Walks around Scarborough
Morning
Begin your journey at the southern end of the South Bay under the impressive Spa Footbridge that dates back to 1827. Travel inland along Valley Road passing the recently redeveloped geological Rotunda Museum also built in the 1820's and passing under Valley Bridge, which was opened in 1865.
Continue along Valley Road and turn left at the roundabout onto Westbourne Grove. Travel up the hill until reaching the traffic lights and then turn right onto Ramshill Road. Take the next left onto Esplanade Gardens followed by a quick turn left and then right onto Prince of Wales Terrace. On arrival at the end junction of this road be sure to take in the view of Scarborough Castle towering over the sprawling town below.
Turn right at the junction. This will take you onto Scarborough's elegant Esplanade. Immediately on the left is the top station for The Spa Cliff Lift, a hillside tram, which connects the South Cliff to The Spa. It was opened in 1875 and was the first such lift in the country.
Continue along the Esplanade taking in the beautiful gardens and architecture. On approaching the end of the Esplanade the Holbeck Gardens and Clock Tower, created to commemorate the coronation of George V in 1911, come into view. Turn right opposite the clock tower into Holbeck Road.
At the corner of the Esplanade and Holbeck Road is the building used for exterior shots of the hospital in the popular ITV series ‘The Royal'.
Continue along Holbeck Road, crossing straight over West Street onto the second part of Holbeck road and drive on until the junction with Filey Road. Turn left, passing the sports centre and take the turning on the right into Deepdale Avenue. The road climbs up Oliver's Mount, supposedly named because of the mistaken belief that Oliver Cromwell placed batteries on it during the siege of the Castle. The mount has been used as a motorcycle racing circuit since 1946 and international events are held several times a year.
Lunch
At the top of the mount sits Oliver's Mount Restaurant. A perfect stopping off point to enjoy lunch coupled with stunning panoramic views of the town.
Afternoon
On leaving the restaurant, continue along the road and round the corner to take in the views from the war memorial built in 1922. The obelisk stands 500 feet above sea level and can be seen from miles around. Follow the road round and at the first hairpin carry straight on along the top of the Mount. At the next junction, bear right. Descend down the hill and once past the green bridge turn left and continue through the beech and sycamore wood. The Mere, a popular bird sanctuary and fishing spot, will come into view on the left hand side.
Turn left after the mere, cross over the bridge and then take a left onto Seamer Road. Continue along Seamer road for approximately half a mile until the turning for Stoney Haggs Rise appears on the right hand side. Take this road, which climbs steeply upwards.
Stoney Haggs Rise used to be a toll road. The name is thought to come from the time when the road was made of stones and the haggs, or horses, were used to carry corn to Seamer market. A view of the Yorkshire Wolds can be seen from the top of the rise.
At the end of Stoney Haggs Rise, turn right onto Scarborough Road. At the roundabout, turn right onto Ayton Road and then take the next right onto Irton Moor Lane. Continue to the end of this scenic lane and turn right at the junction onto Racecourse Road, so named because of the racecourse that used to be situated on this spot. The road was also the setting for an airstrip for planes coming into land bringing visitors to the resort at the very early part of the twentieth century.
Continue along Racecourse Road, which leads onto Stepney Hill and Stepney Road, looking out for a magnificent view of the town sprawled below. At the roundabout, turn left onto Stepney Drive. At the next junction turn left onto Scalby Road passing the old entrance to the hospital. Take a left after the college onto Lady Edith's Drive.
This tree-lined road takes you past Throxenby Mere a scenic stretch of open water that provides a home for wildfowl and marshland flora. Turn right at the mere into Red Scar Lane and then turn left at the crossroads onto Hackness Road. The road crosses the ‘Sea Cut', which was built in 1800 to prevent flooding of nearby Forge Valley. Turn right after the village watering place into Church Hill entering the village of Scalby. The village existed at the time of the Domesday Book and the Church of St Laurence dates back to the 12th Century.
Drive through the village, passing the Gatehouse on the right that was the stable block for the Holt, the large house at the end of the street where Edward VII is reputed to have stayed.
Cross over the main road and drive to the end of Station Road, turning right at the end onto Burniston Road. As you cross over Scalby Beck, the youth hostel, an old converted mill, can just be seen on the right hand side.
As Burniston Road reaches it end, Peasholm Park can be seen on the right hand side. The park was created in 1912 in the Chinese style, which is evident from the entrance gate, willow pattern bridge and hilltop pagoda. The park has a well-established café, perfect for afternoon tea and cakes.
Turn left at the roundabout and follow the road along the seafront, passing the North Bay beach where an entertainment pier once stood stretching 1000ft into the sea. The pier was washed away by severe storms in 1905.
Scarborough Castle can be seen on top of the headland, directly in front. The first occupants of the Castle headland formed a village settlement in the early Iron Age, although the earliest visible remains are those of the Roman Signal Station. The castle has had a very turbulent history over the last 2500 years the most recent being its bombardment by the German fleet in the First World War. Visitors to the castle can learn about the castle's history in the visitor centre and through the interesting audio tour. It is also possible to ‘take tea' in the 18th century Master Gunner's House and to climb the battlements for spectacular views of Scarborough's coastline.
Continue along Marine Drive. The drive was completed in 1908, having taken 10 years, 10 months and 10 days to build. A recent sea defence project with 280'000 tonnes of rock revetment from Norway, complete with over 5000 acropodes averaging one tonne each, have stabilised the castle headland and Marine Drive. A new one metre high sea wall has replaced the old railings and 11'000 square metres of new boardwalk paving means improved access for all along the seafront.
At the southern end of Marine Drive, the small archway is the old toll booth, which was in operation until 1950. It is now used as the coastguard station. The beautiful sweeping South Bay and magnificent Grand Hotel can be seen on the approach to the seafront. The hotel was built with four distinctive domes representing the seasons, 12 floors representing every month and 365 rooms representing every day of the year.
Scarborough harbour can now be seen on the right hand side. The harbour dates back to medieval times and today boasts four piers and brand new facilities and berths for yachts.
A lifeboat has been based in the South Bay since 1801 and over 550 lives have been saved to date.
The majestic Spa complex, a grand pavilion style building, can be seen at the end of the seafront. During its Victorian heyday, it was considered the most popular music hall venue outside London. It has recently undergone a £3.75million refurbishment to install cutting edge conference and entertainment facilities.
Information partly taken from Scarborough's Daffodil Drive leaflet produced by SBC.
