18+ Best Things To Do In Scarborough, North Yorkshire

Last Updated on 13th November 2022

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I’ve been going to the adorable North Yorkshire seaside town of Scarborough with my family and friends for as long as I can remember now. It’s a place I’ve loved for many years and it holds some truly lovely memories from my childhood.

However, I hadn’t properly visited Scarborough for a good few years until I headed back there with one of my oldest childhood friends last week. We were only there for a few short hours, yet we managed to see, do and eat a fair bit while we were there.

We were lucky to be blessed with a beautifully clear, blue sky and sunshine day and we managed to walk over 14,000 steps in just a few hours! We also chose to visit Scarborough as part of my AtoZ UK road trip challenge for the letter ‘S’ (you can expect more information on that trip very soon!).

Anyway, enough of me rambling on and reminiscing, here are the very best things to do in Scarborough, North Yorkshire!

How to get there

Scarborough is situated on the North Sea Coast of North Yorkshire. It’s in relatively close proximity to other seaside towns such as Whitby, Filey and Bridlington.

It’s just over an hour’s drive from York along the A64 (depending on traffic), 40 minutes from Whitby along the A171 and 25 minutes from Filey along the A165.

It’s also easily accessible by direct train from places such as York (I used to get the train there pretty frequently when I was younger), Leeds , Liverpool and Huddersfield.

You can also take the Coastliner bus service from Leeds, York and Malton.

Where to park

If you’re travelling by car, you’ll be glad to know that there are 26 car parks in and around Scarborough, so you should have plenty of choices, even if it’s incredibly busy during the summer months!

My friend and I parked on the seafront along Royal Albert Drive as we couldn’t find a space in the car park we originally wanted to go to. Parking here costs £2.40 for 1 hour, £3.40 for 2 hours, £4.90 for 4 hours and £5.90 for 6 hours etc. This is actually a pretty good place to park if you want to see both sides of Scarborough’s bays as it’s situated right in the middle of them.

Where to stay in Scarborough

As I’ve always lived relatively close to Scarborough, I’ve never actually stayed there overnight.

However, I always want to offer you guys as much info on a destination as possible so I did a little research and found the three hotels below to be some of the most highly rated in the area! You can also search for somewhere lovely to stay for yourself below!

• The Central Hotel
• The Barrington Guesthouse
• The Red Lea Hotel

The best things to do in Scarborough

Scarborough is one of the best seaside towns in Yorkshire. Home to gorgeous stretches of beach, plenty of amusement arcades and mini theme parks, as well as some of the best fish and chips on the Yorkshire coast, Scarborough is an absolute gem to visit in the British summertime!

If you’re wondering what to do in Scarborough, England, check out this huge post of the best things to do in Scarborough!

1. Get fish and chips from The Welcome Inne

You can’t go to the seaside without getting a hearty portion of fish and chips; or battered sausage, chips and curry sauce in my case!

I’ve been to numerous fish and chip shop eateries in Scarborough (one of my personal favourites is Winking Willy’s) but last week I paid a visit to The Welcome Inne for the first time and I certainly wasn’t disappointed!

2. Go rock pooling

I haven’t been rock pooling since I was in primary school but Scarborough is a great place to enjoy this either on your own or as a family.

The picture above is of the rock pools right on the beach, but there are also a few more places right next to the rock cliffs too.

3. Walk from one bay to another

This was something that I’d never actually done before until last week but it was an absolutely glorious walk, right along the seafront from the North Bay Beach to the South Bay.

There’s a pristine pedestrian path that goes all along the waterfront and it makes for a stunning experience on a clear and sunny day.

It can be quite exhausting however if you’re doing it with young children, so just bear that in mind!

4. Ride the observation wheel

The Scarborough Observation Wheel is a seasonal activity and is only in the town during the summer months between June and October.

The towering wheel offers panoramic views of the sea, beach and surrounding town; it’s definitely not one for the faint-hearted on windy days though!

5. Rent a beach hut

The colourful beach huts on the North Bay Beach make for the perfect way to spend the day in Scarborough.

They’re situated pretty much right next to the beach, so they’re ideal for using when visiting with kids in order to cool off in the shade, get changed after swimming in the sea and to eat your fish and chips in peace away from irritating seagulls!

Prices vary depending on the time of year, so be sure to check out the Scarborough Beach Chalets website before you visit.

6. Go on the slot machines in the arcades

No trip to the seaside is complete without spending an obscene amount of money trying (and inevitably failing) to win a tiny toy on the 2p slot machines.

Some of my favourite childhood memories involve playing in the arcades at the seaside and the Coney Island amusement arcade is one of the very best things to do in Scarborough.

7. Take a ride on the pirate ship

Scarborough is famed for its pirate ship named Hispaniola which sets sail multiple times a day from the South Bay harbour.

It’s only a relatively short ride out to sea but if you’re visiting with children, it’s such a fun way to spend some time pretending to be a pirate!

8. Visit Scarborough Castle

We didn’t actually properly visit Scarborough Castle when we were there last week, but I have it on good authority from previous visits years ago that it’s one of the best things to do in the town.

Sitting proudly on top of the hill, the castle offers spectacular views out to sea and of the beach and town below and it’s also a cool way to soak up a bit of history and culture while you’re there.

9. Build a sandcastle – top things to do in Scarborough

I haven’t built a sandcastle in years but I’m a firm believer that you’re never too old to frolic about in the sand and try to create a masterpiece with just a crappy old bucket and spade.

10. Walk along the harbour

If you fancy stretching your sea legs a bit, then a gentle stroll around the harbour is another great thing to enjoy while in Scarborough.

I also enjoyed spotting a few fancy boats that I might like to buy if I suddenly became a multi-millionaire 😂

11. Eat an ice cream

Ice cream is an absolute must-eat when visiting the seaside and while I’d usually always go for a classic Mr Whippy, I actually went for a refreshing lemon sorbet last time I was in Scarborough.

I got the lemon sorbet from the ice cream stall next to the Waves Cafe on North Bay Beach and oh my goodness, it was absolutely delicious! It’s the perfect treat to cool you down on a hot day at the beach and the stall we went to had tonnes of different flavours, as well as the classic 99 ice creams.

12. Swim in the sea – best things to do in Scarborough

Swimming in the sea in England is definitely something that only kids and brave adults will be courageous enough to endure as the water is beyond freezing, regardless of the time of year!

We didn’t go for a proper swim in the sea (just a paddle was more than enough for me!), but there were plenty of brave people cooling off as it was such a lovely, warm day.

13. Take a picture next to giant Freddie Gilroy

The giant Freddie Gilroy sculpture is somewhat of a war memorial and was created by sculptor Ray Lonsdale to depict a retired miner that Ray knew who was also one of the first soldiers to relieve the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp at the end of World War II.

It’s a huge sculpture that has its own bench and if you can manage to clamber up with it, it makes for an adorable picture in order to remember your time in Scarborough.

Bonus things to do in Scarborough

Unfortunately, there were a couple of things we missed out on during our visit to Scarborough but I still wanted to include them in this post for the next time we visit!

• Ride the Victorian Tramway
• Visit the Luna Park Fun Fair
• Play a round of crazy golf
• Go on the North Bay Heritage Railway
• Visit Peasholm Park

Scarborough is undoubtedly one of my favourite British seaside towns and it’s jam-packed full of awesome things to see, do and eat for the whole family!

Related posts:

• The Best Seaside Towns In Yorkshire – Beautiful Yorkshire Coast
• 25+ Best Things To Do In York, England
• 13 Fun & Unique Places To Go On A Date In Yorkshire
• The Best Things To Do In Whitby – How To Spend One Day In Whitby In 2022
• 19 Funny Things You’ll Know If You’re From Yorkshire

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Have you ever been to Scarborough, England? Is it somewhere you’d like to visit one day? Let me know in the comments or on Instagram at @imjustagirl_16.