Welcome To the e-travelguide to Hotels, guest houses and attractions in Scarborough & Whitby

Make the most of your time in Scarborough & Whitby, use the information provided on this web site by clicking on the links above to plan your visit.

Scarborough and Whitby are the two major towns on the Yorkshire Coast, and both have distinctly different personalities: Scarborough is every inch the traditional seaside resort, with donkeys on the beach, candy floss and ice cream and amusements for all ages; while Whitby has a slightly more sedate pace, and while it offers much as a quintessential seaside town, it revels in its more reserved and quaint charm.

Scarborough is Britain’s oldest seaside resort, predating Brighton by almost a century. Acidic spa waters were discovered in the town in 1626 and throughout the 17 th and 18 th Centuries Scarborough grew as a spa destination for the well to do. The arrival of the railways in the 1840s accelerated Scarborough’s expansion as a seaside resort, and the town’s rich architecture is dominated by the grandiose and impressive structures of the Victorian era. Yet Scarborough’s history is not all about seaside holidays; the Viking Thorgils Skarthi founded the town in the 10th Century as Skaroaborg, and the distinctive castle, perched above the headland separating the North and South Bay, was established by William Le Gros in 1135. Scarborough Castle was developed constantly over the following centuries, until during the English Civil War the castle’s keep was largely destroyed after a siege by Parliamentarian forces. Such turbulent and violent history seems a world away in today’s bustling Scarborough and the town remains one of the UK’s favourite seaside destinations, as well as being a major venue for national conferences.

Whitby also has a long and interesting history; St Hilda founded an Abbey in the 7 th Century, in which the first documented Saxon poet Caedmon lived and worked. The romantic and atmospheric ruined Abbey that watches over the Harbour today dates from the 12 th Century, and is one of the UK’s most treasured historic sites. Whitby’s Harbour at the mouth of the River Esk became one of the principal ports between the Humber and the Tyne, with many shipyards, a ropery and a dry dock to service the fleet of Alum and coal carrying vessels as well as the many fishing vessels which although reduced in number, still use Whitby as a base today. James Cook, later to become Captain Cook, the first English seaman to chart the coast of Australia, served his time at Whitby and is the town’s most famous son. Whitby is also noted as the setting for Bram Stoker’s ‘Dracula’ and the town is a haven for admirers of the Gothic classic.

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