Scarborough in Yorkshire is a classic British seaside town with a varied history and makes the perfect weekend break for those who love British history. The town was founded in 966AD as Skarðaborg by Thorgills Skarthi but there is evidence of settlers thousands of years before this.
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Why have I heard of Scarborough?
The iconic Scarborough Castle was fortified by Henry II and was a battle location during the English Civil War, where the town sided with the Royalists (not surprising if you see the number of tributes to the Royal family across the town).
The subject of the famous song ‘Scarborough Fair’ was founded in the thirteenth century and was not the funfair many think of today when they hear the song but an opportunity for merchants to gather and trade.
In the Seventeenth Century minerals were discovered in the water in Scarborough and the spa was established, which bought tourism to the town and earned it the accolade of Britain’s “first seaside town”.
Like all good towns in Yorkshire, it has a strong link to the Bronte family with Anne Bronte’s grave located in a beautiful churchyard overlooking the North Bay.
During the Second World War Scarborough provided a number of small boats to the Dunkirk effort and is rightly incredibly proud of this contribution it made to the war effort.
Nowadays, Scarborough brings to life the divisions in British society in a way that really hits you. The wonderful Clark’s restaurant serves locally-sourced, gourmet food. The plethora of holiday homes keep the local economy going but have caused significant housing issues for locals as they have priced many into cramped accommodation or out of the market altogether. The high street is littered with closed shops, yet the seafront is thriving.
We had the most wonderful weekend in Scarborough earlier in the year, this is what we did (or watched) and hopefully will help you make the most of your visit.
How to get to Scarborough
It’s best to drive to Scarborough if possible as the public transport connections aren’t great. Our journey was full of all the usual joys you experience when braving the motorway over a bank holiday weekend. The only thing more stressful than the motorway traffic was working out the parking restrictions in Scarborough (and looking at the seagull shit that was about to hit the car).
We stayed at the Breakwaters which was one minute from the Harbour and was excellent: would recommend to anyone!
TIP: have a car wash booked for when you get back from Scarborough. When you see the amount of bird poo everywhere, you’ll thank me.
Day one: an afternoon at the beach
First stop: Ice Cream at Flamingo Bay
As with all good seaside resorts, there is no shortage of ice cream in Scarborough. We were recommended other places, but Flamingo Bay was too good just to walk past. It was beautifully decorated and had a queue (which I often take as a good sign). The real clincher however was the number of different flavours of whippy ice cream on offer alongside the boasted about gelato.
Whippy ice cream is my favourite, above gelato which is often believed to be more gourmet. Not in my book. I had a coffee whippy ice cream and oh. my. goodness.
Not far from Flamingo Bay is #thehistorybox (literally history in a red phone box) a mural to Scarborough Fair – its worth the few steps along the beach to learn a little more about it.
Second stop: paddle in the sea at South Bay
The perfect accompaniment to soft ice cream always has and always will be sandy toes. Luckily the South Bay in Scarborough is a smooth sand dune waiting to be explored. Even on a misty afternoon in mid-April when we visited the water was not too cold and it was perfect for paddling.
The South Bay beach has historic significance – it was the site of the original medieval settlement and leads up to the Old Town.
The smooth shorefront of South Bay Beach is framed with classic beach shops, each willing to sell you a bucket and spade or a body board. Perfect for a weekend trip.
Stop three: Embrace your inner child at one of Scarborough’s amusement arcades
The cluster of amusement arcades on the beachfront in Scarborough will transport you back to your childhood. The neon lights make you feel as if you are abroad and the pure assault on your senses will likely give you a headache but also a high!
We loved the 2p shuffle machines and the basketball loops and won a load of tickets (that we didn’t manage to cash in).
Stop four: climb the cliff or take the cliff lift
The UK’s oldest seaside town would not be complete without one of the oldest cliff lifts in the country: it was built in 1875 (a history of the cliff lift can be found here). The lift runs from 9.30 in the morning until the evening (times change by day) and it is £1.40 for a one-way ticket.
The top of the cliff gives you breathtaking views and a wonderful restaurant which I still cannot stop thinking about.
Stop five: Dinner at Clark’s
We need to talk about Clark’s. Situated at the top of a cliff in Scarborough, tucked in an unassuming side street, this tiny independent restaurant has to be the maker of one of the best meals I have eaten all year. Inspired by Yorkshire, and sourcing much of its produce locally, Clark’s is one of those restaurants that has a small menu based on quality seasonal ingredients. It doesn’t overshoot, it just does things very well. For example, the bread and butter appeared simple but the butter had been mixed with seaweed which bought out the flavour and really transformed the dish.
Day two: stretch your legs and take in stunning coastline views.
Stop one: Walk the Cleveland Way
Scarborough cuts across two sections of the Cleveland Way. We walked from Robin Hoods Bay to Scarborough Castle (there is a whole separate post on that here) and from Scarborough Bay to Filey. We chose the Robin Hoods Bay section as it was much simpler from a public transport perspective.
Even if you just do a little bit of the Cleveland Way, it will probably take up most of your day. You can rock up at the Ravenscar National Trust car park and do a 5-8 mile loop.
Stop two: Enjoy a dinner of traditional British Fish and Chips
Like whippy ice cream, plastic bucket and spades, and seagulls shitting on your car, no trip to the seaside is complete without a large portion of Fish and Chips. Scarborough has a number of places to get your hit. We stumbled across the unassuming ‘Leeds Fisheries’.
It looked terrible and my low expectations were lowered when the owners were rude. It seemed an inconvenience that I wanted to pay by card or to be honest, that I wanted to buy anything from them. A guest in the cafe was sighed at for leaving a tip via card payment. You had to pay for wooden forks.
Why didn’t I find somewhere else? I was bloody tired. We had walked about 18 miles up and down cliffs, I was knackered and frankly, the food could have been terrible and I would have devoured it all.
Well shoot me down. It was magnificent. And not because we were starving, but it was actually good. To the point everything else became a charming tale rather than a reason to not visit.
Day three: history-fest!
No trip for me is complete without a dive into the history of a place and thankfully Scarborough has plenty of it to offer.
Stop one: Visit Anne Bronte’s Grave
One of the quicker stops of the trip is Anne Bronte’s Grave.* Positioned with stunning views over the North Bay, it is far more understated than you would expect for someone who has contributed so much to global literature.
Stop two: Scarborough Castle
Before heading home, Scarborough Castle is a must-visit. The ruins of the castle can be seen for miles and provide a journey through time which will satisfy those of every age. Entry to the castle starts at £8.50 and it is always packed with events being put on by the owners, English Heritage. One of the best overviews of the history of Scarborough Castle is from this blog which goes into a lot more depth than the official website.
*This post contains affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase, I will make a small commission at no cost to you.
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