Castle by the Sea

Sep 25

5 min read

Castle by the Sea, Scarborough – Our Weekend Stay

Mick and I stayed at Castle by the Sea in Scarborough for two nights in September, arriving on the Friday and staying through Saturday night.

We had booked through a Groupon deal, which was very well priced, but having now stayed there ourselves, it is somewhere I would happily consider booking directly for another Scarborough break.

The guest house is in a lovely position close to Scarborough Castle, with beautiful views towards both North Bay and South Bay. For us, the location turned out to be one of the best things about the stay because we could leave the car and explore so much of Scarborough on foot.

Arriving at Castle by the Sea

Official check-in is from 3pm, but we arrived in Scarborough during the morning.

The owners were happy for us to park outside and drop our luggage off before our room was ready, which was very kind and made the start of the weekend much easier.

It may only sound like a small thing, but when you have arrived early and want to get straight out exploring, being able to leave the car and bags behind makes a real difference.

The views from outside the accommodation are lovely too. You can look across towards North Bay in one direction and South Bay in the other, and being so close to the castle gives the whole area a very different feel to staying down at seafront level.

Our Room and the North Bay View

Our room had a lovely view across North Bay and was a really comfortable place to come back to after a day of walking.

The bed was very comfortable, and we also had a recliner sofa in the room, which was very welcome once we had been on our feet for most of the day.

The room itself was a decent size and had everything we needed, including tea and coffee, biscuits, toiletries, a hairdryer, iron and ironing board.

There were also doors leading out onto a shared terrace.

I particularly liked having the North Bay view. Scarborough looks completely different from up around the castle, and it was lovely being able to look out across the bay from the room.

Breakfast

Breakfast was served from 8am until 10am during our stay, which means you can have a leisurely start if you want one rather than having to be up first thing.

Service was friendly on both mornings and there was plenty of food.

I do have to mention the one downside because I would rather give our actual experience than make somewhere sound perfect.

On our second morning we wanted to get away early, so we went down for breakfast at 8am. We ended up waiting around 45 minutes for our cooked breakfast even though nobody else was dining at the time.

It was a little strange because the service had been much quicker the previous morning when several other guests were eating at the same time, so I am not sure what caused the delay.

It did not spoil our stay, but it is part of what happened and I think it is only fair to mention it.

Exploring North Bay and Peasholm Park

One of the biggest advantages of staying at Castle by the Sea was how easy it was to explore Scarborough on foot.

On our first day we headed along North Bay before continuing to Peasholm Park.

Peasholm Park is lovely and well worth a visit if you are in Scarborough. We did the Glen Valley Tree Trail while we were there, which I would definitely recommend.

It gives you a completely different side of Scarborough, with trees, water and parkland after the open views of the coast.

We had a great walk that day, taking in North Bay and Peasholm Park before making our way back towards the castle.

That route has now become our Scarborough Circular Walk – Castle, North Bay & Peasholm Park, so if you enjoy walking it is well worth having a look at while you are planning a visit. The White Shire

Castle Ramparts, South Bay and the Old Town

On our second day we headed in the opposite direction.

There is a path around the Castle Ramparts which starts virtually outside the accommodation, and the views along this section are gorgeous.

From there we continued towards South Bay and then made our way up into Scarborough Old Town.

For us, this was a big part of why Castle by the Sea worked so well.

We did not have to drive somewhere before we could start enjoying Scarborough. We could simply step outside and decide whether we wanted to head towards North Bay, Peasholm Park, the castle, South Bay or the Old Town.

If you enjoy walking and exploring rather than spending the whole weekend moving the car from one place to another, the location is excellent.

Prices and Booking

We booked our stay through Groupon, so the price we paid was particularly good.

For direct bookings, Castle by the Sea’s room prices currently start from £90 per night for a double room including breakfast, with single rooms starting from £70 per night including breakfast. The Castle By The Sea

Prices and availability can change, so it is always worth checking directly before booking.

You can find current room details and availability on the official Castle by the Sea website.

Would We Stay Again?

Yes, I would.

I thought Castle by the Sea offered good value for money, friendly service and a lovely setting.

Our room was comfortable, we had a beautiful North Bay view, and the position near Scarborough Castle meant we could spend the weekend walking and exploring rather than constantly getting back in the car.

The slow breakfast on the second morning was the only real downside to our stay, and as I said, service had been much quicker the previous morning.

Taking the weekend as a whole, I thought it was a very good base for exploring Scarborough.

If you enjoy coastal views, walking and being able to reach North Bay, South Bay, the castle and the Old Town on foot, Castle by the Sea is certainly worth considering.

Explore More of Scarborough

Our stay also reminded us just how much there is to see in Scarborough once you start exploring beyond the busiest parts of the seafront.

During the weekend we walked North Bay, Peasholm Park, the Castle Ramparts, South Bay and the Old Town, and we will be adding more from our Scarborough visit to The White Shire.

You can also explore more places to stay on our North Yorkshire Accommodation page. The White Shire

Written by Lyn Palmer for The White Shire, following our stay in Scarborough in September 2026.

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