Scarborough

Scarborough is a large resort on the North Yorkshire coast in the north of England; it had a population of almost 62,000 in 2011. It has two broad, sandy bays divided by a headland, with confident Victorian hotels ranged above.

Understand
A castle was established on the headland in the Norman era, and the town first grew up along the more sheltered South Bay. There was fishing and sea trade, but it wasn't much of a harbour, and Scarborough mostly owes its existence to the strange course of the River Derwent. This arises nearby, but instead of flowing to the coast it turns inland, carving a broad valley between the North York Moors and the Yorkshire Wolds. So this was a natural transport route: for traders heading to Scarborough Fair, for marauding armies including the Normans, Scots and Royalists alternating with Parliamentarians, and above all for holiday-makers. In 1626 one of the springs that bubbled out of the cliffs, staining the rocks with its mineral content, was claimed to have medicinal properties. People flocked for spa cures, from the springs and from sea-bathing. The railway arrived in 1845 and there was a spate of building grand hotels, expanding into North Bay and creating the townscape you see today. Leisure fashions have evolved but Scarborough remains a popular resort because of its ease of access from the industrial cities.
 * Visitor information from Visit Scarborough

By road
All routes to Scarborough get very congested on summer weekends. The main approach is along A64, which forks off A1(M) to pass York and Malton. Expect to hit tailbacks just east of York where the dual carriageway narrows to single.

Other routes are to leave A64 at York for A166 via Stamford Bridge and Bridlington; along A170 (for light vehicles only) from Thirsk and Pickering; from eastern England either via M18 then A614 or via Humber Bridge, Hull and A165; and from the north use A19 past Middlesbrough onto A171 then along the coast through Whitby.

Tune in to This is the Coast on DAB radio for travel reports to confirm that what you are stuck in is indeed a traffic jam.

Parking in town centre is ample much of the year but fills up quickly in summer. For day trips use the Park and Rides, both south side: on A64 Seamer Road and on A165 Filey Road.

By train
TransPennine Express trains run hourly from Liverpool Lime Street via Manchester Victoria, Leeds, York and Malton to Scarborough. From London and the south, change at York. Reservations are needed for bicycles.

Northern Rail trains run every two hours from Hull via Beverley, Bridlington, Bempton (for Flamborough Head) and Filey to Scarborough.

On summer weekends these trains are packed with families heading to the seaside.

is next to the main bus stand in West Square. It has a staffed ticket office and machines, a waiting room and toilets. Lots of cafes nearby. There is step-free access to all platforms.

By bus
The National Express direct from London Victoria has been axed: travel to Leeds and take the Coastliner, 10 hours in all.

The Yorkshire Coastliner 843 runs hourly from Leeds via Tadcaster, York and Malton to Scarborough.

East Yorkshire Bus 121 runs every two hours from Hull via Beverley and Driffield to Bridlington. Change there for the hourly 12 / 13 via Filey to Scarborough.

East Yorkshire Bus 128 runs across the North York Moors from Helmsley via Pickering, Thornton-le-Dale, Brompton and Seamer to Scarborough. It runs hourly M-F, every two hours Sa, no Sunday service.

Arriva Bus X93 runs hourly from Middlesbrough via Guisborough and Whitby to Scarborough.

Get around
The town is a few miles long, but walk wherever possible.

The Tramway is a funicular, plying between St Nicholas St and the South Bay seafront, all of 248 feet / 76 m. Opened in 1881, it runs daily 10AM-5PM, adult fare £1.20 up and £1 down.

Open-top buses ply along the seafront between The Spa in South Bay and The Sands in North Bay. They run Apr-Oct daily every 15 min to 6:30PM or later. An adult day ticket is £5, child and concs £3.

The bus south to Filey gets you to Cayton Bay, and the bus north to Whitby gets you to Robin Hood's Bay, see Get in. But most of their route lies a mile or two inland, with limited access to the clifftop footpath.

Taxi firms ainclude Beeline (+44 1723 366666), Station Taxis (+44 1723 366366), Betty's (+44 1723 500190) and Boro Cars (+44 1723 361111).

See

 * is at the north end of South Bay, sheltered by the castle headland from nor'easterly weather. There's a small lighthouse, really just a harbour light, and Luna Park funfair at the east pier end.
 * , completed in 1863, is the attractive High Anglican church on Albion Road. Panels around the pulpit are by the Pre-Raphaelites.
 * is in a glen opening onto North Bay; always open, free, dogs on leads welcome. It has Japanese-themed gardens, a pagoda and a boating lake. A mock naval battle is staged on the lake June Sa, July Th Sa, Aug M Th Sa; adult £4.50, child £2.50.
 * The Italian Gardens and Rose Garden by the Esplanade overlook South Bay. Some 300 yards south, the grassy bank was the site of the Holbeck Hall Hotel. Many places along this eroded coast have fallen into the sea but this hotel spectacularly did so live on TV news in 1993. The cause was not coastal erosion, but heavy rain liquidising the subsoil, which landslipped. The spot is marked by an information board plus a poignant caption on Google Map: "add a missing place".
 * is in an Italianate villa on The Crescent. Rotating art exhibits, there isn't a permanent collection. It's open Tu-Su 10AM-5PM, adult £3 includes The Rotunda.
 * The Rotunda 100 yards east on Vernon Road was built in 1829 to display the geology collection of William Smith, who realised one could correlate geological strata by the fossils they contain. open Tu-Su 10AM-5PM, adult £3 includes the Art Gallery.
 * or The Sea Cut is a partly artificial channel to manage the flow of the River Derwent. This arises in the North York Moors close to the North Sea, but its direct course was blocked by Ice Age mud deposits, so for the last 11,000 years or so it's flowed inland — the River Niger of Yorkshire, with Malton as its Timbuktu. The Derwent has 70 miles (110 km) to flow to reach the tidal Humber with only 135 ft (41 m) to fall, so it's flood-prone. A channel was completed in 1804 to divert water from its upper reaches into the natural Scalby Beck. There are paths along its length.
 * are in the Derwent Valley below the Sea Cut intake. Some of the woodland is 6000 years old. The woods were formerly used for charcoal to fire forges, hence the name, but are now protected as a National Nature Reserve.
 * Robin Hood's Bay: see Whitby for this picturesque harbour, and for the oddity of Ravenscar, a Victorian attempt to create a beach resort out of a disused alum factory that lacked a beach.
 * or The Sea Cut is a partly artificial channel to manage the flow of the River Derwent. This arises in the North York Moors close to the North Sea, but its direct course was blocked by Ice Age mud deposits, so for the last 11,000 years or so it's flowed inland — the River Niger of Yorkshire, with Malton as its Timbuktu. The Derwent has 70 miles (110 km) to flow to reach the tidal Humber with only 135 ft (41 m) to fall, so it's flood-prone. A channel was completed in 1804 to divert water from its upper reaches into the natural Scalby Beck. There are paths along its length.
 * are in the Derwent Valley below the Sea Cut intake. Some of the woodland is 6000 years old. The woods were formerly used for charcoal to fire forges, hence the name, but are now protected as a National Nature Reserve.
 * Robin Hood's Bay: see Whitby for this picturesque harbour, and for the oddity of Ravenscar, a Victorian attempt to create a beach resort out of a disused alum factory that lacked a beach.

Do

 * Beaches: South Bay has amusement arcades, a funfair, the harbour, the Spa complex, donkey rides, and all the trappings of a traditional English seaside resort. North Bay, the other side of the castle headland, is quieter and less developed. Both are sandy, and almost completely covered at high tide.
 * Scarborough Spa is a music and events venue on South Shore.
 * Open Air Theatre on North Bay, with a capacity of 8000, puts on big-name concerts in summer; bring your waterproofs.
 * North Bay Railway is a 20 inch gauge railway: trains chunter for most of a mile between Peasholm Park and the Sea Life Centre at Scalby Mills. Four locomotives are "outline" or mock-steam, but with diesel-hydraulic power units. In 2016 a true steam locomotive came into service, the 0-4-0 Georgina. Trains run Easter-Oct every 20-30 min, adult day pass £4.20, child £3.20.
 * Golf: North Cliff GC is near the Sea Life Centre, and South Cliff GC is on Oliver's Mount.
 * five miles south of town has a broad sandy beach. It's the main spot for surfing, wind-surfing and the like.
 * Walk: The Cleveland Way follows a 110-mile loop (175-km) from Helmsley round the rim of the North York Moors through Osmotherley, Guisborough, Saltburn-by-the-Sea, Whitby, Scarborough and Filey. The sections near Scarborough all follow the coast and are obvious: north along the cliffs to Scalby, Ravenscar and Robin Hood's Bay, or south along the beach (covered at high tide) then cliffs via Cayton Bay to Filey Brigg and town.
 * The Cinder Track is the old railway between Scarborough and Whitby. It's suitable for walking, cycling and horse-riding. It winds along the contours a mile or two inland so it has limited sea views but is level going.
 * Cricket: the cricket ground is on North Marine Road near Peasholm Park. Scarborough CC play in the Yorkshire Premier League North, and Yorkshire CCC occasionally play here.
 * Football: Scarborough Athletic play away down in the lower tiers of English soccer. Their home ground is Flamingoland Stadium (capacity 2833) on Ashburn Rd a mile south of the railway station.
 * Goldwing Light Parade is an evening parade of garishly-lit Goldwing motorbikes, fundraising for charity. The last is on Saturday 9 September 2023.
 * Scarborough Pride parade was last held on Saturday 30 Sep 2023.
 * Cricket: the cricket ground is on North Marine Road near Peasholm Park. Scarborough CC play in the Yorkshire Premier League North, and Yorkshire CCC occasionally play here.
 * Football: Scarborough Athletic play away down in the lower tiers of English soccer. Their home ground is Flamingoland Stadium (capacity 2833) on Ashburn Rd a mile south of the railway station.
 * Goldwing Light Parade is an evening parade of garishly-lit Goldwing motorbikes, fundraising for charity. The last is on Saturday 9 September 2023.
 * Scarborough Pride parade was last held on Saturday 30 Sep 2023.

Buy

 * Scarborough Rock, anywhere along the prom.
 * Tesco next to the railway station is open M-Sa 6AM-midnight, Su 10AM-4PM.
 * The main retail strip is south edge of town, along Seamer Rd A64, with a Lidl supermarket.
 * Market Hall near West Pier is trading M-Sa 8AM-5PM.
 * Market Hall near West Pier is trading M-Sa 8AM-5PM.

Eat

 * Lookout on the Pier - on West Pier to be specific - serves seafood daily 7:30AM-4:30PM.
 * Farrer's serves hearty trad fare within the Spa, open F-W 9AM-10:30PM, Th 9AM-6PM.
 * Embers earns great reviews. It's at 138 Victoria Rd a block back from the railway station, open W-F 5-9PM, Sa noon-3AM.
 * Farrer's serves hearty trad fare within the Spa, open F-W 9AM-10:30PM, Th 9AM-6PM.
 * Embers earns great reviews. It's at 138 Victoria Rd a block back from the railway station, open W-F 5-9PM, Sa noon-3AM.

Drink
Scarborough is reckoned to have the most pubs per capita in Britain, 170 across the district and dozens in town centre. This competition keeps prices down.
 * The Rooftop overlooking the harbour is open daily 10:30AM-10PM.
 * The Lord Rosebery is a JD Wetherspoon opposite the railway station, open Su-Th 8AM-midnight, F Sa 8AM-2AM.
 * Yorkshire Spirit Malt Whisky is distilled at nearby Hunmanby, and first went on sale in 2019. See Filey for distillery tours.
 * The Lord Rosebery is a JD Wetherspoon opposite the railway station, open Su-Th 8AM-midnight, F Sa 8AM-2AM.
 * Yorkshire Spirit Malt Whisky is distilled at nearby Hunmanby, and first went on sale in 2019. See Filey for distillery tours.
 * Yorkshire Spirit Malt Whisky is distilled at nearby Hunmanby, and first went on sale in 2019. See Filey for distillery tours.

Sleep
There are more hotels and small B&Bs than you could shake a stick at. Supply usually well exceeds demand.
 * Premier Inn are a reliable well-run chain. They have two places near town centre: South Bay on Falconers Rd YO11 2EN, and North Bay at 26 Burnieston Road YO12 6PH. Rates in 2020 were around £80 per double room plus £10 pp for breakfast.
 * Premier Inn are a reliable well-run chain. They have two places near town centre: South Bay on Falconers Rd YO11 2EN, and North Bay at 26 Burnieston Road YO12 6PH. Rates in 2020 were around £80 per double room plus £10 pp for breakfast.
 * Premier Inn are a reliable well-run chain. They have two places near town centre: South Bay on Falconers Rd YO11 2EN, and North Bay at 26 Burnieston Road YO12 6PH. Rates in 2020 were around £80 per double room plus £10 pp for breakfast.
 * Premier Inn are a reliable well-run chain. They have two places near town centre: South Bay on Falconers Rd YO11 2EN, and North Bay at 26 Burnieston Road YO12 6PH. Rates in 2020 were around £80 per double room plus £10 pp for breakfast.
 * Premier Inn are a reliable well-run chain. They have two places near town centre: South Bay on Falconers Rd YO11 2EN, and North Bay at 26 Burnieston Road YO12 6PH. Rates in 2020 were around £80 per double room plus £10 pp for breakfast.
 * Premier Inn are a reliable well-run chain. They have two places near town centre: South Bay on Falconers Rd YO11 2EN, and North Bay at 26 Burnieston Road YO12 6PH. Rates in 2020 were around £80 per double room plus £10 pp for breakfast.
 * Premier Inn are a reliable well-run chain. They have two places near town centre: South Bay on Falconers Rd YO11 2EN, and North Bay at 26 Burnieston Road YO12 6PH. Rates in 2020 were around £80 per double room plus £10 pp for breakfast.
 * Premier Inn are a reliable well-run chain. They have two places near town centre: South Bay on Falconers Rd YO11 2EN, and North Bay at 26 Burnieston Road YO12 6PH. Rates in 2020 were around £80 per double room plus £10 pp for breakfast.
 * The Falcon Inn on the road north to Whitby re-opens in March 2024.
 * The Falcon Inn on the road north to Whitby re-opens in March 2024.
 * The Falcon Inn on the road north to Whitby re-opens in March 2024.
 * The Falcon Inn on the road north to Whitby re-opens in March 2024.
 * The Falcon Inn on the road north to Whitby re-opens in March 2024.
 * The Falcon Inn on the road north to Whitby re-opens in March 2024.
 * The Falcon Inn on the road north to Whitby re-opens in March 2024.
 * The Falcon Inn on the road north to Whitby re-opens in March 2024.

Connect
Scarborough and its environs and approach roads have a good mobile and 4G signal from all UK carriers. As of July 2020, 5G has not reached this area.

Go next

 * North past Robin Hood's Bay is Whitby, an attractive fishing harbour with a ruined abbey and a Gothic history, thanks to Dracula.
 * The North York Moors rise inland. Pickering has a well-preserved castle, and steam trains ply across the moors towards Whitby. Rievaulx Abbey is nearby.
 * South is Filey where you can walk out to sea along the Brigg, and walk back again unless you've been careless about tide times. Further south are the magnificent cliffs of Flamborough Head, then the pleasant resort of Bridlington.
 * Malton has several nearby historic buildings; the standout is Castle Howard.
 * Brontë Country: other sites associated with the Brontë sisters are mostly around Haworth in West Yorkshire.