1940s Festival | Goth Weekends | Music & Ale Trains | Agricultural Shows | Whitby Regatta | Folk Week | Egton Gooseberry Show
For a full list of events, see calendar below.
Esk Valley Railway Music and Ale Train 2010
A mobile party, featuring musicians and a real-ale bar, runs every Friday during the summer
from 16 July to 3 September. Travel on the train departing
from Whitby at 19.15 and be entertained with live music performed by
local bands. Returning from Middlesbrough at 20.44, it arrives back in
Whitby at 22.11. An additional service will then return to
Middlesbrough at 22.25.
Apart from the glorious scenery, refreshments and live music this is an ideal way to visit local hostelries at villages along the line for a meal and a relaxing few drinks before returning on the train.
Fridays in the summer
Whitby Regatta
The oldest and most important weekend annual festival of aquatic competition and entertainment.
- View the town from a bird's-eye vantage point by helicopter.
- Watch the rowing and yacht racing in and around the harbour.
- Browse around the stalls set up along the pier and marvel at the Red Arrows’ aerial display over the harbour.
To round off the three day event, admire the spectacular firework display on Monday evening. A special late-evening train is provided by Northern Rail for passengers travelling back to the Esk Valley and Middlesbrough.
21 Saturday, 22 Sunday, 23 Monday August 2010
www.whitbyregatta.co.uk
Whitby Folk Week
An
extremely popular event of music and dance around the town for 7 days.
Teams of morris dancers perform around the town, keeping alive this
ancient and uniquely English traditional dance. The atmosphere is well
in keeping with this ancient town and the local pubs are filled with
live entertainment, musicians simply gathering ad hoc, with the general
public joining in with lively enthusiasm.
Saturday to Friday 21-27 August 2010
www.whitbyfolk.co.uk to book online
Coastal Flavours of Whitby
This
food festival is a celebration of what Whitby is all about – its
heritage, its vibrant fishing industry and the stunning coastal
location.
Endeavour Wharf will be transformed and will play host to a Food Hall, Food Theatre and an array of entertainment – with live street theatre, acoustic music, and entertainment for all the family.
Dozens of specialist food producers from across the Yorkshire Region will showcase their high quality and varied produce in the Food Hall
TV Celebrity chef, Ed Baines will be taking centre stage in the Food Theatre along with National Seafood Chef of the Year 2009, Rob Green, chef/owner of Green's Restaurant, Whitby, as well as the inspirational tutors from Betty's Cookery.
Organised by the Yorkshire & Humber Seafood Group.
Back in 2010 - date and venue at Whitby to be confirmed
Whitby Gothic Weekends
Another
hugely popular themed weekend for Whitby, with its Gothic scenery
providing the perfect backdrop for a Gothic experience. Here the
ancient streets and alleys are shrouded in atmospheric darkness. The
brooding abbey and churchyard on the East Cliff loom over the harbour
and the houses clustered under the cliff. More about the weekend and
its history: wgw.topmum.co.uk
- Watch Whitby Gothic Photos and Vizvox Productions video of the Whitby Goth Weekend on YouTube
- Watch Sarah Macmillan video of the Whitby Goth Weekend on YouTube
Friday to Saturday 29 -30 October 2010
Esk Valley Railway Music Train on Goth Weekend
Friday 23 April 2010 - The Flying Dutchman Music Train - pirate costume desirable!
Friday 29 October 2010 [see above for times] - Transylvanian Express - bats, rats and spiders galore!
Dracula and Ghost Walks
Learn
more about the history of the town and its myths and legends and meet
Harry at the Whalebones on West Cliff for a Dracula or Ghost Walk...
after dark. Advance booking recommended: Harry Collett 01947 821734
www.whitbywalks.com
Egton Bridge Gooseberry Show
On the first Tuesday in August, St Hedda's schoolroom is the venue for the Egton Bridge Gooseberry Show run by the Egton Bridge Old Gooseberry Society annually since 1800. Gardeners enter their biggest gooseberries into one of four classes: red gooseberries, yellow ones, greens and white ones. The heaviest gooseberry is determined by an apothecary scale, measured in drams and grains.
Tuesday 3 August, open to the public from 2 pm
www.egtongooseberryshow.org.uk
Spirit of the 40s Weekend
A
themed weekend of nostalgia, held each April in Whitby. Arrive by steam
train from Pickering into the heart of Whitby. A parade on Saturday
starts the weekend’s activities off with pipes and drums leading the
promenade of veterans and re-enactors, followed by a cavalcade of
military and civilian vehicles. Stroll around the memorabilia and
clothing ‘Black Market’, see living-history displays, and dance the
evening away to 1940s music in the Spa Pavilion on West Cliff. Round
off the weekend with a Sunday night gala concert. Contact Harry Collett
for further information: 01947 821734.
Friday, Saturday, Sunday 16,17, 18 April 2010
Agricultural Shows Along the Line
View the calendar below for agricultural shows more events along the line.
Rail Ale Trail
A new leaflet for 2010, giving details of many of the great pubs along the Esk Valley Railway line.
News
Sunday services return on 23 May. This coincides with the new timetable. Take advantage of the Sunday service to visit Esk Valley pubs and Whitby for Sunday lunch and a stroll in the valley countryside. There are five return services on Sundays.
Music and Ale Trains
On Friday evenings during the summer and during Goth Weekends on Fridays in April and October, enjoy spectacular scenery, real ale and live music on the Esk Valley Railway Music and Ale trains. This is a good opportunity to visit one of the many great pubs along the line for an evening meal and a few relaxing drinks, before returning on the late train. The next Music Trains start on Friday 16 July 2010.
Dates and train times
Download an A4 poster (244 KB pdf file)
Walks
The Esk Valley Walk is 35-mile waymarked trail which takes you from the source of the River Esk to the sea at Whitby harbour, passing through many of the villages along the Esk Valley Railway line. For more information and walksheets which can be for downloaded, visit the walking page.
Santa Trains
In 2010, Santa trains will be running from Whitby at 12.41 on 11 December and 18 December. Normal fares apply. Dogs go free. Duo ticket will also apply for the first time this year.
Visit MIMA
The Middlesbrough Institute of Modern Art (MIMA) is a bold new gallery of modern and contemporary art. MIMA hosts temporary exhibitions of fine art and craft from 1900 up to the present day. Exhibitions change every three months. MIMA is a short walk away from Middlesbrough railway station.
