Mummy Diaries | August Bank Holiday in North Yorkshire

It feels like a lifetime away since the August Bank Holiday, when in reality, it’s only been a month been just over a month – and we’ve had another Bank holiday since then. We went away and had a two night stay in Scarborough – paid for with our Clubcard points (love that). We stayed right next to Peasholm Park, and it was only a 10-minute walk to North Bay beach. Two nights wasn’t enough to explore the area in that much detail and we’ll definitely be back. Here’s a quick round-up of what we got up to.

Day 1 in Scarborough

We spent our first afternoon in Scarborough. On arrival, we had a picnic in St Nicholas Gardens, which was a small peaceful green area overlooking the beach. The number of large seagulls that continuously loitered and flew around us was truly terrifying. We then went down on the beach – which was a nice clean and sandy beach. We hadn’t packed towels or sand mats, so it was fairly short-lived… and so, Alfie got a taste for the penny slots and kept recreating Tipping Point!

We walked up and down the promenade several times, diving into a couple of the different arcades – unfortunately, we found the best one on the second day, where you won tickets and traded them in for prizes, rather than getting more copper change. We also checked out the shops – but they were mainly the same, selling souvenirs and your typical seaside merchandise. I loved all the confectionery stores and couldn’t help but buy some John Bull rock and nougat! On a previous family holiday, we actually visited the John Bull factory… we will definitely have to take Alfie when he’s bigger.

After checking in to the guesthouse and having some chill time, we walked through Peasholm Park in search of dinner. It’s a really lovely, landscaped park, around a lake, with an oriental theme – think pagodas, dragon statues, rowing boats and pedalos. It was even more beautiful at night, with a string of coloured lights glowing over the lake. I wish we had spent more time there, as we didn’t see it all – and I’ve since seen there’s a Tree Trail and Dinosaur Safari.

Day 2 in Whitby and Robin Hood’s Bay

By special request – by which, I mean I suggested it – we went to Whitby. Home to the abbey, made famous by Bram Stoker’s Dracula, we walked the 199 steps to the top, but didn’t go inside. It was definitely challenging, made harder by wearing my Kurt Geiger sliders, and we went down the slope on the way back. The views over Whitby were stunning though, and the next time, we will definitely have to visit the abbey properly – it’s so imposing and has a mysterious aura.

We had a superb lunch at The Star at the Harbour, where I ate half a grilled lobster and drunk a Hugo Spritz (under a different name, but the same ingredients). Ash had proper fish and chips, while Alfie had spaghetti bolognaise and garlic bread, followed by a strawberry knickerbocker glory. Thankfully, we did lots of walking to burn it all off. Oh, and of course, we went into an arcade too. We spent quite bit of time by the harbour, breathing in the sea air and watching families crabbing.

Robin Hood’s Bay was sadly a mere pitstop – we were arriving as most people were departing, and I think most places were closing up for the day. We still had a good walk around, sat on the rocks looking out to sea, and visited the long stretch of sea wall, where there’s a mosaic mural. It was truly stunning and marked the history of the area – although sadly, some of them were defaced. A quick pub pitstop and we were back to base.

Homeward Bound – Nostell Priory

I was hoping to blog about this separately, but time and motivation has not been on my side. We visited National Trust property, Nostell Priory, which is near Leeds – well, in Wakefield to be more precise. We didn’t go inside the property but instead, lunched in the café, enjoyed the serenity of the extensive gardens, and walked lots (again).

I wanted to see the obelisk and menagerie, while Alfie was all for the play area, which was all wooden and so cute. There were lots of things to go on too, including balance beams, egg swings and even a wooden fort with a slide.

A lovely long weekend and I’m already looking forward to our next break.

Love, Lucy xx