to wander off and get themselves lost on our day out, though, so I had to be patient while they sorted it out.

We set off through the streets and found ourselves on the harbour front in no time. You could see all the colourful little fishing boats bobbing up and down in the morning sunshine, as we walked over the bridge crossing the river.

I have to make sure that my humans get fed, so we headed to a brilliant café called Monk’s Haven where they could have their breakfast too. Everyone was so friendly there and the breakfasts looked delicious. My dad gave me a juicy sausage as a treat. I’m still drooling just thinking about it! I love food.

Once they’d finished their breakfast, I walked us along the quaint streets nearby and let my mum and dad peek into the windows of all the great little shops, while I said hello to all the other dogs that passed by. I think Whitby must be the absolute best place for dogs to bring their humans on holiday, because I made so many pooch pals on our adventure today!

After that, we walked all the way up some famous stairs called the 199 Steps towards the clifftop. It was so much fun scrambling up them all as quickly I could! I’m not sure my humans could quite keep up with me, though, because I kept having to pull on my lead to make them go faster. Slowpokes!

When we got to the top, we walked into the really pretty churchyard of St Mary’s overlooking the harbour. It was all so peaceful, but I got a tiny bit scared when I heard my mum saying that part of a famous book about a scary vampire was set in this exact spot?! But, I wasn’t afraid for very long: after all, I know my bark would be scarier than his bite.

He must’ve known that too, because he didn’t dare even try and show up. Once I was done scaring off vampires, we headed over to the towering ruins of Whitby Abbey that you can see from almost everywhere when you’re down below in the town. It was a lot of fun exploring between the big, ancient pillars, but it all looks a bit drafty for my liking. I think I much prefer our cosy cottage.

Lunch!

There are so many cafés and restaurants in Whitby and they all seem to love dogs as much as my humans do. We started to get peckish, so we wandered back down into town and found a little tea room called Rusty Shears.  The name sounds funny, but the food looks yummy! Did you know I really love food? We got to sit outside in the sunshine in the pretty courtyard garden and I gobbled my lunch.

The waiters and waitresses there were really friendly and they all kept telling me I was a good boy. My humans tell me that all the time too, so I already know that I am; but, them telling me made my tail wag, so I didn’t mention anything.

They were so nice that they even brought me over a Doggycino – a big bowl of water with lovely frothed milk on top just for me! I loved it and slurped it up in a flash.

After they’d eaten, my humans tried some of the tea room’s gin of the day too. I’m not actually sure what a gin is, but I heard my mum say that Rusty Shears have 100 different kinds of it, so it must be pretty nice! Maybe it’s like a really tasty bowl of water? My mum and dad definitely seemed to like it, anyway.

When our lunchtime rest was over, we walked back towards the river and along the bustling waterfront. We passed a place called Magpie Café, where my dad said they make the best and most famous fish and chips in Yorkshire! It all smelled scrumptious and had my belly rumbling already. Have I told you how much I love food?

When I realised we were near the beach I was over the moon. I’ve never seen so much sand in my whole life. It was amazing!! I let me humans take off my lead and I got to run about all over the place and splash my feet in the sea. Then, we played fetch with my favourite ball. I never wanted it to end!

We spent ages strolling along, in the direction of a place called Sandsend, and I met some friendly new canine companions on my travels. I also met seagulls – I think they’re my new favourite things ever! I really wanted to play, but they kept flying away and squawking when I ran over. I realised they obviously wanted me to play a game of chase with them, so I kept running after them over and over again. We had a brilliant time. Anyway, I’m pretty sure I won!

I didn’t want to tire out my humans too soon, so I finally decided to take them back to our cottage to let them have a quick rest and freshen up before we went out for food. I always look my doggy best, so I obviously didn’t need to do any freshening up; I had a well-earned nap instead.

Evening!

Once I’d had a quick kip, I took my humans to a great restaurant called Humble Pie & Mash. They ordered the tastiest looking pies I’ve seen in my life! Mash, gravy, mushy peas, mmm… I could barely stop myself from slobbering! I’m a very good boy, as you know, so my mum let me try a little piece of pie. Heaven!  Like everywhere else we’ve been today, the people working here were really lovely too. I think I want to live in Whitby forever!

Wandering back from the meal, we popped into a cool bar called Moon and Sixpence on the very front of the harbour. My mum and dad got to sit right in the window and sip scrummy-looking cocktails. I was happy just watching the world go by outside the window as the sun began to set. What a view!

Let me tell you, I was one very pleased pup by the time we got back to our cottage. While my humans snuggle up in front of a cosy fire, I’ve curled up in my bed. After all, it’s tiring work looking after these two on holiday!

I’ve had the absolute best day ever. You’d be barking mad not to come and visit Yorkshire. I can’t wait to have another day of adventures here tomorrow!

Lots of woof,

Harry

Did you know?

Inspired to visit Whitby with your pooch? Then take a look at our excellent selection of  dog-friendly cottages in Yorkshire.