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Whitby Abbey and Harbour added to English Heritage in Yorkshire and the Humber by D0c.Col on 21/11/2024

Whitby is a fantastic place to visit, loads of parking (at a price @£8 for 4 hrs on my visit - see pin) and wonderful things to see and do. Obviously plenty of places to eat, but stay off the main streets for a cheaper dining experience. The Abbey is owned by English Heritage, so caution is required to fly there, but my TOALings were outside their perimeter so no issues.

Whitby Abbey and Harbour
At the heart of Whitby, lies its vibrant harbour that has developed over centuries, with human intervention building upon the natural estuary of the River Esk. Uniquely, the harbour mouth faces north, and its piers stretch east and west, creating one of the few UK spots where the sun rises and sets over the sea in summer.
The West Pier, accessible through an ornamental gate, commemorating Whitby’s seafaring tradition, has a scenic route that leads to the 80-foot-high lighthouse. You walk past capstans and mooring posts reminiscent of historic ship handling, evoking a time when ships were manually ‘warped’ or hauled into and out of the harbour by human effort. Local maritime character is enhanced by vessels like the Grand Turk, an old lifeboat, and a replica of Captain Cook’s Endeavour, which are frequently moored nearby.
Historically, Whitby’s location made it accessible mainly by sea due to the challenging North York Moors. Its natural harbour provided a safe haven along a dangerous 100-mile coastline between the rivers Tees and Humber. By the 1300s, traders from across Europe were visiting Whitby, primarily due to its famous abbey and its lucrative salt herring export. The abbey itself, founded in the 7th century, thrived until it was dissolved under Henry VIII. Its ruins later inspired Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and they remain a landmark maintained by English Heritage.
The harbour was Whitby’s lifeline. People often said, “the only road to Whitby is the sea,” due to the challenges posed by the surrounding North York Moors until the first turnpike road was established in 1764. Unlike other towns that developed around a market square, Whitby’s heart has always been its harbour. The bottle-shaped estuary of the River Esk provided the only natural harbour along the 100-mile stretch of perilous coastline between the rivers Tees and Humber. By the early 1300s, merchants from overseas were regularly visiting Whitby to trade with its prosperous abbey. Over time, the harbour was expanded with quays, a bridge, and a pier to shield it from the North Sea. Salt herring was the main export, while imported goods included wine and supplies for the abbey. Notably, coal was shipped to the abbey from Sunderland as early as 1392, marking the beginning of a trade that would later drive Whitby’s prosperity.
Whitby Abbey itself, founded as a Christian monastery in the 7th century and later a Benedictine abbey, was a prominent center within the medieval Northumbrian kingdom, situated on the East Cliff above Whitby, it had flourished for centuries as a center of learning. However, the abbey and its assets were seized by the crown during the Dissolution of the Monasteries and was eventually destroyed by Henry VIII in 1540. Since then, the abbey’s ruins have served as a navigational landmark for sailors.
Soon after it’s destruction it was acquired by Sir Richard Cholmley and remained in his family’s possession until eventually passing to the Strickland family, who in turn transferred it to the UK government in 1920. Now managed by English Heritage, the ruins have endured, even surviving considerable damage in December 1914 when German battlecruisers shelled it during a raid that also targeted Scarborough and Hartlepool. The attack, aimed at the Coastguard Station, caused significant damage to the abbey buildings in a brief ten-minute assault.
Today, Whitby’s harbour and abbey ruins continue to draw visitors, celebrating the town’s rich maritime and cultural history.

Enjoy!

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Co-ordinates: 54.48854, -0.607896 • what3words: ///dumplings.extensive.clutches

The originator declared that this location was not inside a Flight Restriction Zone at the time of being flown on 30/10/2024. It remains the responsibility of any pilot to check for any changes before flying at the same location. Landowner permission may be required before taking off.

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Shinewater Park, Eastbourne (By grandad1950)

A large recently developed nature reserve and recreation area on the outskirts of Eastbourne

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Co-ordinates: 50.80565, 0.286943 • what3words: ///precautions.grades.shade

Wray Windmill, Reigate and Banstead (By grandad1950)

A grade 2 listed tower mill now converted to a home

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Co-ordinates: 51.2448, -0.183348 • what3words: ///vital.stews.mutual

Allnabad, Sutherland, Sutherland North and West (By AlbionDrones)

Emptiness, Sutherland...

10 miles along a single-track road, on the way to Broch Dun Dornaigil, literally in the middle of nowhere, almost as far from civilisation as can be found in the UK, lies a ruined crofthouse...

The only sign of man - apart from the road - yet blessed with amazing views, I wonder what life would have been like here in the past, hard for sure, but a pace of life slower and more connected with nature than we currently have as a society...

Nearby, the Strathmore River cuts a gorse-lined gorge on the way to Loch Hope, in the shadow of Ben Hope, descending via some amazing and little-known falls - sadly we weren't in a position to visit the falls on this trip, but net time we will make sure to do so...

Car parking is roadside, there are a few spots where it is safe to do so, TOAL anywhere you see fit, but do check that EGR610 is inactive before flying - on this ay we arrived here at 315pm, and the FRZ was inactve from 3pm.

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Co-ordinates: 58.33927, -4.626995 • what3words: ///tags.valued.automate

Munlochy, Black Isle South (By Trainman)

Took off from the small car park that overlooks the bay at Munlochy.
Fly from an elevated position that gives great views and great flying possibilities.

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Co-ordinates: 57.55379, -4.249011 • what3words: ///fakes.dreamer.lyricist

Lewisham Castle, Kennet (By gasbag43)

Aldbourne is an attractive large village lying in a valley within the south slope of the Marlborough Downs in Wiltshire

Fans of the TV drama series “Band of Brothers” may be familiar with the name of the village - "A" company of the US Army 101st Airborne Division, known as The Band of Brothers, was based at Aldbourne in 1944 in the months before D-Day. The headquarters of The Band of Brothers in Aldbourne was in The Crown Inn and is commemorated by a blue plaque on the wall outside.

About 1.5 miles south-west of the village is a small medieval earthwork – 68m in diameter - known as Lewisham Castle. Records suggest that the name 'Lewisham' came from its association with Louis the Dauphin, who held Marlborough Castle in 1216.

This type of earthwork is known as a ringwork

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Co-ordinates: 51.46309, -1.650674 • what3words: ///surprised.safari.frost

St Anne's church, North Wiltshire (By gasbag43)

St. Anne's Church in Bowden Hill, Lacock, Wiltshire, was built by John Gladstone (ithe elder brother of the Prime Minister of the same name) in 1856 as a parish church. It was dedicated to Saint Anne in celebration of the birth of a son in the Gladstone family.


The church's design combines Early English Gothic, Norman, and Romanesque styles.

The location offers superb views of the surrounding Wiltshire countryside, including the beautiful Lacock Abbey (National Trust) which was one of the Harry Potter “Hogwarts School” film locations.

TOAL was from a small car park 100 metres from the church and well outside the Raymill House airspace restriction zone which covers the village itself (Raymill House is a Grade II listed country house privately owned by Quenn Camilla)

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Co-ordinates: 51.41008, -2.091007 • what3words: ///fidgeted.spelling.vineyard

Bluewater Shopping Centre, Dartford (By richrab)

Bluewater Shopping Centre (commonly known simply as Bluewater) is a large out-of-town shopping centre in Stone (postally Greenhithe), Kent, England, just outside the M25 motorway ring, 17.8 miles (28.6 km) east south east of London's centre. Opened on 16 March 1999 in a former chalk quarry after ten years of building works, the site (including car parks) occupies 240 acres (97 ha) and has a sales floor area of 154,000 m2 (1,600,000 ft2) over three levels, making it the fifth-largest shopping centre in the UK.


TOAL was from the Winter Gardens car park as far back as possible.

View and discuss this location on Grey Arrows.

Co-ordinates: 51.43916, 0.270763 • what3words: ///froze.bowls.object

Wray Common, Reigate and Banstead (By grandad1950)

Not a lot of parking but loads of space to fly. The locals were very friendly.

View and discuss this location on Grey Arrows.

Co-ordinates: 51.24475, -0.187339 • what3words: ///broke.exchanges.invest

Balkaneil Church and Beach, Durness, NC500, Sutherland North and West (By AlbionDrones)

About as far away from anywhere that you can get, at the top left corner of Scotland, lies Durness, and a little further out, right on the corner of the road is Balkaneil.

Home to the Balkaneil Craft village - a collection of artisan's that provide a unique shopping experience at the far reaches of the NC500, it also holds the stunning beaches and ruined Church that are the subject of this video.

They are located on the edge of the Cape Wrath Firing Range, a military range and FRZ, so care needs to be taken to fly either outside the boundary of the FRZ, or to ensure that the range is not active when you want to fly.

I could only fly the AIR3 here as it was extremely windy - hence the drone bouncing around a bit in the 35mph winds - and given it was a fairly grey day the colours are a little muted, but they are true to what was seen, and it is both stunning and desolate...

There is some car parking at the Church, and toilets and food/drink available in the Craft village, which also has an overnight camper stop too...

View and discuss this location on Grey Arrows.

Co-ordinates: 58.57606, -4.76842 • what3words: ///mystified.plotting.soups

Queen Elizabeth II Bridge., Thurrock (By richrab)

The Dartford–Thurrock River Crossing, commonly known as the Dartford Crossing and until 1991 the Dartford Tunnel, is a major road crossing of the River Thames in England, carrying the A282 road between Dartford in Kent in the south and Thurrock in Essex in the north.

It consists of two bored tunnels and the cable-stayed Queen Elizabeth II Bridge. The only fixed road crossing of the Thames east of Greater London, it is the busiest estuarial crossing in the United Kingdom, with an average daily use of over 130,000 vehicles.

TOAL and Parked @ ///social.rips.bigger back of the warehouses on a public road.

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Co-ordinates: 51.4654, 0.258272 • what3words: ///puddles.hiking.broker


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