Whitby is a English seaside town in Yorkshire through which runs River Esk.

A maritime port since first settlement it is best known for the ruins of Whitby Abbey. This mamoth stone structure,now in ruins,Gothic in style but known to many as Bram Strokers inspiration for Dracula.

The waterfront is the drawcard for both seafarers and visitors alike as they eat the famous seafoods such as Whitby Scaampi (prawns).

One has an almost limitless choice of cafes and restaurants plying the "Traditional Fish & Chips"

Whitby was recently in the news regarding the replica Endeavour that calls Whitby home. The owner has been issued a liquor licence causing a divided community reaction with some claiming its a ploy to bring hundreds of party goers to Hens & Stag nights as I saw happening in Portugal. While a few appaule it as bring increased tourist dollars eh pounds i meant. A small vocal minority even were against it as "Whitby is our home spoilt by tourists."

With the replica Eneavour now tied up at Whitby docks the circle has been completed.

A young man by the name of James Cook lived and served his apprenticeship for some seven years to Captain John Walker in Whitby.

James Cook named after his father was born in Marton in Cleveland (UK) and moved with his family to Great Ayton in Yorkshire where his father worked as a farm overseer. James attended the local village school after which he spent 12 months as a grocers assistant but his love of the water and anything marine related soon saw him at Whitby.

Whitby was known as being the place as far as Maritime training went. The Mathematics Faculty was one of the best and the Quakers who apprentced Cook were well knwn as being able shipbuilders and while numbering only some 200-300 of the 5000 community of Whitby had the upperhand in most Maritime areas.

Young James became a personal friend of the Walker family and was given special assistance ie a candle and a table to study the art of seamanship while other apprentices talked and play games.

It was in the very house that the Walker Family lived in that i found my self as I trace more of the early history of Australia, my home nation.

The Walker home while changed little since Cook first arrived in 1746 is now a dedicated museum called "Captain Cook Memorial Museum Whitby"

I was still able to stand,barely, in the attic that Cook shared with as many as 14 fellow apprentices.

The Museum contains many artifacts from Cook's voyages of discovery that lead to a better understanding of where Australia was located and yes seperated from New Guinea and New Zealand.

To me the most interesting aspects of this visit was learning more about the man James Cook as a father of 6 children. The heart break of losing three of his children at a young age and then hw his wife Elizabeth coped for a further 56 years after his death. In those days a woman was often dead before reaching the age of 50 but Elizabeth survived and her origfinal mourning broach is one of the original family heirlooms displayed.

The run South West from Whitby to Lincoln saw us pass again many fields of wheat under harvest while England enjoys record temperatures.

The farm tractor in England is a universal vehicle and is often enconted even on relatively major roads making a heafty tractor speed while towing any number of trailers that may contain livestock heading to market or rural supplies coming back to the farm.

With the silage and fodder crops also under harvest it is common to encounted tractors with upwards of 20 one tonne bales headed from paddock to the main farmyard.

Their progress noted by a combination of slow moving lines of held up traffic and straw littering the road surface.Not always a good combination as English traffic seems to enjoy doing at least the speed limit but usually more whatever the size or width of the roadway.

The trip while only a short 250kms was a day's travel as I elected to show Merrilyn more English villages and rural landscapes then motorway service centres and hedges. Tom Tom told me we averaged a whole 38kph for the day but no complaints as the village bakery also serve great food and the scenery is what we came to see.