The Yorkshire Coast Information

Scarborough is the largest of all the holiday resorts on the East Coast. Tourists have been coming to Scarborough since the Seventeenth Century. As tourism grew with the introduction of the railway, purpose built hotels were beginning to emerge. The largest is the Grand hotel which, when it opened in 1867, was one of the largest hotels in the world. The Grand is an iconic building in Scarborough and reflects The victorian history of the town.

The resort is split into two bays, North and South. North Bay is the quieter side of the town with an award winning beach and the lovely Peasholm Park which has many family friendly attractions. The two bays are linked by a large victorian promenade called Marine Drive. South Bay also has a large beach which offers Donkey rides and Ice-creams. The busy working Harbour offers boat rides and fishing trips. All along the front are Amusement arcades and Souvenir shops and of course plenty of places to eat fresh fish and chips.

Away from the beach the town centre has many shops and restaurants to explore. It is a steep climb upto the town from the beach and there are several ways to get to the top. One of the easiest is to take one of the two remaining Victorian Cliff lifts.

 

Famous for the Abbey which towers over the town below Whitby is approx 18 miles further North up the coast from Scarborough and it has a different sort of charm.

Whitby Abbey, which dates back to 657, can be reached by climbing the 199 stone steps upto it from the town below. There is an interactive visitor centre where you can learn more about the history of the Abbey and how it became the inspiration for Bram Stokers novel 'Dracula' making Whitby the 'Goth' capital of the UK. Whitby holds two Gothic festivals a year. one in April and the other in October. There are several tourist attractions featuring Dracula including a dracula walking tour.

Other attractions in Whitby include the cobbled streets which lead down to the busy fishing harbour. The harbour at Whitby was once a major centre for the Whaling industry, in 1753 the first whaling ship left the harbour for Greenland. A giant Whale bone arch stands on the bank opposite the Abbey to commemorate the whaling industry, this landmark is almost as famous as the Abbey. Captain James Cook is associated with Whitby and there is a museum dedicated to him which is located in a house that was visited by Captain Cook several times.

The beach at Whitby has a Blue Flag award meaning that it is a safe and clean beach for bathing - though the water will be cold!. There are lots good quality restaurants and Bars in Whitby, as well as possibly the county's best fish and chips. A trip to Whitby is not complete without the traditional meal of fish and chips and there are plenty of businesses competing to be the best. Many people claim that the 'Magpie cafe' serves the best Fish and chips in Whitby and the regular queue of people waiting outside to get in seem to agree. - why not try it for yourself?

 

Filey has a five mile stretch of award winning Sandy beach which is a dog free zone in high season. Filey is a quieter resort than Scarborough or Whitby but it still has lots to offer for a relaxing day out at the seaside. A small selection of Seafood stalls and amusements can be found at the Northern end of the beach. The town has plenty of souvenir shops and Fish and Chip cafes.

Filey is a good place for walking and bird watching, Razorbills and Guillemots are abundant here. The Cleveland Way walk which starts in Helmsley ends at Filey Brigg. Filey Brigg is a naturally created platform of rock that is only accessible at low tide. Rock pools have been created by the erosion of the sea and provide great opportunities for children to fish for crabs and other sea life that can be found in them.

 

Bridlington has two wonderful long sandy beaches which are divided by the Harbour. The Harbour is surrounded by various take away outlets selling ice-creams, fish and chips, doughnuts and fresh seafood - plenty of choice for traditional seaside lunches. 

The North Beach stretches for miles down the coast and the sand is smooth and Golden. There is plenty of room for everyone to relax on the beach if the sun is shining. The North side also has the fun fair. There are lots of amusement parks with various rides and attractions to keep the kids happy for hours. There is also a Crazy Golf and putting green which is traditional fun for all of the family.

South Beach is just as lovely with golden sand stretching into the distance. This beach has been awarded a Blue Flag status for the cleanliness of the beach and the quality of the water. This side of the harbour is much quieter without the fairground but it does have the Bridlington Spa which is a venue for all types of live entertainment. Newly redeveloped this is a state of the art venue for drama, dance, comedy, music and more. Touring artists play here to audiences of up to 3500. The venue is also available for events, conferences and exhibitions.

 

There are other small seaside resorts in between the main ones above such as Robin hoods Bay, which is a really quaint fishing village, staithes near Whitby and Hornsea and Withernsea which are south of Bridlington. The one thing that all of these seaside towns have in common is traditional sea side fun. You will find fun fairs and attractions for the children, local museums and points of interest for adults and plenty of places to eat and drink. 

 

The seaside is synonymous with Ice-cream and Fish and Chips. Oh, and one other thing that is always at the Seaside - The Seagull.

Beware they also like Fish and Chips!!!