For us the best beach in the Scarborough area is Sandsend beach, although the two beaches in Scarborough are excellent, our kids love to go to the beach at Sandsend. Sandsend is only a 40 minute drive away from Scarborough and is well worth a trip out to if you have kids.
The kids love it at Sandsend beach because there is a small stream that runs over the beach into the sea, the kids have hours of fun playing in a small dinghy in the stream.
Sandsend beach is not only good for kids; there is a lovely walk along the beach that leads back south towards Whitby. If you have a dog then this is the beach for you. With Whitbeing close there is always something to do.
Our top 10 Scarborough beach list
Whatever you want from a day at the beach there is sure to be a beach in, or close to Scarborough that has it. It’s difficult to put the beaches in order of which one is the best because they are all great for different reasons.
There isn’t a beach in the Scarborough area that we don’t like, so our Scarborough best beach guide is going to be a list of the beaches in the area in order of preference for my family. Of course everyone else’s list will be different, you can have your say leaving a comment about our Scarborough beach list at the bottom of the page.
If we asked ourselves, if you could only visit one of the beaches listed in our top ten Scarborough beach list, which would it be? Our answer to that is easy; all our family would choose Sandsend beach every time.
Our beach guide is solely based on what beach we enjoy most with the kids, like I say other people will have a completely different top ten Scarborough beach list to ours. We like all of the beaches in the Scarborough area, but if we had to we would visit them in this order.
For more information about the Scarborough beaches head on over to our Scarborough beaches page for details on how to get to each beach, where to park, and what to do when you get there.
1. Sandsend Beach
If you are looking for a great day out with the kids on a small budget, then a trip to Sandsend beach should be on the cards. Sandsend beach is only a short drive north of Scarborough, on your way there you can pass through, or stop off in Whitfor a coffee or some fish ‘n’ chips.
You will see some lovely views of the North Yorkshire countryside as you drive from Scarborough to Sandsend. Be sure to check out ourSandsend beach page for more details of how to get there and parking.
If you do decide to go to Sandsend beach then our advice would be to take a dinghy with you, the kids will definitely ask for one, and the ones in the shops next to the beach are a tad over priced.
2. Scarborough Beach North Side
Second in our Scarborough beach guide top ten list has to be the north side Scarborough beach. This is the beach in Scarborough that has all the chalets and a great view of Scarborough castle.
Our kids love a day at the north side Scarborough beach because it is close to the SeaLife Centre and the pirate crazy golf. Sometimes they get a go on the miniature railway that takes you from near the SeaLife Centre round the back of the north bay beach, to the station near Peasholm Park.
We finish off our day at the north side Scarborough beach with a walk through Peasholm Park. It’s on the way back to our house and it finishes off a lovely day at the beach.
3. Filey Beach
Filey beach is well worth a visit if you are on holiday in Scarborough, it is only seven miles away from Scarborough and is about 5 miles long, therefore it’s great for long walks.
Filey beach has a small amusement park that will keep the kids entertained and has a small paddling pool at one end. There are loads of small food kiosks that you can sit outside and enjoy the view across Filey Brigg.
For more details on Filey beach have a look through our Filey beachguide for details on where to park and how to get there. Our Filey beach page shows some wonderful photos taken of Filey beach shot from the cliff tops.
4. Bridlington Beach
The fourth spot in our Scarborough best beach guide top ten list was a toss up between Bridlington beach and Scarborough south side beach. Our kids love visiting these beaches for the same reason, the amusements.
We ended up putting Bridlington beach into fourth spot because there is a bit more to do there, and the kids love the amusement park that runs across the top of the beach.
Bridlington beach comes on top of the south side Scarborough beach, as the Bridlington Leisure World swimming pool is right next to the beach. For a great day out in Bridlington you can spend half the day at the beach, and the other half at the swimming pool.
Have a read through our Bridlington beach page for more details on Bridlington beach including photos of the area.
5. Scarborough Beach South Side
Kids love the Scarborough south side beach; it has lots of amusement arcades and an amusement park. There are loads of small kiosks that sell ice creams and there’s many fish ‘n’ chip shops.
If the arcades aren’t enough then you can book to go on a boat ride around the bay or go ten pin bowling at Olympia Leisure. There is lots to do at the Scarborough south bay beach, for more details and to see our photos go to our Scarborough beach page.
6. Runswick Bay
Runswick Bay is a lovely little beach north of Scarborough; it will take you about 40 to 45 minutes to drive there car from Scarborough.
This beach will definitely be in the number one spot on some peoples Scarborough best beach guide top ten list. As you drive down to the beach the view is awesome, it’s a lovely little bay surrounded greenery.
For more details on the beach at Runswick Bay and to have a look at some of our photos head on over to our Runswick Bay beach page. Our Runswick Bay beach page gives details on where to park and how much it costs.
7. WhitBeach
If you are on holiday in Scarborough, or near to Scarborough, then a day trip to Whithas to be put on your agenda of stuff to do.
Whithas to two beaches, with the north side having the chalets, and the south side being close to the amusement arcades.
Head on up to the West Cliff area of Whitto see the stunning view across the north and south side beaches with the Abbey looking down on them, have your photo taken under the whalebones with this as your backdrop.
There is a small paddling pool that the kids will enjoy based at the West Cliff area of Whitby. Just look for the cliff lift down to the north side beach, the pool and the skate park are opposite there.
Head on over to our Whitbeach page to have a look through some of our Whitbeach photos and for details on where to park.
8. Cayton Beach
Cayton beach is another one for walkers and dog walkers, again it’s very close to Scarborough so is well worth a visit.
Cayton beach is a favourite spot for surfers and windsurfers and even has it’s own surf school. So if you and the kids fancy doing something a bit different then try a few surfing lessons.
Head on over to our Cayton beach page for more details, we have photos for you to look at and some parking and walking information.
9. Robin Hoods Bay
Again this is another beach that is good for walkers, I have been told there are some great hilly walks around Robin Hoods Bay.
Like most kids ours don’t enjoy walking for very long and as there is a steep walk down to this beach we don’t go there very often.
There are some lovely little shops and cafes that line the street as you walk down to the beach, we have some photos on our Robin Hoods Baybeach page that show you how steep the hill is that leads down to the beach.
The views around the area of Robin Hoods Bay are stunning and are well worth a look if you are in the area. This is another beach that would be most people’s number one on their Scarborough best beach guide top ten list.
10. Staithes Beach
Last on our top ten Scarborough beach list is Staithes beach, again this beach is great for walkers but not if you have kids, like we do.
Like Robin Hoods Bay the beach at Staithes has a long and steep walk down to it. Although the views as you walk down to the beach are amazing it’s not something we like to do often with the kids and all our beach equipment in tow.
Staithes beach is very rocky and great for exploring along looking for fossils, for photos and more information about the beach at Staithes head on over to our Staithes beach page.
It was a difficult task to put the beaches around Scarborough in order of the ones we prefer the most as we like them all. You should definitely try to visit as many of these beaches as you can as they are all worth a visit and are all-good for different reasons. The beaches are rated on how much fun we have had with our two young boys at each beach, your list might be a lot different depending on what you enjoy doing and how old your kids are. I am sure that whichever beach you choose to visit you are sure to have a good time.
