Scarborough

Scarborough is North Yorkshire's third largest town with a population of around 60,000. It is a Victorian spa resort situated on the North Sea coast. Safe sandy beaches and a mineral spa have made Scarborough one of the great Northern seaside resorts. Scarborough also has many luxury hotels such as The Crown Spa Scarborough as well as cheap budget hotels such as The Clifton Hotel Scarborough

For other places with the same name, see Scarborough (disambiguation).

Foreshore Road and Seafront

Get in

By car

The main route into Scarborough from Yorkshire and the south is the A64 from Leeds and York - a trunk route with a mix of dual- and single-carriageway, it can get very busy during the summer and at weekends. The quickest route is to turn off at the Bridlington junction, then take the scenic route towards Bridlington. The scenery is stunning and will definitely not disappoint.

Other routes are the A170 from Thirsk and Pickering and the coastal routes—the A165 to the south, from Hull and East Yorkshire, and the A171 to the north, from Whitby and Teesside. Again, heavy traffic can be a problem.

Although there is plenty of parking in the town centre, it can get filled up quickly during the summer, and if you are visiting just for the day, you may find it easiest to use the Park and Ride at Weaponness, clearly signposted as you approach the town centre.

A daily, continuous Park and Ride service operates throughout the year from two sites, one on Filey Road for traffic from the south and the second on Seamer Road for traffic from the west

A regular travel news service is provided on Yorkshire Coast Radio (96.2FM).

By train

From 🌍 Scarborough station, the TransPennine Express run an hourly fast train service to York, Leeds and Manchester, with onward connections to the rest of the country. Northern Rail run a less frequent service down the coast to Bridlington and Hull.

By bus

Arriva run an hourly service from Middlesbrough, Whitby and Robin Hood's Bay, with additional services to Whitby during the summer (timetable for 93).

For passengers on a budget, National Express run a coach once daily from London.

Coastliner run an hourly bus to York and Leeds (timetable for 843), and EYMS run an hourly bus to Bridlington and Hull (timetable for 121). These are slower than the train services, but are cheaper.

Get around

By bus

Some of the attractions in Scarborough are along the seafront, some are in the town centre, a short walk inland up the steep main road. When you get to either area, everything will be easily walkable for most people. There are regular buses if you don't feel like walking.

There is an extensive local bus service serving all areas of the town and nearby villages, using modern low-floor buses, operated by Scarborough & District.

By bike

Although the town is an ideal size to cycle around, much of it is quite hilly, so less fit cyclists may find it a challenge.

See

Scarborough lighthouse

Anne Brontës' grave

• 🌍 Scarborough Castle, Castle Road, YO11 1HY, ☎ [phone]. adults £5.00, children £3.00, concessions £4.50.  
• Harbour and fish quay. 
• 🌍 Oliver's Mount.  
• 🌍 St Mary's Church, Parish House, Castle Rd, YO11 1TH, ☎ [phone]. In the 19th C, Anne Brontë worked as governess to the Robinson family of Thorp Green near York, and accompanied them on annual holidays to Scarborough. She used its settings in Agnes Grey, and for the fictional village of "Linden-Car" in The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. When her health failed in 1849, she returned to Scarborough in hopes of a cure but died and was buried here. Her grave is in the northern end of the churchyard. (updated Aug 2018)

Do

The Castle headland divides the coast into two bays, each different in character. South Bay is developed, and you'll find amusement arcades, a funfair, the harbour, the Spa complex, donkey rides, and all the colour of a traditional English seaside resort. North Bay, by contrast, is relatively undeveloped and is quieter.

• 🌍 Stephen Joseph Theatre, Westborough, YO11 1JW, ☎ [phone]. One of the few theatres outside London where new plays are reviewed in the national newspapers, and is where all of local resident Sir Alan Ayckbourn's plays are premiered.  
• Walk around... The cobbled street next to the Futurist Theatre on the Foreshore has beautiful art work on the walls. Other walks you should do include the Italian Gardens on the South Bay, just off the Esplanade. Walk up and around Oliver's Mount, which offers spectacular views around the town. A walk to the castle offers rewarding views of both North and South Bay, as well as being able to view the grave of Anne Brontë in St. Mary's churchyard (the only Bronte not to be buried in Haworth).
• Jump on one of the Open Top buses which travel from the Spa to Peasholm Park to enjoy the entire seafront and Castle headland.
• Scarborough's popular miniature railway travels from Peasholm to Scalby Mills around the newly revamped (2010) Open Air Theatre. With tunnels, bridges and stations, it's just like a normal train service, just smaller.
• Peasholm Park Naval Warfare. (Seasonal).
• Scarborough's Open Air Theatre is the largest open air theatre in Europe and provides a summer season of big name concerts which in 2018 included Britney Spears and Lionel Richie.
• The Alpamare Waterpark opened in 2016 and provides indoor water slides as well as a heated outside infinity pool with views over the north bay.

Buy

Rock - preferably pink with "Scarborough" written in it.

• North of Scarborough. Robin Hood`s Bay and Whitby Abbey
  drive or take the 93 bus to Robin Hood`s Bay and take a walk to Whitby Abbey - it`s a beautiful six miles` long walk along the coast, part of the Cleveland Way; bus 93 goes back from Whitby Abbey all the way down to Scarborough 

Eat

• The Harbour Bar (on the foreshore, South Bay). has the best ice cream in town (for summer). Its fantastic, kitsch yet completely genuine 1930s ice-cream parlour and coffee shop that also serves horlicks, hot chocolate,Bovril drinks and an assortment of snacks (just what you need to warm you up after a walk on the sea-front on a cold winters day). It is restored to its original form every ten years or so at great expense. 

All the fish and chip shops are reasonably good.

• Mother Hubbards (in the town centre). good fish and chips 
• Wackers (in the town centre). good fish and chips 
• Cafe Fish, York Place. also excellent 
• Small Fry, North Street (behind the Post Office). is excellent, fries in vegetable oil, but is closed Saturday night and Sun 
• Lanterna, Queen Street. For a world renowned restaurant. Difficult to get in, but serves quality Italian food. 
• Florios, Aberdeen Walk. a popular, and very busy, Italian restaurant. 

Scarborough has a number of Indian restaurants, two of the most popular:

• Indian Rose, Victora Road. 
• Scarborough Tandoori, St. Thomas Street. 
• Cafe Heart, Eastborough (at the side of the market). closed Sundays. offers a fabulous selection of smoothies, juices and thick continental hot chocolate along with toasties, pittas and sandwiches with a continental flavour 
• Francis Tea Room, 7 South Street, Ramshill. This is a lovely old fashioned tea house serving delicious Cakes and scones. Each table partitioned off for privacy and provides for a great atmosphere. The staff are very helpful and it is not expensive with cake and tea for under 6 pounds 
• The Cask. public house at the south end of Valley Bridge offers good quality meals at reasonable prices. 

Drink

• Roasters. Coffee at its best. Fully qualified Barista and boy it shows. mmm.. coffee 

Sleep

There are a vast number of hotels and guest houses ranging from three/four star hotels to small guest houses. Get in touch with the local tourist office and they'll send you a list.

• Merry Hotel. Scarborough, North Yorkshire. Hotel located near all main attractions and Scarborough's seaside. 
• The Paragon. Scarborough bed and breakfast with panoramic sea views, 4 star, 10 minutes from the shops and cafes, 5 minutes from the award winning, clean and sandy beach at north bay. “Lovely B&B, wonderful hosts, huge locally sourced breakfast". 
• Raven Hall, Ravenscar, YO13 0ET, ☎ [phone]. Raven Hall’s Country House Hotel is located just a short distance from the seaside town of Scarborough. 
• Ingrid Flute Holiday Cottages. Have a range of cottages, flats and houses available for rent in and around Scarborough, Whitby the North Yorkshire Moors. 
• 🌍 Park Manor Hotel, Northstead Manor Drive, YO12 6BB, ☎ [phone], e-mail: [e-mail]. Located in the beautiful North Bay area, right next to the theatre, North Cliff Golf Course, and Peasholm Park, with the beach and town centre not far from the hotel 
• 🌍 Travelodge, St Nicholas Cliff, YO11 2EU, ☎ [phone]. Check-in: 3pm, check-out: 12pm. This is the usual Travelodge experience, with a few things to note. The Travelodge is enormous, the building is a former luxury hotel in the centre. The hotel does NOT have its own car park. However, there is a loading area and the friendly staff are armed with photocopied maps to show various parking options: I parked a 10-minute walk away for completely free (near the sea front luna park). There are 30-minutes free Wi-Fi, in fact in reality the deal is much better, the first time you go on-line you can stay hours for free, but when you log off that is it - unless of course you go for the pay Wi-Fi. £38 for a twin room, plus an extra £8 for a buffet-style full English (booking well in advance). (updated Jan 2016)
• 🌍 Clifton Hotel. (updated Jan 2017)
• 🌍 Crown Spa Scarborough. (updated Jan 2017)

Go next

• North of Scarborough (drive or take the 93 bus to Robin Hood`s Bay and take a walk to Whitby Abbey). Robin Hood`s Bay and Whitby Abbey it`s a beautiful six miles` long walk along the coast, part of the Cleveland Way; bus 93 goes back from Whitby Abbey all the way down to Scarborough. 
• West of Scarborough. Helmsley Castle and Rivaulx Abbey ; drive or take the 128 bus from Scarborough to Helmsley; take a walk from Helmsley Castle to Rivaulx Abbey and go back the same way - it`s a nice walk through Yorkshire Moors National Park, also part of the Cleveland Way; 3 miles each way. 
• South of Scarborough. Bempton Cliffs drive or take the train from Scarborough to Bempton; the Bempton Cliffs Reserve is a scenic place full of beautiful birds called gannets; thirty minutes walk from Bempton railway station. 

If you're having an extended stay in the coastal town and it's nice weather get out on your bike and visit Forge Valley woods, or cycle part of the old railway route to Whitby.

Routes through Scarborough

Leeds ← York ←	W  E	→ merges with
merges with ←	N  S	→ Bridlington → Kingston-upon-Hull
Thirsk ← Pickering ←	W  E	→ merges with
Middlesbrough ← Whitby ←	N  S	→ merges with