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Scarborough, holidays on the North Sea coast

Tuesday, 7 January 2014 - 01:00 pm (CET/MEZ) Berlin | Author/Destination: Great Britain / Großbritannien
Category/Kategorie: General Reading Time:  6 minutes

🔊 Listen to this Post Scarborough is a town on the North Sea coast of North Yorkshire in England, within the borough of the same name. Historically part of the North Riding of Yorkshire, the modern town lies between 10-230 feet (3-70 m) above sea level, rising steeply northward and westward from the harbour onto limestone cliffs. The older part of the town lies around the harbour and is protected by a rocky headland. It is one of the largest settlements in North Yorkshire.

With a population of around 50,000 in the town’s boundaries, Scarborough is the largest holiday resort on the Yorkshire coast. The larger urban area including Scalby and Eastfield had a population of 58,000. It also has over 100,000 under the surrounding area within the district. A person from Scarborough is traditionally known as a Scarborian, yet many different names are used. The town varies greatly from area to area; it is home to residential communities, business, fishing and service industries, plus a growing digital and creative economy, but overall is a top tourist destination on the East Coast of England. It is often informally referred to as ‘the Brighton of the North’.

Shopping Scarborough’s town centre has many major shopping chains alongside boutique independent shops. As well as a main pedestrianised shopping street (home to various chain stores and eateries) and the Brunswick shopping centre, boutique stores can be found on Bar Street and St Thomas Street. The town also has an indoor market with a large range of antique shops and independent traders in its vaults, and a smaller market on the South Bay. W Boyes & Co, a discount department store chain which has 44 stores across the north is based at Eastfield, on the outskirts of Scarborough. It’s flagship store is located in Queen Street.

Scarborough’s fishing industry is still active, though only a shadow of its former self. The working harbour is home to a fish market including a shop and wooden stalls where fresh, locally-caught seafood can be purchased by the public. The tourism trade continues to be a major part of the local economy despite the current affordability of foreign holidays. While weekend and mid-week-break trade are tending to replace the traditional week-long family holiday, the beaches and attractions are always very busy throughout summer – a marked contrast to the quieter winter months when Scarborough is often seen as a peaceful bolt-hole from cities such as Leeds and Bradford. Confidence in the hospitality industry is high, evidenced by major refits in recent years, often targeted at a higher-spending clientele. Significant amongst these is The Grand, Scarborough’s biggest hotel, which overlooks the South Bay, and also the Palm Court Hotel.

The most striking feature of the town’s geography is a high rocky promontory pointing eastward into the North Sea. The promontory supports the 11th century ruins of Scarborough Castle and separates the sea front into two bays, to the North and South. The South Bay was the site of the original early medieval settlement and the harbour, which form the current Old Town district. This remains the main tourist area, with a sandy beach, cafés, amusements, arcades, theatres and entertainment facilities. The modern commercial town centre has migrated 440 yards (400 m) north-west of the harbour area and a 100 feet (30 m) above it, and contains the transport hubs, main services, shopping and nightlife. The harbour has undergone major regeneration including the new Albert Strange Pontoons, a more pedestrian-friendly promenade, street lighting and seating. The North Bay has traditionally been the more peaceful end of the resort and is home to Peasholm Park which in June 2007 was restored to its Japanese-themed glory, complete with reconstructed pagoda.

The North and South Bay are linked by Marine Drive, an extensive Victorian promenade, built around the base of the headland. Both bays have popular sandy beaches and numerous rock-pools at low tide. Slightly less well known is the South Cliff Promenade situated above the Spa and South Cliff Gardens, commanding excellent views of the South Bay and old town and from which many iconic postcard views are taken. Its splendid Regency and Victorian terraces are still intact and the mix of quality hotels and desirable apartments form a backdrop to the South Bay.

Read more on Scarborough Borough Council, Scarborough.co.uk, DiscoverYorkshireCoast.com – Scarborough, VisitScarborough.com and Wikipedia Scarborough. Learn more about the use of photos. To inform you about latest news most of the city, town or tourism websites offer a newsletter service and/or operate Facebook pages/Twitter accounts. In addition more and more destinations, tourist organizations and cultural institutions offer Apps for your Smart Phone or Tablet, to provide you with a mobile tourist guide (Smart Traveler App by U.S. Department of State - Weather report by weather.com - Global Passport Power Rank - Travel Risk Map - Democracy Index - GDP according to IMF, UN, and World Bank - Global Competitiveness Report - Corruption Perceptions Index - Press Freedom Index - World Justice Project - Rule of Law Index - UN Human Development Index - Global Peace Index - Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index). If you have a suggestion, critique, review or comment to this blog entry, we are looking forward to receive your e-mail at comment@wingsch.net. Please name the headline of the blog post to which your e-mail refers to in the subject line.

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