How to Spend The Best Weekend in Scarborough, Filey and Bridlington
Three very different seaside resorts, each with their own unique character
What to See and Do
A popular coastal resort for centuries, there’s lots to do in Scarborough, from the many parks and gardens (and of course the typical seaside attractions) to the wide sandy beaches of the North and South Bays. Between the two bays is a working inner harbour with a small fishing fleet landing local lobster, and an outer harbour for pleasure boats and yachts. After a busy day at the beach a handy cliff lift provides easy access to the town centre.
The two bays are split by a headland which is home to thousands of seabirds and on which stand the ruins of the 12th century Scarborough Castle, a former medieval fortress, and a must-visit. Once one of the greatest fortresses in England, there’s so much history to explore on this rocky promontory jutting out into the North Sea. Another major attraction is the Grade-II listed Rotunda Museum. One of the world’s first purpose-built museums, it has a fascinating Georgian gallery featuring a frieze which shows the geology of the local coastline and it’s where you’ll find a collection of the amazing fossils discovered along this stretch of Yorkshire’s Dinosaur Coast. Woodend Gallery (once the home of the literary Sitwell clan) is now a creative hub, and Scarborough Art Gallery is also worth visiting. Wander through South Cliff Italian Gardens and Peasholm Park to enjoy an escape from the beachside bustle, and if the weather is iffy, head to the Terror Tower, a haunted house and interactive horror adventure that starts at the Bates Motel and ends with a dinosaur attack. Scarborough’s indoor market is where you’ll find great local produce and, in the Market Vaults, plenty of artisan crafts and independent shops. Whatever the weather, Scarborough has an entertaining line-up of theatre shows and big-name gigs to choose from. If the weather is set fair, Scarborough Open Air Theatre attracts a plethora of stars every summer – if it’s not, the kids will love Scarborough’s Fair Collection (open Wednesday to Saturday) with fully-restored vintage rides, steam engines and a collection of classic cars and vintage motorbikes, as well as Alpamare Water Park and Sealife. Scarborough Spa is a Grade II-listed building in South Bay and is now an events venue, and the 600-seat Victorian theatre is home to summer season shows.
The famous Grand Hotel on the seafront was the largest hotel in Europe and one of the largest in the world when it was built in 1867. The building is designed around the theme of time: four towers to represent the seasons, 12 floors for the months of the year, 52 chimneys symbolise the weeks, and originally there were 365 bedrooms, one for each day of the year.
In between Scarborough and neighbouring Filey, Cayton Bay is perhaps the prettiest beach on this stretch of coast. The sweeping, dog-friendly beach bookended by cliffs is perfect for swimming, surfing, paddle boarding and fossil hunting in the many rocky pools, and the steep walk down and back up keeps it relatively quiet, even in high summer.
Just to the south, the former fishing village of Filey was once seen as the perfect place to escape the hustle and bustle of its busier neighbour Scarborough. Fishing boats still land their catch here and the five-mile stretch of sand means the town is still popular as a seaside resort with a historic promenade, colourful beach huts, traditional bathing machines and Filey Brigg, the promontory that extends out into the sea offering panoramic views of the coast. Set back from the town centre is Filey Dams nature reserve, a magnet for migratory birds and home to lots of different insects, amphibians, small mammals and plants.
South of Filey, nature lovers shouldn’t miss Bempton Cliffs. It’s home to one of the UK’s top wildlife spectacles, where around half a million seabirds gather between March and August to nest on the towering chalk cliffs. Here puffins, gannets, kittiwakes and guillemots live life on the edge – but it’s not all about the cliffs. In spring and summer corn buntings, skylarks and linnets breed in the grassland and scrub on the land side, while kestrel and barn owls love to hunt here.
In Bridlington, visitors can enjoy the fun fair on North Beach, take a pleasure boat from the harbour and enjoy watersports on South Beach which is arguably the best on Yorkshire’s coast; wide and flat, there are beach volleyball nets here and the sand is regularly machine-cleaned. Bridlington’s charming old town is worth a visit, while for history buffs the pre-Roman harbour and Bridlington Priory are must-visits.
