THINK of Whitby and the mind naturally turns to sun, sand and sea and probably fish and chips. At less than an hour away from home it is the ideal day trip in the summer, but that is exactly where I have been going wrong. By the time you arrive in Whitby there's just about enough time to do the beach, the fish and chips and perhaps a walk along the harbour before it's time to go home.

And it's only by having the chance to spend a weekend in the relaxing setting of a beautifully furnished and charming old cottage, set right in the heart of this fascinating town, that I discovered just how much there is to explore.

Shoreline Cottages has 14 of these period homes in the area, 12 in Whitby and two in Sleights, all able to sleep up to four and eight people - and the company really has thought of just about everything for the self-catering holidaymaker.

The cottage that was home from home for the weekend was West End Cottage, which on foot was no more than a few minutes walk away from Whitby's harbour, through narrow roads and pathways. With two bedrooms, the second on the second floor, it could certainly be described as compact but the first thing that hits you as you walk in through the front door is the tranquillity, enhanced by the dcor. Carolyn Parker, of Wetherby designed the interior of the cottage, like all Shoreline cottages, but each cottage has kept its own individual feel with pictures, accessories and antiques from all around Yorkshire.

Shoreline Cottages certainly don't go in for providing the basics and expect the guest to make of their holiday what they will. There are CD players in the cottages, video recorders with blank tapes and a selection of films available on loan from Shoreline's own video library.

With all this to welcome you I felt as though I could have stayed for the week, to give Whitby its due I probably needed to.

Whitby, of course, is inundated with fish and chip shops and restaurants but unfortunately the Egon Ronay recommended restaurant, The Magpie, turned out to be closed for redecoration.Sadly, I had read its mouth-watering menu of fresh fish dishes before reading the closed sign!

Nevertheless when in Whitby it has to be fish, so I scoured the restaurants on offer and finally plumped for the Quarterdeck where the food was great and plentiful. Once replete, it was time to do Whitby.

It was only after lunch that I realised just how little time I had left to spend on what Whitby has to offer. There are two town trails, found in the tourist information office, opposite the railway station. The trails are divided, as is the town, by the River Esk and the one which I took led me up on to the West Cliff and the imposing Royal Hotel and was easy to follow and informative.

The sands, where Lewis Carroll is reputed to have written much of Alice in Wonderland, were not that inviting in the middle of winter but I did stroll along the pier. Everywhere else seemed to be covered in snow but Whitby, perhaps because of its seaside location, had a far milder climate and with the sun out it felt like a spring day.

It wasn't just Lewis Carroll who seems to have been enchanted by Whitby. Bram Stoker was inspired by the town to write the Dracula stories, although on a busy and bright Saturday afternoon I failed to see why. Artists find something irresistible about the light and atmosphere of Whitby. There are plenty of galleries in the town offering watercolours, sepia prints of Whitby photographer Frank Meadow and contemporary art, if you want to take home a keepsake of your holiday.

But this weekend there wasn't time to look in on those, nor the Dracula Experience which marks Bram Stoker's association with the town with lifelike models, opening coffins and electronic special effects.

I just about managed to fit in a quick trip to the ruins of Whitby Abbey, but by car rather than the 199 steps. Honestly, there really wasn't enough time.

And as I headed away from a seriously relaxing and comfortable weekend I found myself already planning a return visit, if only to do the other half of the town trail and count for myself the number of steps up to St Mary's Church and the 7th Century abbey.

FACTFILE

Shoreline Cottages can be contacted on Leeds 0113 289 3539 or by e-mail at HYPERLINK mailto:reservations//www.shoreline-cottages.com www.shoreline-cottages.com.

Cottages can sleep anywhere between up to four or up to eight people.

Prices for a week range from £406 to £538 in the high season for West End Cottage. At Christmas that rises to £592.

For the largest cottage, Bakehouse Cottage which sleeps eight, prices per week range from £550 to £790 in the high season. At Christmas that rises to £869.

Shoreline offers a range of services such as stocking up with groceries before guests arrive to mountain bike hire.

Cottages are routinely equipped with washing machine, tumble drier, microwave oven and other equipment and there is no extra charge for highchairs and cots.