Scarborough, a charming seaside town located in North Yorkshire, has been named one of the top destinations in the UK to visit and is known for its stunning coastline and rich history
Scarborough Beach is one of the town’s main attractions(Image: Getty Images)
With summer on the horizon, holidaymakers are busy planning their getaways, and for those favouring a staycation, there’s no need to look further than a delightful beach escape right on your doorstep. Scarborough, a charming coastal gem in North Yorkshire, is famed for its breathtaking shoreline that offers spectacular views of the North Sea.
The area is a haven for nature lovers, boasting proximity to the North York Moors National Park, dramatic cliffs, shimmering sandy beaches, and the majestic Scarborough Castle perched high above the sea. The town has been lauded as one of the top UK destinations to visit by Time Out magazine in 2023, and CN Traveller hailed it as the “most beautiful seaside resort in England” for its historical charm.
They remarked: “The dramatic castle occupies the headland which separates the two main bays steep cliffs stretching away in both directions. The old town ascends the slope to the castle in a maze of crooked streets, with buildings dating back to Tudor times.”
Scarborough’s allure is heightened by the promise of a fresh adventure with each visit.
A perfect start to any trip could be the colourful Scarborough Fair Collection, home to Europe’s most extensive collection of classic fairground rides and historic vehicles.
This museum provides a unique historical lens, complete with bumper cars, penny arcades, a merry-go-round and the opportunity to enjoy afternoon tea whilst watching a stage show.
Scarborough is popular with holidaymakers and daytrippers as the town has many attractions(Image: Getty Images)
Another must-visit is the Scarborough Rotunda Museum, a Jurassic geology museum that delves into 65 million years of history, showcasing thousands of fossils, dinosaur footprints and even a Speeton Plesiosaur skeleton.
Entry is free for under 18s, and adults can explore the Rotunda Museum for just £5, which also includes admission to the Scarborough Art Gallery.
But no seaside getaway would be complete without a trip to the beach, and Scarborough boasts two stunning beaches: North and South Bay.
South Bay Beach is ideal for a family day out, having been a hit during the Victorian era, it still offers similar attractions like donkey rides and a lively promenade brimming with activities.
North Bay Beach, on the other hand, is much quieter and the perfect spot for relaxation or a leisurely stroll with a camera in hand. With numerous rock pools and charming vintage beach huts set against a backdrop of stunning hills and cliffs, there’s plenty to explore.
The two beaches are divided by the remnants of the grand Scarborough Castle, a 12th-century fortress that has withstood Viking invasions and served as a significant royalist stronghold during the Civil War.
After a day of sightseeing, it’s essential to visit the Scarborough Castle Great Tea Room, which offers stunning views of both beaches and an array of homemade cakes, jams, and other comforting treats.
No matter your itinerary, Scarborough is the perfect spot for a peaceful beach getaway, offering magnificent views, a rich history, and a host of entertaining attractions at one of England’s most beautiful seaside resorts.
Whenever friends or family visiting L.A. ask to go spend a day swimming in the ocean, I always take them to Leo Carrillo State Beach.
Unlike Santa Monica or Venice beaches, Leo Carrillo is not crowded. Parking is usually easy. And it’s a great place to swim and explore, with its tide pools where you can spot a starfish and scramble on its huge rocks (I may have had a goofy photo shoot or two with my friends there).
But until recently, I did not know that the adjoining Leo Carrillo State Park was home to a magnificent series of hiking trails where, when connected, provide you with a seven-mile trek with striking ocean views, wildflowers and birdsong. The halfway point is a pond and wetlands area where you can spot waterfowl and, if you’re lucky, listen to frogs! This is now the hike I take friends on when they want to both hike and have a beach day. I recommend you do the same.
Along with striking views of the Pacific Ocean, the Nicholas Flat Trail includes great vantage points of local peaks.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
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The hike that I took through Leo Carrillo State Park — which I would gauge as mostly moderate with a few short but hard stretches — connects a few different trails, and I will explain how you can even just do portions of it and still have a great time before heading over to the beach.
To begin, you’ll park at Leo Carrillo State Park. An all-day pass is $12, payable to the ranger at the gate or via the machine in the parking lot. Once parked, you’ll head northeast to the trailhead. You’ll quickly come to a crossroads. Take the Willow Creek Trail east to officially start your hike.
A western fence lizard perches on a hillside.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
You’ll gain about 575 feet in a mile as you traverse the Willow Creek Trail. I took breaks along the way to gaze at the ocean, watching surfers bobbing on their boards and a kite surfer trying to gain traction. I spotted coast paintbrush and California brittlebush, a flowering shrub that features yellow daisy-like flowers, on the path, along with several lizards.
A mile in, you’ll come to a junction in the trail where you have three-ish options. You can continue west to a branch of the Nicholas Flat Trail that will take you a mile back down to the parking lot. You can head south onto ocean vista lookout point (which, though steep, I highly recommend). Or you can turn north onto another branch of the Nicholas Flat Trail.
Leo Carrillo State Beach is easy to spot from high points along the Nicholas Flat Trail.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
I did a combination, hiking 235 feet up the lookout path, where I had one of those “Wow, I get to live here” moments. The ocean was varying shades of blue, from turquoise to cerulean to cobalt. I could clearly see in all directions, including about eight miles to the east to Point Dume. I was, once again, amazed to be alone in a beautiful place in a county of 10 million people.
Once I finished at this awe-inspiring point, I headed north onto the Nicholas Flat Trail, taking it about 2.3 miles — and about 1,100 feet up 🥵 — through laurel sumac and other coast sage scrub vegetation into the Nicholas Flat Natural Preserve. Along the way, I observed loads of deerweed covered in its orange and yellow flowers along with scarlet bugler (which I spotted hummingbirds feeding on during my way back), Coulter’s lupine and small patches of California poppies.
California poppies growing amid invasive weeds, Coulter’s lupine and Longleaf bush lupine in Leo Carrillo State Park.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
If you need to catch your breath but don’t want to share that fact with your friends, just yell “Look at that view!” which is relevant for the hardest parts of the first stretch of this path, as the ocean grows only more beautiful and expansive as you climb.
About 2.5 miles in, you will see a path on your right that heads south. I’d skip this. It is a lookout point, but is washed out and looked sketchy to me. Instead, continue east-ish for another mile, and you’ll reach the charming little Nicholas Pond.
This is a great spot to sit, have a snack and observe the waterfowl and other birds, like red-winged blackbirds, song sparrows and lesser goldfinches (which are only lesser in their names). As I sat there eating my Trader Joe’s veggie sushi, I imagined decades ago when cattle probably drank from the pond, given a portion of the preserve resembles pasture and not native coastal sage scrub, and thus appears to have been used for ranching.
The Nicholas Pond in Nicholas Flat Natural Preserve near western Malibu.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
I continued north and then west on the Nicholas Flat Trail through the preserve. You could also turn around at the pond and head back the way you came.
The walk through the preserve featured views of the pasture and some shade from large oak trees, but it didn’t delight me the same as the rest of the hike. Additionally, just before finishing this leg of my hike, I noticed a steep, washed out hill and thought, “Please don’t let that be the trail.” Dear Wilder, it was. There was a nice view once I cursed my way up, but I give you permission to, again, just turn around at the pond.
The Nicholas Flat Trail is steep in spots but worth it for the views.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
At six miles in, or when you have only a mile left, you’ll return to the junction with the ocean vista lookout point. Instead of taking the Willow Creek Trail back the way I came, I took a right (northwest-ish) onto the last bit of the Nicholas Flat Trail. This trail also offered tremendous views and had patches covered in brittlebush with its yellow blooms.
I hiked this trail on a Thursday and did not see another human for the first six miles. It was just me, the western fence lizards, California quail and one very shy skinny silver striped snake who, upon hearing my footsteps, bolted into the bushes.
If you start this hike early enough in the day, you can simply trek back to your car and change into your swimsuit for an afternoon at the beach. And if the tide is out, you might also be able to walk around the tide pools. In the same day, you can hang out with both lizards and starfish, and when lucky, even spy an endangered bumblebee on the trail and an octopus on the beach. Please, go have yourself a remarkable Southern California day!
As the sun sets, golden light blankets the hillsides in Leo Carrillo State Park.
(Jaclyn Cosgrove / Los Angeles Times)
3 things to do
1. Pedal your heart out in Pico Union CicLAvia will host its 60th open streets event, CicLAmini—Pico Union, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday in Pico Union along Pico Boulevard between Normandie and Union Avenues. Guests are invited to travel the 1.4-mile pop-up park through their favorite people-powered mode of transport, whether that’s walking, jogging, biking, skating or shimmying. The route will feature booths from nonprofit organizations and photo opportunities and food. CicLAvia, a nonprofit whose events are always free, invites participants to show up anywhere along the route during the event to take the time to explore one of L.A.’s most historic neighborhoods. Learn more at ciclavia.org.
2. Observe waterfowl and more in Castaic An instructor-led bird walk and talk will be hosted from 8 to 10 a.m. Sunday at Castaic Lake. Guests should bring binoculars, sun protection and water, and wear comfy shoes for this relaxing stroll along paved pathways, sand and grass. Participants should meet at parking lot No. 4 and check in at the office. Register for free to this L.A. County site.
3. Fly a kite atLos AngelesState Historic Park Clockshop, an L.A. arts and culture nonprofit, will host its fifth Community & Unity People’s Kite Festival from 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday at Los Angeles State Historic Park. This free event will feature free arts workshops, live music and booths from local community organizations. There will be a kite competition where contestants will fly their handmade kite, to be judged by kite masters. A $5 donation to Clockshop is requested but not required. Register at clockshop.org.
The must-read
A western fence lizard, also known as a blue belly.
(James Maughn)
Anyone who has hiked for three minutes in L.A. has spotted a western fence lizard. They’re seemingly everywhere, scampering up a hillside, along the trail or on a rock. Turns out, Californians love documenting these little guys. Sean Greene, an assistant data and graphics editor at The Times, analyzed data from the citizen science app iNaturalist and found more than 130,000 verified identifications of the fence lizard in California. That’s way more than the number of poppies observed (almost 47,000) and red-tailed hawk (almost 76,500), two common and beloved things found in Southern California. “Outside California, iNaturalist users focus on other things,” Sean wrote. “Oregonians enjoy snapping pictures of ponderosa pines. In Washington, it’s mallards — the most commonly observed species worldwide. Nevadans have a thing for creosote bushes.” Biologist Giovanni Rapacciuolo told Sean that the fence lizard’s population on iNaturalist almost certainly comes down to “what human beings think is cool.” Like a large sunbathing lizard. As an added bonus, the piece features a video of a lizard doing push-ups, one of my favorite natural phenomenons to observe while hiking. So swole!
Happy adventuring,
P.S.
As we head into summer, the kind folks at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park remind us to check the ground temperature when hiking with pets. I often bring my dog, Maggie May, with me on trails. In the summer, I take the back of my hand and leave it on the ground for five seconds. If it’s too hot for me, it’s too hot for Maggie. If so, we just go find a swimming hole in the shade that we can both enjoy!
For more insider tips on Southern California’s beaches, trails and parks, check out past editions of The Wild. And to view this newsletter in your browser, click here.
If you’re looking to book a UK self-catering getaway this year, we’ve found a charming holiday cottage in Anglesey, Wales, that has travellers coming back again and again
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We’ve found a cottage with stunning coastal views(Image: Sykes Cottages)
With staycations on the rise – especially when the weather’s as nice as it is at the moment – we’ve been searching out some of the best UK holiday rentals homes and cottages to inspire you’re next British break – and we think we’ve found a gem with this charming Anglesey escape.
This four-bedroom, eight-person Sykes Cottages holiday home in on the coast of Anglesey, Wales, stood out to us for its stunning sea views, outdoor hot tub and high quality decor, not to mention the perfect customer score of five out of five stars. Even better, there’s still availability in June through to August, including during the school summer holidays.
Yr Hen Feudy house in Anglesey(Image: Sykes Cottages)
The single-story Yr Hen Feudy house is available to book via Sykes Cottages’ website, and is located on the beautiful east coast of the Welsh Isle of Anglesey in the seaside village of Moelfre. Here you’ll find a picturesque port, a shingle beach and stunning views, perhaps even spotting seals or dolphins out at sea.
The house itself features four bedrooms, three bathrooms, an outdoor hot tub and an electric vehicle charging port, making it the perfect base for groups of friends or family holidays.
What especially impressed us were the glowing reviews from previous visitors, many who clearly have booked this place year after year. “We returned to this stunning cottage and it was as lovely as in previous visits,” one five star review reads. “The cottage is spotlessly clean and is finished to a very high standard. The views are fantastic. Good food at the local pub too. The owners are wonderful. We will be back again.”
Yr Hen Feudy house sleeps up to eight people(Image: Sykes Cottages)
“The views were amazing and the house was so clean and comfortable, definitely a home from home!” another person wrote. “We loved our stay, and we look forward to going again!”
A third person called it “such a gem“, writing: “This was our second visit to this property” and added, “Great location with amazing views from the comfort of the sofa. Facilities are just as you would expect. The house is kept in immaculate condition too. Can’t wait for our next visit.”
In fact, the only negative comment listed appears to be about some confusion about the number of guests staying – however the commentor does say that “the place is beautiful and well-maintained, and we had a very pleasant stay.”
At the time of writing, Yr Hen Feudy cottage still had availability on dates including 2-5 June, 25-28 July and 4-8 August, however is these dates don’t work for you or get booked up, there are plenty of other lovely Anglesey options on Sykes Cottages, including Chapel House, Swyn Llyr and Sea La Vie.
