High cliffs and fine beaches extend to Ravenscar around Robin Hood's Bay from Whitby and the area is popular with holiday-makers.
The harbour at Whitby is still the base for the town's fishing fleet and it was from here that Captain Cook set out in HMS Endeavour on his voyage of discovery to Australia in 1768.
Trinity House built the present Whitby Lighthouse in 1858 on Ling Hill to the design of consultant engineer James Walker;
originally a pair of towers, aligned north-south and showing fixed lights over Whitby Rock, the station was altered in 1890 when a more efficient light was installed in the smaller tower and the other closed down.
Whitby Lighthouse was automated in 1992.
The lighthouse is now monitored and controlled from Trinity House’s Planning Centre in Harwich, Essex.