Scarborough - An Insider's Guide!

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Comet
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Scarborough - An Insider's Guide!

Post by Comet »

At the request of CN-RAM, here is a guide to Scarborough :twisted:

Scarborough is located on the north east coast of England, in the county of North Yorkshire. It is 45 miles from York, which is the main railway connection centre for North Yorkshire. From here you can get to Birmingham, Scotland, Bristol and London. Scarborough is served by direct trains from York, Leeds, Manchester Airport, Manchester Piccadilly, Liverpool Lime Street and Hull.

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One of Scarborough's attractions is Peasholm Park. In summer there are naval battles with small boats, a boating lake and an open cafe. The pagoda on the island in the photo no longer exists, as it was destroyed in an arson attack. There is a walk around the park, and through the trees. Do not walk this way alone, it is often the haunt of flashers, drug addicts and general trash.

Another attraction in Scarborough is the Norman castle. This is on the headland, and has served as a signal station. The ruins belong to English Heritage and in summer there are various events staged here.

Image
Scarborough Castle.

Scarborough grew up as a fishing port, and on the harbour you still see fishing boats. Avoid the front at night because gangs gather here and there are often brawls and people getting attacked. Lining the front are amusement arcades and tat shops. There is a dog ban on the beach from 1st May to the end of September. Supposedly the beach is alot cleaner since dogs have been banned but you wouldn't think so looking at all the polystyrene cups, plastic forks, sh*tty nappies and glass that visitors leave behind.

If you see the white pyramids in the North Bay area, that is the Sea Life Centre. Unless you like being ripped off, avoid this place. The entrance fee is expensive and you can walk round it in about 10 minutes.

Being a seaside town, people assume that Scarborough does great fish and chips - not so! The best chip 'oil is Mannings on Falsgrave Road, they are consistent and their chips don't look as if they have been cooked about 50 times in fat which is too hot.

Scarborough has some great restaurants - the internationally renowned Italian the Lanterna, the equally good Tuscany, some nice Indian places, a Greek restaurant, Chinese and a Thai, though the Thai is not so good anymore.

Scarborough's shopping is legendary - legendarily bad! For a town this size, it has some of the worst shops I have seen. You can take your pick of mobile phone shops, printer cartridge shops, catalogue clearance shops, everything under 50p shops, cheap cards shops, tat shops but very little in the way of quality. Even the chains which are here have poor shops compared to places like York.

One of the first things greeting tourists when they leave the railway station is the tourist information centre. Next door to this is the Youth Offending Team, with the attendant garbage lurking around outside. Further down the main approach to Scarborough is the probation office. Often on sunny days you will see the garbage which hangs around outside here puking all over the pavement! What a nice introduction to your holiday!

Scarborough hosts county cricket matches at its large cricket ground on North Marine Road. Avoid this street at night. Many hotels along here were converted into DSS accommodation for drug addicts, people out of prison, yobs and other low life trash. They have been responsible for the increase in local crime. And soon when we have 24 hour drinking it will get even worse.

So if you want to come to Scarborough, then do. But do so at your own risk...
Sabena and Sobelair - gone but never forgotten.
Louise

CN-RAM
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Post by CN-RAM »

thank you!

i thought for a second you were describing parts of london!

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Post by sn26567 »

Where to stay in Scarborough?

Excellent quality hotels:

1) Beiderbecke's, 1-3 Crescent, www.beiderbeckes.com
2) The Crown, 7-11 Esplanade, www.chariethotels.co.uk
3) Wrea Head Country House, Barmour Lane, Scalby (at 4.6 km), www.englishrosehotels.co.uk

Good quality hotels:

4) Ox Pasture Hall, Lady Edith's Drive, Raincliffe Woods (at 4.2 km)
5) Hackness Grange, Hackness (at 7.6 km), www.englishrosehotels.co.uk

Simple, but comfortable hotels:

6) Old Mill, Mill Street, www.windmill-hotel.co.uk
7) Alexander, 33 Burniston Road, www.alexanderhotelscarborough.co.uk

...and of course, upon reservation, at VC10 and Comet's.
André
ex Sabena #26567

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Post by sn26567 »

Where to eat at Scarborough?

Excellent restaurants:

1) Marmalade's, 1-3 The Crescent,
2) Lanterna, 33 Queen Street, www.lanterna-ristorante.co.uk

Good restaurant:

3) Endeavour, 1 High Street, Staithes (at 40 km)

The other good restaurants are located in the hotels above:

Sharpins and Spice Traders Brasserie at The Crown
Ox Pasture Hall
Wrea Head Country House
Hackness Grange
André
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Post by Comet »

We had friends who stayed at the Crown - they didn't rate it at all. As for anywhere near Raincliffe Woods - be careful. Nice during the day, very lonely at night.

Staithes - if you don't have access to a car - forget it. The public transport here is a pile of sh*t. Most buses don't run on Sunday, Bank Holidays or after 6pm. Same goes for Hackness Grange, Oxpasture Hall and Wrea Head.

You are right about Lanterna, but that has been reviewed on Luchtzak several times already. And some online eating guides to Scarborough are not very good. It is always best to ask a local.

And if you stay on The Crescent - be prepared for noisy gangs of low lifes in the gardens at night and the noise of dustbins being emptied at 6am in the mornings. And of course the noisy delivery lorries to the nearby shop.

Hotels - avoid Trafalgar Square, North Marine Road, Aberdeen Walk, Alma Square, Albemarle Crescent, Grosvenor Road, Cromwell Terrace, Grosvenor Crescent because they are full of the aforementioned DSS accommodation.

You would be much safer staying at VC10 and Comet's, provided that you appreciate quality beer (if you were very, very lucky you may even be allowed to drink some Sloeber :lol: ) and watch my belgium holiday and aviation videos :lol: And have Dexter panting all over you :lol:
Sabena and Sobelair - gone but never forgotten.
Louise

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Post by sn26567 »

What to see in Scarborough?

Churches:

St-Martin-on-the-Hill, Ramshill Road
St-Mary's Church, Castle Road
and the remarkable abbey of East Cliff at Whitby (27 km)

Other monuments and nice views:

The sea front, Royal Albert Drive
The circular theater, Westborough
The Captain Cook Memorial Museum, Grape Lane at Whitby (27 km)
Last edited by sn26567 on 21 Jan 2005, 17:02, edited 1 time in total.
André
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Post by Comet »

The Windmill Hotel is visible from my bedroom window. It is quite a landmark (and I live in a second floor flat so that helps!)
Sabena and Sobelair - gone but never forgotten.
Louise

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Post by Comet »

It's Ramshill Road, not Ramskill (avoid at night because it gets violent along here).

The "circular theatre" is the Theatre in the Round, and is not so much pretty but it is one of the first things you see when you leave the railway station. It is housed in the old Odeon cinema. Also called the Stephen Joesph Theatre where all Alan Ayckbourn plays are premiered.

And the seafront (Royal Albert Drive) is pretty no longer. The sea defence works have all but obscured the view and soon they will be building a hideous sculpture along here.

As I said - ask a local!
Sabena and Sobelair - gone but never forgotten.
Louise

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Post by JetB »

Violent, avoid..... Sounds like a real shit hole Louise ! :wink:
So maybe a good Ryanair destination :lol: !

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Post by Comet »

Yes, Scarborough is a place to avoid. A work colleague of mine was murdered on Ramshill Road. That is one reason I tell people to stay away at night.

Scarborough Police have announced a crackdown on yobs gathering and intimidating tourists, but it will not be any use because the crackdown ends in June and the main holiday season doesn't begin until July.

And every year Norweigan schoolchildren used to visit Scarborough to improve their English. And every year Norweigan schoolchildren used to get beaten up and their heads kicked in by the local sh*t. It really makes me ashamed to live in a dump of a place like this, which used to be so nice until the hotels became dumping grounds for low lifes and other garbage :evil:

And it probably wouldn't be good enough for Ryanair :lol:
Sabena and Sobelair - gone but never forgotten.
Louise

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Post by Comet »

More about Scarborough. North Yorkshire Police recently released their crack cocaine seizure figures. In the whole of North Yorkshire, 80% of the crack cocaine seized was in Scarborough. Now what does that tell you about the kind of trash which infests this place?
Sabena and Sobelair - gone but never forgotten.
Louise

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Post by Humberside »

Whenever I've gone to Scarborough Ive found its nowhere special.

Someother attractions include a open top bus ride from north to south bay. The bus has, or at least used to have a bow tie on. There's also a minature railway and cablecars to a rubbish theme park(that was a waste of money going there)

Do they still have events on for fisherman charities on Boxing Day. Went in 2003 and it was packed

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Post by Comet »

Humberside - the bow tie buses still run between North and South Bays. We would sometimes take the ride ourselves before we moved (we live further away from the beach than we used to). I don't know if there is still the cable car but the crappy theme park has long since closed. The Miniature Railway is still there.

The Firemen vs Fishermen charity football match is played each Boxing Day still, and is very popular. Boxing Day is pub crawl day for girls in Scarborough and it can get very rough.

I think Scarborough has had its day, there are nicer places to spend a holiday. If you must visit Scarborough then just come for the day.
Sabena and Sobelair - gone but never forgotten.
Louise

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Post by Comet »

Yesterday I discovered that the house I moved out of on 24th January 2003 is back up for sale again. I bet the new owners discovered the "other residents" of that house :lol: :lol: By that I mean the ghosts because that house had several of them and must be one of the most haunted houses in Scarborough :lol: Image Image
Sabena and Sobelair - gone but never forgotten.
Louise

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Post by GKirk »

What was that Theme Park called agin...Kinderland or something? ;)

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Post by Comet »

There is a Kinderland theme park, the log flume ride goes into Peasholm Park. They are alawys threatening to close it down. Adults are only allowed in if they are accompanied by children.

The one which was at the end of the chairlift ride, which was a dump and closed ages ago was Marvels. At one time it also had a performing dolphin show if you like that kind of thing.

From what I have heard of Kinderland it is an OK place, but I have never been in, even though I was still at school when it was opened.
Sabena and Sobelair - gone but never forgotten.
Louise

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Post by Humberside »

I have been to Kinderland, although it was a few years ago so cant remember much about it

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Post by Comet »

On Monday I wrote a poem "Ode to Scarborough" but, seeing as I am now a Moderator, I don't think people will be too pleased if I publish it here :twisted: I wrote it after enduring more of the typical incompetence you get in shops here.

When visiting Scarborough, be aware that shop staff do not have the brains to tell you the minimum spend you must make to be able to pay by card. They wait until they have entered the transaction details and told you the price. Then they casually inform you when they see you hand over your card that the minimum spend is now £5 (it ws £1 before) but instead of actually putting up a notice near the counter to inform you, they make you feel a real idiot when you try and pay with your card, knowing you have been able to pay for your Airliner World magazine before on your card. I won't write here what I said to the assistant, but then again you can't expect staff under the age of 25 to have much of a clue, can you? So, when shopping in WH Smith in Scarborough, be aware of this new con. (It wouldn't be so bad, but if it were not for my family, those idiots would not be in a job!! :evil: :evil: :evil: )
Sabena and Sobelair - gone but never forgotten.
Louise

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