In terms of dramatic scenery, Whitby is one of the country's best kept secrets. Andrew Mosley holed up in a log cabin in a nearby forest in an attempt to uncover its gems.
IT''S not just the Dracula connection, or the 199 steps up to the spooky Gothic abbey with its tremendous views along the East coast.
It's not the fact that Heartbeat is filmed nearby, or that the spectacular scenery of the hauntingly bleak North Yorkshire Moors rolls out for mile after mile. Or, indeed, that the seaside towns of Scarborough, Bridlington and Filey, with a collection of ruggedly stunning coastal and inland villages linking them together, are within reach.
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It's all of this and more which makes Whitby such an attractive place to visit.
If that's not enough, on top of the coast, moorlands and towns, there's forestry.
It's dark when we tentatively wend our way through the fog along the pitch-black track into Keldy Forest, where we will inhabit a log cabin for the next three nights.
It's not a log cabin in the typical sense, either. We are amazed by the size of this Scandanivian-style abode, which sleeps six (the on-site stone cottages sleep up to 10), has its own kitchen, toilet and shower room, is warm, comfortable and spacious, and has a cooker, washing machine, fridge, microwave and TV, as well as a parking space outside.
The site at Keldy - co-owned by The Forestry Commission and The Camping and Caravanning Club - in the heart of the North Yorkshire National Park, around 20 miles from Whitby, is peaceful and the forest air is clean and fresh.
There's a shop on site and plenty of mapped out routes (pack a picnic!) for walks (including ranger-led treks) and cycle paths (you can hire a mountain bike) through the stunning countryside, with the unhurried pace offering a real chance to get close to nature.
Forest Holidays has embarked on a five-year £40 million investment programme to upgrade its sites.
The first phase of the cabin investment programme has already begun and an upgraded range of cabins at all three sites has been introduced.
Standard cabins have been joined by superior cabins and VIP cabins, with superiors offering an additional en-suite shower room, upgraded furnishings and a widescreen TV and DVD player, while VIPs feature a wood burner and outdoor hot tub from which you can take in the scenery from a jacuzzi on your own private veranda.
Looking out of our cabin window we watched pheasants playing happily with relatively timid squirrels. There's even a badger hide on site.
Three, four and seven-night stays are available, but whichever you choose there's plenty to do, including nearby golf, fishing and horseriding.
In between walking the forest and its surrounding area, we made the 15 or so mile journey to Whitby, where we visited the world famous Magpie fish and chip restaurant, walked up to the abbey, trawled the interesting array of independent local shops - and some good pubs - and took in the tremendous coastal views.
We also drove to the nearby unspoilt village of Robin Hood's Bay, headed over to Scarborough (24 miles from Keldy), where the pretty old town is certainly worth a visit.
We then enjoyed a meal in the White Swan gastro-pub in the market town of Pickering, which dates back to 270BC and is just seven miles from the site. York is only 35 miles away and the Forestry Commission Visitor Centre at Dalby Forest 8.5 miles, but there just wasn't time to see everything.
The nearest pub is around three miles from Keldy and is walkable, although you might not want to do it alone on a dark night, so it is best to stock up on food and booze, although essentials are available from the site shop.
Another positive is that this is holidaying without the guilt factor - your carbon footprint, if you worry about that sort of thing, will be particularly low and recycling facilities are available on site. All in, a peaceful, relaxing and healthy break.
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