Whitby Post: The Dracula Connection

"There, on our favourite seat, the silver light of the moon struck a half-reclining figure, snowy white... something dark stood behind the seat where the white figure shone, and bent over it. What it was, whether man or beast, I could not tell."

Dracula by Brahm Stoker

The novel, Dracula, written by Brahm Stoker and published in 1897 is possibly the most famous Vampire novel ever written, when someone says Vampire to most people as vision is conjured up of one of the many actors who have played the famous Count in the various film and television adaptations of the book.

A lot of the locations in the book are based on real places, and a lot of those places are in Whitby.

Count Dracula makes his first appearance in the harbour, disguised as a large dog that leaps from an abandoned ship. 

That part of the story is based on a local story that apparently really happened, although weather or not their really was a man tied to the ships wheel, clutching a cross remains a mystery.

This partially hidden tunnel (to find it look for the park bench that appears to be perched on the edge of a very high drop- this is an optical illusion- the tunnel goes through the hill the bench is atop), is where Mina runs through after seeing Lucy acting out of character.

How Mina didn't break her ankles is beyond me, as after it are some very steep steps leading to the (rather smelly), fish market. I almost fell, and I was walking...And wearing sensible shoes!

This is the bottom of the famous 199 steps, that lead not to the Abbey as many people believe, but to St Mary's Churchyard.

Mina Murray must have been as fit as a fiddle, because she ran up these very steep steps as well.

I took this picture of the spectacular view halfway up while I was catching my breath!

The Graveyard of St Mary's church is where Mina finds Lucy sleeping on a bench, and where the following day Mina and Lucy's friend is found dead, his neck snapped by the Count. The Graveyard is huge and stretches from the end of the steps almost up to the Abbey.

At the very top of the hill lie the beautiful, crumbling ruins of Whitby Abbey.

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22.    A cheesy name for a gay porno film parody:

Edwina Scissorlegs