St Hilda

The church sits on the cliff above Whitby with all the drama you'd expect from a place that inspired Bram Stoker. St Hilda's has been here since Saxon times, though what you see now is mostly Victorian reconstruction after the roof collapsed in 1830. The interior is all high stone arches and decent light - no gloomy medieval gloom, which some find disappointing and others find rather refreshing.

You're really coming here for the setting and the literary connections. The graveyard sprawls across the clifftop with proper old headstones, and on a clear day you get the full sweep of Whitby harbour below. It takes about forty minutes to look around properly, maybe an hour if you're reading every inscription.

Families with younger kids might find it a bit dull after the initial ten minutes - there's not much to do beyond wandering and taking photos. Older children and history types will get more from it, especially if they've read or watched Dracula. Walkers passing through Whitby will appreciate it as a sensible stop on a clifftop circuit.

It's free to enter and always accessible. Go midweek if you want peace - weekends can get rammed with coach parties. The nearby Broadings Farm Caravan Site and Whitby Holiday Park are both under a mile away, so you can base yourself locally and tackle it as a quick morning or late afternoon visit. Don't expect revelations, but the views and the atmosphere make it worth thirty minutes of your time.