Scarborough Off The Beaten Path

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About 10 miles from Scarborough is a national forest at Hackness. Dalby Forest is situated on the southern slopes of the North York Moors National Park. The southern part of the forest is divided by a number of valleys creating a 'Rigg and Dale' landscape whilst to the north the forest sits on the upland plateau.
Entrance to the forest is paid at a toll booth and prices vary but a car costs £7.00. This may see high but upkeep of the forest must be expensive but the facilities within such as public toilets are very good and the paths are easy to negotiate as they are so well maintained. It i deemed disabled friendly and I agree although pushing someone in a wheelchair along country paths is not easy.
There are several walks to make and clear streams and a lake. Lots of picnic sites , BBQ areas, shops, cafes and cycle trails. There are dedicated mountain bike routes to which look very exciting.
See also my two tips on cafes within the forest.
Access possible by Moorsbus (see separate tip) if you do not have a car.

There is a RSPB reserve close to Scarborough at Bempton to the south of the town. Between April and August you can see guillemots, kittiwakes and puffins as you enjoy the wonderful cliff top views. There are 200,000 birds here.
The nearest viewing point is accesable be wheelchair but other viewpoints are a problem.
It is all free apart from the car park that costs £3.50.
Off the B1229 from Filey to Flamborough. Northern Rail trains stop here on the Scarborough to Hull line although I think it may be quite a long walk to the cliffs.
The visitor centre has toilet facilities and refreshments are available here too as well as take away packed lunches.
Another way to see the sea birds and cliffs is to take a puffin cruise from Bridlington and details are on my Bridlington pages.

This old wartime POW camp for German prisoners is a museum showing England at war. In the huts the prisoners used to live in are scenes depicting the sights and smells of the war in for example a wartime factory, a street shelter and a shopping street.
There is one particular scary exhibit where you are in a submarine under attack.
There is an assault course and cafe. Accessible throughout for the disabled.
Entry in 2009 is £5.00/£4.00 which is good value for an attraction that needs at least three hours to see it.
Just off the A64 at Malton. The Yorkshire Coastliner bus stops here on its way to and from Scarborough.
The restaurant serves interesting delights such as Churchill Steak Pie or Submariners Pie at £4.99. Note credit cards are not accepted.
Car parking is on site and free. The site is flat and disabled friendly.

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Some people (mainly locals who like to walk their dogs on the beach) already realise this, but if you're just visiting you might not. This is a fun thing to do on a sunny day, or any day if you have kids (as long as it's not raining!)

Scarborough has LOTS of rockpools. There are 2 bays here, and both have them, but the South Bay, as far round as you can follow it, has the most wildlife to be found in them. It's nice and quiet round there so the creatures don't get disturbed once they have been brought in by the tide. You can spot tiny shrimps and baby crabs, winkles and other types of sea snail, pipe fish, small anenomes - kids love it down there, from toddler (watch them on the slippy rocks) to bigger kids, who feel like the king of the world when they find a big rockpool of their own, full of things to poke with sticks or put in their collecting bucket.

Take a packed lunch down there on a fine day and you can stay for hours and hours, perfect if you are after a cheap day out. You can get to the South Bay rockpools by walking along the paths south from the Spa, on the seafront (going this way you will cross the star disc, an astrological map in the place which used to house the open air pool - worth five minutes but not much more), or by going to the Esplanade on South Bay and walking down from the Clock Tower, through the gardens (not recommended for small children or people with walking difficulties due to uneven paths).

Scampston is an English country house set in 18th century Capability Brown parkland . The house has a wealth of art treasures and fine Regency architecture. However the house is famous for its famous gardens and parkland and although the house is worth seeing the gardens are the real treasure here. Dutchman Pit Oudolf has planted imaginative gardens with an innovative approach in the 4.5 acre grounds with a series of hedged enclosures and inside the enclosures an individual garden.

Scalby Mills is at the very north of Scarborough. It's where the sealife centre is and you can walk to it either on the front or through Peasholm Park, or you can take the miniature train, or even the cable car (if it's running).
The sealife centre is not the attraction of this place for me, the real attraction is just the beauty of the place and the fact that it's the gateway to the countryside. The Cleveland Way long distance path picks up here and sets off down the coast to Ravenscar. There's a bit of a beck flows out into the sea here, and a pub right beside it.

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The NYMR is one of England's premier preserved railways running 18 miles from Pickering to Grosmont through the national park. The scenery is spectacular and the hour long ride is full of interest with vistas over heather clad moorland and wooden valleys. The train stops at Newton Halt, Levisham and Goathland along the way.
Morning trains tend to be diesel trains but most trains are steam hauled and the railway tries to create a 1950s style country railway.
Many special events through the year such as England's best WW2 weekend in October ( see the galleries on my home page). Unfortuantely I cannot recommend the Wizard Weekend in October - we went in 2007 and there was not very much to see or do. Bus 128 from Scarborough to Pickering or Moors Bus to various stations in the summer.

Down the coast on Flamborough Head is a large white lighthouse that has limited opening in 2007. Quite a long climb to the top ( not possible for the elderly or disabled) there are good views over the area and out to sea. There is a mapping system that shows every vessel off the headland and a film show showing the history of lighthouses.
A minimum height restriction of 3'3" (1 meter) applies.
Prices in 2007 are £2.75 and concessions £1.75.
Open Wednesday to Sunday.