Writing Dracula: A Walk of Whitby through Stoker’s Eyes

Whitby‘s atmospheric cliffs and shadowy lanes provided the eerie inspiration for one of literature‘s most enduring monsters. On this atmospheric audio tour, you‘ll follow in the footsteps of Bram Stoker, exploring the very locations that sparked his imagination as he crafted Dracula during his 1890 visit to this coastal town.

The tour begins at Number 6 Royal Crescent, where Stoker lodged during his fateful stay in Whitby. You‘ll stroll through the picturesque Royal Crescent gardens before making your way down to the seafront. As you walk alongside the crashing waves, across Whitby Bridge, and through narrow medieval passages, you‘ll discover how this seemingly serene fishing town with its melancholic air influenced Stoker‘s gothic masterpiece.

The tour ends at the haunting ruins of Whitby Abbey, whose gothic silhouette against the sky became one of the most iconic settings in horror literature. Through dramatized readings from Stoker‘s novel and his personal notes, you‘ll find out how reality and fiction intertwined to create a timeless tale of supernatural terror.

During this 45-minute walk through Whitby‘s historic streets, you‘ll have a chance to:

• Visit the actual lodgings where Bram Stoker stayed while developing his vampire masterpiece
• See the bench where Stoker sat making notes as his imagination took dark turns
• Walk along the harbor where the fictional vampire-carrying ship Demeter crashed ashore
• Hear chilling excerpts from Dracula, including Mina‘s moonlit pursuit of sleepwalking Lucy
• Discover local legends like the Barguest (a spectral black dog) that influenced Stoker‘s writing
• Learn how Stoker discovered the name “Dracula” while researching in Whitby‘s public library
• Explore the atmospheric graveyard of St. Mary‘s Church where key scenes in the novel take place

Step into the shadowy world of Victorian gothic horror and discover how a holiday visit to a seaside town gave birth to literature‘s most famous vampire.