199 Steps, Whitby
We're back in Whitby baby!
We loved it so much when we came for Ren's birthday last year that we decided to tag another trip onto our Edinburgh holiday and thus it became a Northern Roadtrip. There was so much we didn't get to do in the 3 days we were here in February 2025 that we decided to come back for another go and to be honest there is no doubt in our minds that we'll be back again soon!
One infamous site that we missed earlier last year was the 199 steps leading up to St Mary's Church and Whitby Abbey. It's been playing on our minds and now that Ren's broken ankle is as healed as it is ever going to get, it was high time we climbed them ourselves.
These steps go by a few different names and each connects to an era. You've got 199 Steps, Whitby 199 Steps, The Church Stairs, and Jacob's Ladder (due to the biblical illusion). They connect the Old Town to St Mary's Church by the Abbey and date back to at least 1370. They were actually made of wood until they were replaced in the 1770s due to wear and progression of materials.
The steps became a part of the pilgrimage to Whitby Abbey, they were seen as a measure of the Christian determination and when the Abbey fell into ruins the focus shifted to St Mary's. After Bram Stoker released Dracula the steps became a tourist attraction and so their popularity shifted from that of a religious nature to simply pop culture.
The actual intention of the steps were to connect St Mary's to the town, although a pathway does predate the steps. It was so the townsfolk could walk up to the church, or the abbey, and worship or bury their dead as it was later. As with everything, this method of getting to the church became outdated very quickly, especially as some people were unable to climb them at all. Due to this, St Ninians was built in 1778 in the west side of Whitby and while burials continued at St Mary's. St Ninians was preferred to worship. This is also why those handy benches were placed, it was actually to rest the coffins on when the bearers got tired. The last coffin carried up these steps was that of Reverend George Austen in 1933 as the 18th century brought the end of these steps being in regular service.
An act was brought in which made roads and paths the local authorities problem, but this meant that the steps would remain under the church as they didn't fit into either category. This meant that the church was required to pave over the steps to remain in use and so instead the wood was replaced by stone.
Yogi, keen to once again prove he has mastered stairs, bounded up them forcing us to increase our pace, but you'll be pleased to note that they did not defeat us even if we did have to make use of those considerate funeral benches!
We did manage to work out a knack for them though, turns out its easier if you take two at a time as the little gap in between steps is hard on the legs. You cover a lot of ground in that time and it is so much nicer on the legs even if it is cheating!
This wasn't nearly as bad as our trek up Glastonbury Tor, and neither of them was as bad as Pendle Hill which we did 2 days after this, but it was a fun and tiring experience and we'd tell anyone to give it a go.
In terms of ghosties, this site has connections to a few. The Legendary Black Coach and Horses who come to collect the souls too close to the cliff edge is rumoured to be see from these steps, there is also an elderly couple who haunt the steps for some reason, and the black dog which we think crosses over into Dracula territory, so we cast doubt on that one.
We didn't see anything other than people on the steps as they were heaving even in November, but don't let that stop you. We first walked down the steps to get into town and then back up to get to the car. It was worth it just to say we did it and St Mary's also sells badges to those who complete the trek.
DISCLAIMER: Now for the official bit. This blog does not receive any paid promotions from the places mentioned above. We have not been approached to promote or act as spokespersons for any attraction mentioned within this post and this is simply a post intended to act as a day in the life of a couple on a cute date. All photos included are taken by ourselves and as such the rights for these images our ours, no links, brands, or companies mentioned otherwise belong or are associated with Phantom Adventures UK. We are responsible only for this blog. Opinions are our own and not influenced by any third party source..
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