Scarborough Castle and other Scarborough, United Kingdom Things to Do Tips

Scarborough Castle is one of the larger castles in Yorkshire, towering on a cliff above town which you can see on the second photo here. It has been held by Richard III amongst others and is well worth a visit even if the trek up the hill is steep whichever way you approach. You are rewarded with a great view and sometimes also medieval theme displays such as falconry. The castle is in one of the most strategic places in the North of England so it is easy to see why even the Romans settled here and built a signalling station up on the hill (see photo). The vikings were here too and Scarborough in fact got its name not from a scar in the landscape but from a Norse word for hare lip which was the nickname of a viking lord. Then came lots of English kings, and not least Prince John expanded the castle a lot. His quarters are now in ruins and the whole area is vast so it is a bit hard to get to grips with compared to more "closed" castles but English Heritage is doing its best, lending you audio guides with lively stories. The keep is the most impressive building still in standing shape although in ruins. It was bombed during the 17th century Civil War unfortunately. Scarborough itself was then bombed by a German ship during the First World War when the castle was used for military purposes and had some barracks. There is a little cafe up here too and you deserve a cup when you've walked up here in strong winds.

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Address: Castle Road
Directions: You can't miss it.

Just below the castle is the old church of St Mary's which is pretty but also has a fascinating history. There was a church here already before King Stephen's times but by then it was enlarged in the 1180s. Richard Lionheart then granted the church revenues to a Burgundian Cistercian order before it was enlarged a lot in King John's time as you can understand if you have also visited the castle. During the 1380s, side chapels were built and in the 1450s it was further enlarged. Then it was sadly bombed to bits in the Civil war in the 17th century both by the Republicans attacking the castle, and the royalist castle defenders under Sir Hugh Chomley whom you can also read about on my Whitby page. In 1669, the church was repaired but never to its old glory. Instead, you can see traces of how big it once was from the standing ruins in the church yard. You can read a lot more of its fascinating history in the excellent webpage below.

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Address: Castle Road
Directions: On the way to Scarborough Castle.
Website: http://www.scarborough-stmarys.org.uk/

Anne Bronté moved from inland Haworth to the seaside to try to ease the symptoms of her TB as many did in her days, but of course she didn't live long once she had caught the dreaded discease and died here too. There is a nice view from the bench next to her grave. A perfect place for contemplation and a must if you are in any way interersted in classical literature.

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Address: Castle Road
Directions: In St Mary's Cemetary on the way to the castle.

I had been to a SeaLife centre in Belgium and expected somewhere fun for our daughter but still something us adults had seen before. How wrong I was! Scarborough's centre is bigger and whilst a lot is similar, such as the seal rescue centre with the sweet seal pups, there are unique features here too. My absolute favourite was the pool of giant Japanese crabs where I had a "profound nature experience" I hadn't had in a long time almost "talking" to this creature looking at me from inside its pool. I also loved the pool of huge sea turtles which were cuddled at the tropical fish feeding times in the same place. There were feeding and/or demonstration times twice a day at the various "stations" which apart from the seals and turtles also included Humboldt penguins and Asian otters. Then there was the compulsory shark tunnel which gave another opportunity at studying the turtles above you as well as tanks full of my favourites - the seahorses. There was also a very fascinating room full of illuminated jellyfish which was so mezmerising with its soothing music that I could have stayed there all day relaxing. I also liked the way the staff were very involved in conservation issues and environmental information to visitors. A great and very informative half day out! It costs quite a bit to get in but there are often discount vouchers and to me it was worth every penny to keep these animals.

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Phone: 01723 376125
Address: Scalby Mills
Directions: Bus 3 from the city centre to its end stop. Spot the white "tents" on the North Bay beach at Scalby Mills.
Website: www.sealifeeurope.com