Saturday 25 April 2015

Mingling with the Whitby Goths

Hello. Shame the weather has gone a bit grotty, but there you go, some you win, some you lose. It was a nice day yesterday in sunny Whitby. Me and my four legged friend took an amble on up there to North Yorkshire. I parked the car on West Bank and off we went. Lovely day for a bracing walk by the sea. 
Across the bay on the other side is The Abbey, and below it the little red roof cottages. To the right of the Abbey is the Youth Hostel which I have stayed at before.

The Pier was very popular for a Friday morning stroll. There were a lot more people around on this particular weekend.

'Hey, can we go over there, I want to see that old castle?'  'No not today Rocky, there's no way I'm dragging your wheels up all those steps, and it's not a castle, it's an Abbey.' 
I've been meaning to come to Whitby Goth Weekend for ages, usually something else gets in the way of it, so this weekend I made an effort. There are plenty of shops selling everything Goth. If you want to look the part you need a pair of these boots.

I love all the dressing up, there are some weird and wonderful costumes, some of them must have cost a fortune. So much effort has been put into perfecting their chosen look. There was a lot of posing and photograph taking going on, I joined in. Some of them were happy to chat to me and answer my questions. Everyone was enjoying the moment.





Meeting up with your mates at the pub.


It's not just Goths that join in, there are Punks, Steampunks, Bikers, and fans of all genres of the alternative lifestyles who turn up. I saw a few cross dressers, big muscle men in short frocks and towering high heels. Some had wigs on, some didn't. People had whole face masks on, lots of lace and feathers, lots of purple, red, and black attire. One young lady wore an eye popping outfit. She was tall already without her ten inch heels. A buxom young lass with a tight lace up corset and frilly tutu, but all eyes were on the chesticles. They  were like a jelly not quite set, which was about to spill over with every step she took. It must have been quite uncomfortable trussed up like that.

Rocky wants to go fishing. It wasn't only me taking photo's of Rocky, he gained a lot of fans as he posed for their pictures. 
The bridge between the two sides of Whitby. It will open if a boat wants to go through.

Boat trips were on offer, but not many takers.

Anyone for a ride in this? A few did make the trip out of the harbour.

After a very enjoyable afternoon, with quite a lot of physical exertion on my part, we went off to a camp site a mile or so out of town. I had been chatting to a photographer who told me about it. It was a smallish site on a farm, I paid the £7 and found a pitch alongside a fence in between other tents. The wind had got up by that time, it was an exposed site, so I decided not to put the tent up, and sleep in the car. More about that on the next post, but for now, it's Toodle pip, while I enjoy a glass of wine. Catch you tomorrow.

19 comments:

  1. Hi.Whitby looks stunning so much to feast the eyes on,although there is no shortage of that in your beautiful country.Big sigh.Both my son and daughter dabbled in the Canadian goth/punk scene through high school,and all their friends.They were also very much into art, music poetry and strangely enough nature.The photos you've taken and info have transported me from a ho-hum day here to feeling quite perky again.Fabulous attire and creativity on many of the attendees.Thank you.Love the sailing ship.Hope you and Rocky sleep well and are warm enough,bye for now,D.

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  2. Looks like you and Rocky had a good time. The Goths looked great didn't they.You picked a good day, weatherwise.Last time we went to Whitby we went in the Seaman's Mission for a cuppa and a piece of homemade cake , to be served by 3 ladies all from Alvaston. They had all moved there and bought a little cottage each. They recognised my Derby accent they said.

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  3. Hey! I'm in northern Idaho, USA, and I've been to Whitby! But I didn't have a beautiful boy like Rocky with me at the time. I may have missed this, but is there a reason that Rocky always gets to ride? Hope you're having a wonderful weekend.

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    1. Hi. Rocky is getting on in years and has arthritis in his front leg. He can walk, but not for long periods of time. He is on medication from the vet, and has half a joint tablet daily which helps. We go for a walk around our village twice a day which he loves. I got the stroller from a car boot sale for £6, I don't use it here, but it means we can go further afield and have days out together, and I can do a bit of walking while pushing him.

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  4. I love Whitby, bet it was fun to see everyone in their finery. What I love about gatherings like this is how accepting everyone is, it doesn't matter how you express yourself, it is who you are that counts and that's just great. Rocky looks very comfy in his photo. Have a great time.
    Twiggy

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    1. Totally agree Twiggs. I love to see diversity, love to see people being whatever they want to be. It was like walking around a film set amongst all the characters, totally fascinating.

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  5. Wow! The sea is beautiful! Love that little town. The Abbey is stunning! Would have love to be there with you guys. Cute Goths and all else. What fun! Rocky looks happy. :) Enjoy and stay safe.

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  6. What a great place and gorgeous pics, thanks for sharing with us Ilona. Rocky is such a beautiful boy.
    AussieCheryl : )

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  7. Whitby is gorgeous and what a great day! Will get myself there during spring bank(I'm not stalking you, promise!) xxxx

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  8. I love WGW - a lot of my friends are there at the moment - I'm afraid I couldn't make it this time. :)

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  9. love your description of the not quite set jelly chesticles- I can just imagine it . Haha.
    we took some Norwegian friends out on that boat a few years ago and they loved it. They are fans of the TV series Heartbeat so we toured around the area.

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  10. Nice post - I have to say the Steam Punk stuff always makes me smile, as I put on a pair of jeans and hide in the crowd!

    Its been many years since I was in Whitby - the last time was last century!

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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  11. I love Whitby but haven't been for years and years! You took some great photos.

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  12. Love your photos, commentary, the costumes, the pooch and lastly, that handsome pirate man....Natalie

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  13. Oh I love Whitby. I was meant to visit last year but had to cancel at the last minute. You've now reminded me to trawl t'interweb and get something booked. I'm so pleased both you and Rocky had a great time. X

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  14. Love the photos! It looks like fun!
    Hope you were able to sleep ok in your car.

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  15. Whitby looks like a lovely town and what fun to go on the goth weekend! The costumes are amazing. I particularly like the ones that look Victorian to me which I think are the ones they now call Steampunk.

    You are so good to sweet Rocky. Just wondering if you had wanted to stay at a B&B would he have been allowed or do most not permit pups? I can see that the YHA would not allow pups.

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  16. Pleased you enjoyed Whitby Ilona, if you had given me a call you could have stayed overnight at my house, Rocky would have been welcome also. as you know Scarborough is only a mile or so down the moor from Whitby. I am having a few days in Torquay this week, hope the weather picks up as the forcast isnt over exciting.
    Danneke

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  17. I can see that Whitby is a great place to visit, and the Goths and others put a lot of thought in to their garb.

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