"Are You Going To Scarborough Fair?" "Why, Yes I Am"

On Sunday I had my first adventure around the UK. My friends and I took a school sponsored trip to Scarborough (yes, of folksong fame). We drove for about an hour and half through the Yorkshire countryside (think rolling green hills and a lot of sheep) to reach the idyllic seaside town. Scarborough, is tucked away and stuck in time. 

From a distance, you can see the colorful rows of shops and houses built into the cliffside, leading down to the sands. The waterfront is lined with early 20th century style arcades and leisure palaces (full of modern arcade games, though), fish and chip shops, and candy stores. 

We walked around the beach for a bit since it was low tide—it was a beautiful morning, sunny and 55 degrees (warm for Northern England). Off in the distance, we could see Scarborough castle sitting on the edge of a bluff. 

Photo Credit: Petra

After frolicking on the beach, we ate lunch at a restaurant called Richard II’s I believe (I could be wrong on the specifics, but I know it was named after a king). Being by the sea we of course ate fish and chips. They were delicious and buttery! Then we climbed up to the castle and had a walk around the walls. The castle had over 3,000 years of history, dating back to pre-Roman times, which was just amazing to me! 

From high up in town. Photo Credit: Judith

As we headed back to town, we stopped by St. Mary’s church which is the burial ground of Anne Brontë! We wandered up and down the steep, cobblestone streets for a bit. We stopped at a fudge shop (fortunately for my sweet tooth Scarborough is known for its rock candy and fudge), where I may have bought 3 different types of fudge.

As we headed back down towards the sands, gray clouds and a thick fog moved in quite quickly. Within 40 minutes, we were submerged in mist. We walked along the beach in fog like I had never seen before in my life: you couldn’t see clearly more than 10-15 feet in front of you! It really was like pea soup. Strolling down the shore in the fog was quite eerie: there were very few cars, so it was rather quiet, and in the distance you could see vague silhouettes of people moving about, but everything was really just gray and quiet. 

The beach front in the fog!

We ended up climbing up to the first layer (not really sure what you would call it…) of town, and settled in to a sweet cafe for tea and scones. The cafe was perched at the top of a cliff, overlooking the sea, and seemed like a place Miss Marple ought to pop into for a spot of warm tea before solving a mystery at one of the grand Victorian or Edwardian style hotels set upon the cliff tops. The tea was delicious and warmed me right up, and the scone with clotted cream was truly amazing and oh so British! 

In a nutshell, if I had to describe Scarborough in one word, it would be “character” because it certainly had quite a bit. It was nice to get out of the city just before classes started, and it really was one of the loveliest days I’ve ever had in one of the loveliest places I’ve ever visited. I hope I get to go back someday!

Sara, Petra, Me, and Judith on the beach! Photo Credit: Judith

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