Whitby is a historic town in North Yorkshire on the north-east coast of England. Nowadays it is a fishing port and tourist destination. It is situated 47 miles from York, at the mouth of the River Esk and spreads up the steep sides of the narrow valley carved out by the river's course. Over the centuries, the town spread both inland and onto the West Cliff, whilst the East Cliff (sometimes called the Haggerlythe) remains dominated by the ruins of Whitby Abbey founded by Oswiu or Oswy, the Christian king of Northumbria, in about 655 AD. It is quite a distance to reach the East Cliff by road, the alternative being to climb the 199 steps, which are famed enough that many who make the climb can be heard counting on the way up.