By Linda Tancs

You’ll just need to climb a mere 199 stone steps to get fetching views of the harbor and town of Whitby in North Yorkshire, England. If that’s too arduous for you, then take the bus tour instead. No matter how you ascend, you’ll also get to visit the ruins of the Benedictine abbey that was founded after the Norman Conquest. A bit more off-the-beaten path is the abbey’s medieval, mile boundary marker. Known as the Whitby wishing chair, the seat-like stone base structure is all that remains of a cross marking the way to the abbey. As the name suggests, you’re supposed to sit in it and make a wish. You’ll find it at the junction of Love Lane and Stakesby Road on the western outskirts of town.

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