Things To See Beside the Sea: The Incredible North Yorkshire Coast
From quirky seaside towns to clifftop hikes, there is something for everyone to enjoy at the coast.
The North Yorkshire coast offers mile after mile of golden sands, pretty and quirky villages, and bustling resort towns.
The largest of these is Scarborough, the Victorian boomtown which retains much of the splendour of this era in the architecture of its hotels and townhouses.
The busy seafront is packed with amusement arcades, chippies, seafood stalls, ice cream vendors, restaurants and gift shops all within metres of The South Bay beach. The North Bay is home to another crescent beach and popular attractions such as The Sealife Centre, Peasholm Park and Scarborough Open Air Theatre which every year plays host to popular acts.
Famed as the town where explorer Captain James Cook studied for his seaman’s apprenticeship, Whitby is steeped in history and unrivalled in character. The town is split in two by the River Esk whose mouth opens out into the fishing harbour. It is flanked on the south by the narrow streets of the old town and the 199 steps up to the gothic Whitby Abbey, famously mentioned in Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Across the harbour bridge to the North, an eclectic mix of pubs, restaurants, shops and food stalls can be found. It is the quirkiness of Whitby – or its ‘unworldliness’ – that make it the ideal location for The Goth Weekend, a hugely popular biannual music festival and celebration which attracts hundreds of goths, punks, steampunks, emos and metalheads every year.
The North Yorkshire coast is home to fantastic beaches that offer some good size and dependable surf. Visit Sandsend, just to the north of Whitby; its long stretch of golden sand and plentiful rock pools proffering hours of exploration for the kids. The sea here offers some good swells and is very popular with surfers and body boarders. During the summer holidays, surf hire is available at the site of Whitby Surf School which is located further along the coast on Whitby’s north side.
Cayton Bay can be found to the south of Scarborough; a stunning beach and one of the best surf locations in the North-East of England. It is one of the few beaches in the area that can be surfed through all states of tide and is very popular with beginners and more advanced surfers. Scarborough Surf School operates from Cayton Bay offering a range of activities, coaching and equipment hire.
Coastal escapes
Walks Along The Coast
A day-trip to the popular fishing town of Whitby is also a must for any explorer of the area. Alight on the way from the North York Moors Railway at Goathland to witness the spectacular cascading waterfall of the Mallyon Spout.
Heading Towards Scarborough And Beyond
The North Yorkshire Water Park can be found in Wykeham. With an aqua-park, zip-lines, climbing walls, wake-boarding, paddle-boarding and kayaking on the to-do list, you are certain to have an adventurous, if not wet, day-out.
