A Weekend Guide To Scarborough And The Yorkshire Coast Of England
Why Visit Scarborough And The English Coast
Fish and chips. Ice cream. 2 penny slots. Coastal hikes. Lighthouses. Just a few of my favorite things every time we go to the seaside.
When I told a few friends from London that I was going to Scarborough for the first few days of the New Year they asked why there. The question caught me off guard, but then it reminded me that just because my family is familiar with an area doesn't mean others are. England has 7,000 miles of coastline, so every region in the country will have the seaside town they're closest to or most likely to visit. Scarborough and the surrounding northeast coast is where my husband's family spends most of their seaside time because the area is quaint, nature-filled, and only a few hour’s drive.
If you're visiting England for a week, it's easy to have a full itinerary, but time by the sea is special and gives you a glimpse into English seaside culture. From super cute, charming towns with fish and chips and antique shops to long swaths of beach and coastline to hike up and down, it would be a miss not to visit. This post specifically focuses on Scarborough and the surrounding Yorkshire area, but don't let that limit you! If you only have a short amount of time, seek out the coast closest to you and use this post for inspiration of things you can do, because many of these activities aren't unique to Scarborough. That said if you fall in love with the views in the photos, and you have the time, Scarborough is one hundred percent worth your time.
When To Visit The English Seaside
Of course, summer is the most popular time because you have a chance at warmer temperatures for sunbathing and maybe even a brave chilly swim, but any time of the year can be a good time to visit. Most times we've visited the seaside have been solely chosen because we've visited family. And more often than not, we're visiting for the holidays in the winter, so I've had my fair share of winter seaside days. No matter the weather, whether it's rainy and cold or sunny and breezy, I've enjoyed every visit.
This most recent seaside escape took us to Scarborough. Every time I visit my husband's family, they always try to take me somewhere new to me but familiar to them. In past visits, we made it to Whitby, Robin Hood's Bay, and Staithes, and somehow I hadn't made my way to Scarborough yet. Since we were looking for a base for a few day’s visit versus just a day trip, it was the perfect option with lots to do. We visited the first few days of the new year with the hopes of "clearing out the cobwebs" (as my father-in-law likes to say) with fresh sea air and nature views.
What To Do When Visiting Scarborough
Explore The Harbor And Seafront
We spent most of our time in Scarborough walking along the seafront of the South Harbor. It's the main location for restaurants, games to play, and beach walks. On our first day, we started at the St. Mary's carpark and walked the half-mile path past the Scarborough castle and down to South Beach Bay. You get a good view of the sea and the town while also admiring the castle walls. Once at the Bay, we walked down the boardwalk along the beach and then came back along the other side of the road to look over the shops and restaurants.
We visited over the winter holidays, and it was a bright sunny day, so the beach was packed with people. We realized we weren't the only ones who thought being by the water would be a great way to start the New Year. Even with the masses, I was still enthralled with it. There is just something so uniquely distinctive about UK seaside culture, and Scarborough has it all. Full families walking along the waterfront together, everyone with either fish and chips or ice cream, bundled up in coats and hats, all in front of a backdrop of bright signs, tourist shops, and the waves crashing in the distance.
On each of the two nights we stayed in Scarborough, we also came down to walk along the harbor. The harbor front is also home to many 'casinos'(?) with 2p slots (more on that below), so that was also our evening entertainment.
All of this to say, it's the thing to do in the place. Just go for a walk and observe at the very least.
Play 2p Slots
I can't write this post without talking about 2p slots. If you're from the UK, you most likely don't need an explanation. But as an American, I find them unique, almost perplexing, but also incredibly fun and addictive. Basically, they have games that cost a 2 penny coin to play. For most machines, as you and others play, the 2p coins pile up in the machine. The goal is to knock a jackpot worth of coins or some small trinket into a hole below so you can collect it. A jackpot worth of coins is what I always dream of, but I'm not sure if anyone has won more than £1 (= 50 x 2p coins) in one go from these games. And the trinkets are usually things like little animal figurines or whatever the new cheap trendy toy is. (This time the toy in fashion was the push pop keychains, but I could imagine a past where Tamagotchis were on offer.)
2p slot 'casinos' offer a lot of fun for £1. You can search for the machine that looks the most primed, try out what you think is the perfect angle that will win them all, and even attempt different techniques like pushing in a lot of coins all at once or doing them one at a time. Each time we would win a trinket, we would comment on how if we bought it ourselves it would be much cheaper than what we spent winning it, but it's the journey, not the destination.
What makes these so peculiar to me is that they're basically lightweight gambling. I felt myself thinking if I just play one more pound I'll crack this machine and get a windfall, but as I said, I'm not sure if that ever happens. But that 1% of hope keeps me coming back and trying again. Even worse, the real deal slot machines are just beyond an 18 or older line on the ground. Signaling once you're old enough, you can play for bigger money.
Anyways, they're (or at least can be) cheap fun and signify a day at the seaside. Enjoy yourself but go in with a budget of £5 or so and keep your wits about you.
Get Fish And Chips
You can't go to the seaside without getting fish and chips. It always tastes better when you're sat eating it looking at where it just came from (the sea). Most seaside towns will have countless fish and chip shops (aka chip shops aka chippies). My husband's family had a certain place in mind, but when we arrived we found it wasn't open. So that started the process of deciding which one to try.
It can be overwhelming, and on a busy day like that one, most of the chippies had long lines. We ended up at the Famous Fish Pan. Don't ask me how we chose it. I default to the family on picking chip shops because they have much more experience than me. We also saw LOTS of beachgoers eating at Papa's, which seems like another good option.
Where To Walk And Hike / What To Do / What To See In The Area Around Scarborough
This section wasn't easy to title, because visiting the seaside is often a ‘choose your own adventure’. Looking to walk through a quaint coastal village? They have that. What about a rugged coastline with lots of hiking paths? They have that too. Or what about a wooded hike inland? Yup, there's also that. At each of these places, you can take it at your own pace and explore it the way you want to best.
Visit Flamborough Head
I was blown away by this place. I don't know if it was because I had experienced withdrawals from not traveling and exploring somewhere new, or if really it is that impressive, but I thought it was beautiful. Ultimately, I didn't know what to expect, but it's like a smaller version of the White Cliffs of Dover. In other seaside visits, usually, we're in the harbor so I don't see the rugged coastline as much, so I think that's why this surprised me so much.
It has easy and ample parking up by the lighthouse. From there, you can hike down to the water and walk around the base of the chalk cliffs and along the rocky beach as you explore the cavernous areas. You can also walk along the top of the cliffs and look at the rolling green meadows ahead and the water crashing below. Even better, we came upon a bay full of seals. We were looking down at them from above, but it was fun to stumble upon them. I also JUST read while working on this post that you can spot puffins from mid-May to July. I might have to return just for that!
A quick disclaimer on tide times
When visiting the coast, it's important to keep an eye on the tidal schedule, because, in most locations, the beach is completely covered by a few feet of water during high tide.
A tidal win: We visited Flamborough Head at the perfect time because we were able to explore a large part of the beach and even explore more corners of it by walking around rocks. Not even 30 minutes after we were there, the path around the rocks had waves covering the path. And an hour or two later, the beach would not have been accessible.
A tidal loss: We planned to visit Filey on our way back to Scarborough from Flamborough Head. It made sense logistically, but we didn't watch the tidal schedule. We parked where the family normally parks, which gives you a nice walk along the water into town. Well, we walk down to the beach and end up seeing the water coming all of the way into one of the areas that juts out before we get onto the beach. We contemplated and watched others make attempts. A family on their walk back from town filled their boots with water and a woman got muddy climbing up and over. So we decided against it and went the longer route up and around.
Filey
Although we didn't get to spend time along the beach in Fily (see disclaimer above), we had a nice time walking on top of the cliffs and through the picturesque town. The clifftop view of the coast in the distance was stunning. I could've spent more time admiring it. Along the seafront we had a fantastic hot chocolate. I would have loved to stay longer, but rain had moved in and the sun was setting (4 pm in the winter), so we headed back.
Falling Foss / Foss Falls
This destination takes you inland, so it's a nice contrast to all of the time near the water. Because it's off the beaten path, it's definitely an adventure. We chose it based on a recommendation from my sister-in-law who had hiked it before. When she came the first time, the path she took was challenging, so this time we searched out a slightly easier path. Slightly is the keyword here, but no matter the difficulty level, it made for a fun family bonding experience. Most of us got mud on us some way or another.
We started the path by looking down at the waterfall from above, and then we took the long path walking away from the falls for quite a while. We started to zig zag our way back and down to the floor of the waterfall. At the point we reached the stream, we could hear the waterfall but we couldn't see it. This is where things got a little confusing. We tried crossing over the stream and then walking along it, but the path took us away from the falls again. So we scrambled our way back down to the stream, off trail, and then had to find an area of stones or a fallen tree to cross back over. All of that to say we had a fantastic time, spent the afternoon out in the forest, and overcame many hurdles we thought would stop us along the way. The falls are beautiful, and I bet it's fun to take a swim when it's warm in the summer.
These next three destinations I've visited on other trips to the UK, but they're nearby Scarborough and so worth exploring:
Robin Hoods Bay
Speaking of quaint villages, this is definitely one, if you can't tell by the name. It's built into the fissure of two hills with winding cobble stone alleyways and sandstone houses. It's a fun walk down to the sea and then you can explore along the beach. We went here a few years back, but it was my first time seeing this coast, and this particular area really stuck in my heart and mind.
Whitby
One of the more famous stops along the coast, Whitby is known for the remains of the once-large Whitby Abbey as well as the home to Bram Stoker while he wrote Dracula. Whitby has a decent size city center with lots of shops and restaurants to explore. It's very picturesque because it's split by the River Esk which flows into the North Sea, and on either side of the bridge you get a great view of the city, full of brick and stone buildings with their red roofs. This is a fantastic place to stop for fish and chips. We usually get ours at Mister Chips by the beach and eat it outside at the gazebo. As a reminder, keep an eye out for seagulls (they will swoop down and take a whole tray of chips from you). My other favorite stop in Whitby is to get a cup of tea from the tea stall. You can get it in a real mug while you observe the city across the water. Super cute and very English.
Staithes
A much smaller village to visit, in my mind I think of it similar to Robin Hood's Bay. When we visited, we walked through town, by the bay, and along the breakwater. It has lovely views of cliffs that create a nice sheltered harbor that contributed to it becoming a village.
Where To Eat In Scarborough
Famous Fish Pan - There are many many many fish and chip options, but this one looked the best to us. We picked up at the window and then ate it on one of the public benches along the boardwalk. We shared a large fish between the two of us, and my husband treated me to some curry sauce which I hadn't properly tried before.
Ice cream from Harbor Bar - When you're visiting the seaside, ice cream is another absolute must. And not just any ice cream, but a soft serve twist. You can get it twisted with many different flavor combinations. We went with the lemon twist which is vanilla soft serve with a lemony ice cream woven through it. Yum! I'd like one now, thanks.
The Cockpit - Since we stayed for two nights, we found dinner in town. We were visiting over the holidays, so a lot was closed, but this was a great find. It had a cute interior, friendly service, and good food. I went with a veggie option at a chicken restaurant (lol) but I was happy with what I ordered. The best thing across the whole table was the chicken caesar salad.
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