Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Reserve
(
&
01262/851179;
www.rspb.org.uk) from April to August. The site is
open at all times; entry is £3.50 per car.
About 19 miles north of Bridlington,
Scarborough
claims to be the oldest seaside
spa in Britain—supposedly located on the site of a Roman signaling station, its min-
eral springs with medicinal properties were discovered in 1622. Teetering on its
headland are the remains of
Scarborough Castle
(see below), and south of that
stretches the beach and esplanade, with souvenir stalls, amusement arcades, and fun
rides set incongruously against a background of magnificent Victorian facades, some
housing hotels that have sadly gone to seed. Other points of interest here are the
medieval
Church of St. Mary,
final resting place of Anne Brontë, who died here
after being brought from her home in Haworth in the hope that the sea air would
revive her health, and, in an Italianate villa in the Crescent,
Scarborough Art Gal-
lery
(
&
01723/374753;
www.scarboroughartgallery.co.uk), with many works relat-
ing to this area of coastline. Costing £2 (free to children), it's open Tuesday to Sunday
10am to 5pm.
Of perhaps greatest appeal is the
Rotunda, the William Smith Museum of
Geology
(
&
01723/353665;
www.rotundamuseum.co.uk), overlooking South Bay
and including a Dino Club for kids. It's £4.50 for adults (free to children 17 and
under), and is open Tuesday to Sunday 10am to 5pm plus bank holidays. With
kids, make sure to also ride the historic
North Bay Miniature Railway
(
&
01723/368791;
www.nbr.org.uk), although outside high season it only runs at
weekends (see the website for schedules). Single tickets are £2.40 for adults, £1.90
children 4-15.
About 19 miles up the coast, the village of
Robin Hood's Bay
was once a notori-
ous smugglers' port (it has no link with the eponymous Nottinghamshire outlaw).
Tucked into a deep ravine (don't take wheelchairs or buggies), its Lower Bay is a mix
of quirky, old-fashioned shops and inns bordering a huge wild beach abounding in
rock-pools. Buy fish and chips to eat on the beach or alfresco treats from Picnics on
New Road, or a van parks up on the beach to sell farm ice cream, tea and coffee, and
rental deckchairs.
Robin Hood's Bay is just shy of this coast's true star, the charming harbor town of
Whitby
, which began as a religious center in the 7th century, with the original
Saxon monastery replaced in the 12th century by
Whitby Abbey
(see below). The
town subsequently became a prominent whaling port and eventually an active smug-
glers' port. Among famous explorers to push off from its beaches were Captain James
Cook, who as the king's surveyor circumnavigated the globe twice in ships made by
local craftsmen; learn about him in the
Captain Cook Memorial Museum,
Grape
Lane (
&
01947/601900;
www.cookmuseumwhitby.co.uk), and ask at the tourist
office (p. 642) about the
Captain James Cook Heritage Trail
taking in other
North Yorkshire sites, including the
Captain Cook School Room Museum
(
&
01642/724296;
www.captaincookschoolroommuseum.co.uk) inland at Great
Ayton and the
Captain Cook & Staithes Heritage Centre
(
&
01947/841454;
www.captaincookatstaithes.co.uk) up the coast from Whitby.
Scarborough Castle
RUINS This impressive ruin began life as an Iron Age
fort before being occupied by the Romans, the Vikings, and finally Henry II. The best
time to visit is the summer holidays, when you might catch live-action events, but the
awesome coast views from the expansive grounds can be appreciated year-round.
Castle Rd., Scarborough.
&
0870/333-1181.
www.english-heritage.org.uk. Admission £4.80 adults,
£2.90 children 5-16. Apr-Sept daily 10am-6pm, Oct Mon and Thurs-Sun 10am-5pm; Nov-Mar Mon and
Thurs-Sun 10am-4pm.
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