Is Whitby most scenic town on the East Coast of England.

I'm not sure that a superlative like " most " is appropriate , but if you visit Whitby , you certainly will be rewarded . The place is full of rugged , windswept charm and can easily fill a whole day .

I was in Whitby, North Yorkshire this past summer. Its a seaside town with some interesting shops and an Abbey (ruins) on the hill. The harbor comes into the center of town. We did not climb the 199 steps to the Abbey. We had Great fish and chips at the Magpie, took a walk around the harbor and took the scenic railway back to Pickering. I wouldn't describe Whitby as necessarily pretty. Its nice, but there are other places I would rather go to. Robin Hoods Bay (5 miles south of Whitby) is a very picture postcard fishing village worth a visit if you are in that direction. If your take the train into York (either from Cambridge or London) then stay a night in York, walk the city, and rent a car the following day. If you want to see pretty villages go into the North Yorkshire Moors or Dales (further West) and return the car to York and hop back on the the train to Edinburgh. From Cambridge to York its about 4 hours in a car ( just did it this summer) and IMO not very interesting countryside in between. From York to Edinburgh its another 4 hours by car.

Spent an evening and morning in Whitby and loved it. Be sure to make a reservation as it is a very popular destination depending on when you go. The drive through the moors is lovely and a car allows you to explore more of the coast line (and you can drive up the hill to the abbey).

I also recommend stopping in Durham on your way to Edinburgh - it's right along the way after Whitby. You can park and spend a few hours walking through town, visit the cathedral and walk along the river with amazing views of the cathedral.

You could take the train to York and rent a car there. As the other poster noted, the scenery improves north of York but isn't all that south from London.

If you like museums, Whitby has a great quirky one, filled from ancestral attics & collections, The Manse to the cottage.
Also an engaging Captain James Cook museum. The Abbey ruins and setting are spectacular, with a Dracula connection, from Bram Stoker's novel.
Probably not THE most scenic town along the coast, but enjoyable, definitely full of character. Robin Hood's Bay is nearby (6 mi. south), Lonely Planet says "one of the prettiest spots on the Yorkshire coast," but you can only park at the top of the serious cliff overlooking it & then hoof up & down (may be taxi service now).

York, emphatic yes. Cambridge - also yes - is all about the university & associated glories, but York has more & older grit as well as glory.

Yorkshire Sculpture Park, near Leeds, inland but WOW. Henry Moores etc in picturesque countryside, affable sheep grazing, excellent visitor center & cafe. We went there almost accidentally, turned out to be spectacular.

My husband went to university in Newcastle and usually referred to Whitby as "The Last Resort".

My British son in law and his mother, at least, say Whitby is their favorite place to 'get away to' in the UK. Robin Hoods Bay is his favorite, to be exact. (And his mother lives in an incredibly picturesque village in the Yorkshire Dales.)

Robin Hood's Bay is certainly picturesque but it's the surrounding countryside that is even more picturesque. You can walk part of the Cleveland Way track along the coastal bluff north of Robin Hood's Bay for a dramatic view of the North Sea. Or journey inland into the North York Moors to Grosmont for a pork pie and view of the Grosmont Steam Train.

We spent two nights in Whitby last April and really enjoyed it. We had a B and B up on the hill with a nice view of the water and the ruined abbey. We spent the intervening day walking the coast path to Robin Hood's Bay and then taking the bus back. The next day was the start of a bank holiday weekend and the town was so crowded it was tough to walk around.