The English seaside town of Whitby is probably best known by international audiences for its inclusion in the 1897 gothic horror novel Dracula, by Bram Stoker. In this book, Dracula arrives at the port in the shape of a large black dog and runs up the steps towards the Church of St. Mary atop the cliff. In real life of course, this would be impossible for a vampire to do. Vampires are known for their obsessive tendency to count things and, despite their common name of 'The 199 Steps', no person living or otherwise has ever been able to accurately count them all. Many have tried, but will inevitably become distracted by all the other lovely things going on in Whitby. There's the Whitby Museum with its large display of Whitby Jet (that's jet the stone, not jet the aeroplane), the Lobster Hatchery where you can see various specimens of the marine life native to the area, and multiple golf courses to enjoy, including two mini-golf courses!
Anyway, back on topic. No person has ever been able to count the steps without becoming distracted. A human may simply give up and climb the rest of the stairs towards the Church, as well as the graveyard which is actually quite interesting as well. Many of the gravestones have skulls and crossbones engraved on them, but there is conflicting evidence as to why. Some believe it marks the grave of a pirate, or a vampire buried before they turned. All we know is that it is not Count Dracula, whose remains are, last I heard, contained in a secure location elsewhere in the North York Moors.
I got off topic again, sorry. Point is, a vampire would feel an overwhelming urge to count all the steps and, since that is impossible without wanting to suddenly talk about things like the Captain Cook Memorial Museum (open 9.45am - 5.00pm, last admission half an hour before closing), they will never be able to ascend all the way up to the top of the cliff and desecrate the Church grounds, perhaps by despoiling the grave of early English poet and monk Saint Caedmon, or by releasing the spirit of Constance De Beverley from Whitby Abbey in the hopes she seeks revenge on the town.
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