Two whale jawbones set upright as an arch on the West Cliff, framing Whitby Abbey across the harbour when you stand in the right spot. It is an open landmark with nothing to book and nothing to pay — Google shows 4.6 from 3,036 reviews. — Google shows 4.6 from 3,036 reviews.
## What it is
The Whale Bone Arch is made from two lower jawbones of a whale, erected some time after 1853. That is very nearly the whole documented record: it is a landmark rather than a building, with no interior, no ticket desk and no opening time.
The bones you photograph now are not certain to be the ones a future visitor sees. North Yorkshire Council intends to replace them with a bronze replica. No date for that work is in the sources here, so if seeing actual bone matters to you, treat the current arrangement as temporary rather than permanent.
The arch stands beside the Captain Cook monument on the cliff top, and visitors tend to treat the two as one stop — one reviewer in May 2026 wrote that "next to it was the monument of Captain Cook and the view of the Whitby beach is beautiful". One visitor in April 2025 read the bones as "a nod to Whitby's history as a whaling town"; that connection is theirs, not something the record here confirms.
## What you actually see
An arch you walk under, on a grassed cliff-top strip with benches, looking down over the harbour mouth, the piers, the beach below and the abbey ruin on the opposite headland. Of the 40 recent Google reviews in our sample, 23 mention the view and 13 mention the abbey specifically — the view is doing most of the work here, and reviewers say so plainly.
The photograph everyone wants is the abbey seen through the arch, and it needs a little care. A visitor in April 2026 explained the trick: ""Most people were taking front on photos of friends and family under the whalebone [arch] but if you angle your perspective slightly you can include the iconic Whitby Abbey in the background."" Expect company while you try. An April 2026 reviewer noted that "people are desperate to get that all important photograph of the arch with the Abbey in the background".
Set expectations for the object itself. Two of the 40 reviewers found the bones themselves a let-down while still rating the spot highly for its setting;; one in October 2025 wrote that "for me, personally, the whale bones were a tad underwhelming", then said the scenery made up for it. One visitor in July 2026 reported that "the information board nearby is unreadable and needs to be replaced with a new copy", so read up before you arrive rather than expecting to learn anything standing there.
The benches are the reason to stay longer than the photograph takes. Four reviewers single them out, including one in August 2026 who called it a "lovely place to watch the world go by, loads of benches with great views over Whitby harbour". Cafés and shops sit along the same cliff-top run.
## Getting there
The arch is at 54.4903, -0.6163, on the West Cliff. From the town-centre point used across this guide it is roughly 400 m in a straight line, almost due north, but the walk is uphill — 12 of the 40 reviewers mention the hill, the climb or the steps.
Whitby's railway station and the bus station sit next to each other about 600 m away in a straight line, south along the harbour; reviewers describe steep steps up from the harbour side and a longer road route as the alternative. From the beach the arch is barely 90 m: the walking day published on this site reaches the arch five minutes after Whitby Beach and continues to lunch on Skinner Street.
Driving, Pavilion Drive Car Park is about 50 m from the arch and West Cliff Car Park about 320 m; both are North Yorkshire Council car parks, and charges and time limits change, so check the council's car park directory for each — Pavilion Drive (https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/roads-parking-and-travel/car-park-directory/car-park-directory/pavilion-drive-car-park-whitby) and West Cliff (https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/roads-parking-and-travel/car-park-directory/car-park-directory/west-cliff-car-park-whitby) — rather than trusting anything written here. Reports on payment conflict — one visitor in May 2025 found the machine — one in May 2025 found the machine "didn't take cash or card" and had to ring a number or download an app. A June 2026 reviewer found meters taking "money or card". A visitor in August 2026 reported "3 hour disc zone parking just 7 minutes walk away".
## What visitors say
- **May 2026, 5 stars:** stops here for the pairing with the Cook monument and the beach view — the standard short visit, done in minutes.
Replace this bullet and the July 2026 bullet with reviews not already quoted in the body — e.g. 25 May 2026, 5 stars: "There is Parking at the top of the big hill (in my eyes a bit expensive for the alowed times) with very steep steps leading down to the harbour side"; and 10 July 2026, 4 stars: "would avoid in the summer as it is very busy and not enjoyable. It is much betyer to visit out of season." Mark every truncation with an ellipsis.
- **July 2026, 4 stars:** "Not much to say about this site except it has lovely views of the sea and nearby Whitby Abbey. The information board nearby is unreadable."
- **June 2026, 4 stars:** "Not as spectacular as I thought it would be. No where to park near it so ended up just stopping to take a picture and going again. quite up hill to get to."
- **August 2025, 3 stars — the lowest rating in our sample:** "Quite disappointed with it once we got to the top. I guess being surrounded by shops and loud music takes its charm away. Worth the climb if only for the view."
## Common questions
### Are the bones real?
Yes — the arch is made from two lower jawbones of a whale, and was erected some time after 1853. North Yorkshire Council intends to replace them with a bronze replica, so the material may change.
### Is there anything to pay?
The arch itself is open cliff-top ground; a June 2026 reviewer noted "whalebone arch free". The arch costs nothing; the same reviewer notes you pay at the toilets, and parking is charged. Rates change — check the North Yorkshire Council car park directory before you go: https://www.northyorks.gov.uk/roads-parking-and-travel/car-park-directory/car-park-directory/pavilion-drive-car-park-whitby
### Can I reach it with a wheelchair or pushchair?
Not by the steps. Three reviews touch on it and none of them is encouraging. A visitor in November 2019 said the walk up is short "if you can take the steps, but if you have a wheelchair or pushchair its much longer"; one in July 2026 wrote "Easy for us to get to. Not so easy in wheel chair"; a third in May 2026 describes steep steps down to the harbour and a longer route "via the path that follows the road", without saying whether that route is step-free. A reviewer in July 2021 noted they could not tell whether there is a disabled toilet.
