Whitby is a small seaside town situated in North Yorkshire. From cute cobbles to walks along the beach \u2013 it is definitely a place you can call home. No matter how far you drift, you always come back to the little town of Whitby. Now I\u2019m pretty sure Whitby is just like every other small town around the country, but these are some signs you’ve grown up in Whitby.<\/p>\n
If you didn\u2019t know, Whitby is famously known for it\u2019s fish and chips. As you can imagine, Whitby is full of fish and chip restaurants and take-outs. Believe it or not, we take our fish and chips very<\/em> seriously, and we all have our loyalties to our favourite fish and chip shop. We don\u2019t mess around and admittedly, from personal experiences, it can get ugly. A relentless battle between who is right and who is wrong. In the end, we all have to agree to disagree because there\u2019s only so many fish and chip conflicts one can take.<\/p>\n Regatta. Where do I even begin? Regatta was and (shamefully) still is one of the most exciting events that happens in Whitby. Regatta is a long weekend in the middle of August where the whole town comes together. From rides to competitions (even one\u2019s dogs can enter\u2026yes, you read that right) When we were young, the night before regatta Monday was probably the second best night of the year (apart from Christmas Eve, obviously).<\/p>\n Anyone who lives in Whitby, actually scratch that, anyone who has merely passed through, will know that the struggle is real<\/em> when it comes to seagulls. Now, don\u2019t get me wrong, they don\u2019t bother me on a daily basis (I try and mentally block them out). But no matter what you have in your hands, I can guarantee a seagull will happily take whatever it is you have in your hands, out of them.<\/p>\n Whitby is a very<\/em> popular holiday destination, and that only means one thing. Tourists. In the height of summer, where we call home and what we love to do is simply just an inconvenience. Forget the running statement \u2018I\u2019m going to quickly pop into town\u2019 \u2013 no. There is no such thing as \u2018quick\u2019 when it comes to summer and tourists. You want to make a 10-minute journey through town? Add on 15-minutes, and then another 10, and actually, maybe another 20-minutes on top. In fact, just stay out of Whitby at all costs. Stay inside, go on holiday or even, I don\u2019t know, immigrate<\/em>?<\/p>\n As far back as our minds will allow us to wander, our first memories will most probably be of primary school. There\u2019s no doubt about it, your years at school are the best years of your life, and they only get better as you grow older. For us, it goes primary school, secondary school and college. I only discovered this when I went to university (yes, that was only three years ago) that in fact, it is not secondary school to everyone else. To others, it is middle school<\/em>. (I guess this point is totally, pointless? But it seriously blew my mind)<\/p>\n For me, there was no better way than spending a sunny Saturday on the beach with family and friends. But, first things first; ice cream. A Mr Whippy with sprinkles and a flake was the top of any 10-year-olds list (If we\u2019re being honest, it still is). But the sun went in and the day came to an end, memories were made on what we called our<\/em> beach. Childhood memories consist of donkey rides which were compulsory, and even a bounce on the trampolines was absolutely necessary (obviously<\/em>).<\/p>\n I\u2019m sure every small town has the same continuous dispute, passed down from older generations. It will simply never get old – school rivalries. You had the people that were not into conflict (and didn\u2019t really care), then you have the hard core kids where it was simply fundamental to their time at school. However as a school year, in fact, the whole school \u2013 we firmly stuck together. We probably like to think<\/em> we\u2019re over it, but secretly we\u2019re not.<\/p>\n If there\u2019s one thing for sure, it\u2019s not getting away with anything. In Whitby, there\u2019s eyes everywhere<\/em>. You want to meet a boy for the first time without anyone finding out? No chance. Have you told your mum and dad you\u2019re at a friend\u2019s house but you\u2019re really out in town? Don\u2019t bother. Trust me, you will get caught. Everyone knows everyone in Whitby, and if you don\u2019t know them, they\u2019ll know your mum.<\/p>\n Whitby is unique for a lot of reasons, but one I can be sure about is our knack for making new words. Honestly, we have a completely different vocabulary to the rest of the country, and even the north as a whole. Words that make no sense at all, and don\u2019t really have any meaning somehow get used on the daily.<\/p>\n Once you turn eighteen, that\u2019s it, you\u2019re out every weekend with your friends making the most of Saturday night. This is all fun and games until you want to let your hair down and have a little fun. This is no exaggeration, if you commit to a Saturday night out in town, you have to prepare to see everyone<\/em> you know (and I mean everyone). From past teachers to your middle-aged uncle, before you know it, they\u2019re drinking you under the table and they\u2019re putting you in a taxi home.<\/p>\n There\u2019s no place like home and what makes any home irreplaceable are the small things we take for granted. For me, and I\u2019m sure a lot of other people in Whitby too, it’s our love for a sunset. To put it simply, Whitby sunsets just cannot<\/em> be beaten. Wrapped up warm, sipping on a creamy hot chocolate while watching the sun setting has always been, and will forever be my favourite thing about living in Whitby.<\/p>\n Whether you were born in Whitby or you moved here when you were young, Whitby has something special to offer, from historic memoirs to relaxing on the beach. There’s obviously the exception, but if we’re all being honest with ourselves, we can all admit – there’s no place like home. I mean, whats not to love?<\/p>\n It\u2019s one thing growing up in Whitby yourself, but if your parents did too, then all I can say is good luck – you have no chance. You\u2019ll be walking to work and you\u2019ll be stopped in your path with \u201cAre you so and so\u2019s daughter? Aw, you look just like her!\u201d No exaggeration, this has recently happened to me. I\u2019ve said it before and I\u2019ll say it again \u2013 everybody knows e.v.e.r.y.b.o.d.y.<\/p>\n A childhood memory I’m sure anyone will remember, is the first time they\u2019re allowed out with their friends (on their own!!). I mean, it’s a big deal for your 12\u2013year-old self. Since we were more mature and we were basically<\/em> adults, we were trusted to make our own memories and go on our own adventures (well, adventures that were 10 minutes from home). But we didn\u2019t care, we finally<\/em> had our independence. We walked down town with a swag<\/em> in our step and ate ice cream like our life depended on it.<\/p>\n One thing I remember about school was if one person had something, then you had to have it. Nothing<\/em> was sacred in secondary school. Your best friend had a pink fluffy pencil? You also had to have a pink fluffy pencil. The girl you sit next to in math had a Topshop tote? You also had to have a Topshop tote. Everybody had to have the same everything, there was no doubt about it.<\/p>\n Whitby is a small seaside town situated in North Yorkshire. From cute cobbles to walks along the beach \u2013 it is definitely a place you can call home. No matter how far you drift, you always come back to the little town of Whitby. Now I\u2019m pretty sure Whitby is just like every other small…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24774,"featured_media":136653,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":true},"categories":[8522],"tags":[8614,15197,9397,15672],"thb-sponsors":[],"class_list":["post-136652","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-city-life","tag-city-life","tag-growing-up","tag-hometown","tag-whitby"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n\n<\/h6>\n
2. Regatta Monday<\/h2>\n
3. Seagulls<\/h2>\n
4. Tourists<\/h2>\n
\n<\/h6>\n
5. Primary, Secondary and College<\/h2>\n
6. Seaside Saturday\u2019s<\/h2>\n
7. School Rivalries<\/h2>\n
8. You Can\u2019t Get Away With Anything<\/h2>\n
9. We Make Up Our Own Words<\/h2>\n
\n<\/h6>\n
10. You Can\u2019t Go Anywhere<\/h2>\n
11.Sunsets<\/h2>\n
12. No Place Like Home<\/h2>\n
13. Strangers Will Know Who You Are<\/h2>\n
14. Independence Day<\/h2>\n
15. Everybody Had Everything<\/h2>\n
Have you got any special memories of growing up in a small town? Tell us below.<\/h5>\n
Featured Image Source:\u00a0https:\/\/www.historic-uk.com\/HistoryMagazine\/DestinationsUK\/Whitby-Yorkshire\/<\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"