Date of first visit – March 2015 to Scarborough, North Yorkshire (aged around 5 months old)

NUMBER OF PAW POINTS: 8/10 Nice beach with big dog friendly area and Peasholm Park is nice. We like to walk along Marine Drive from the South Bay to the North Bay.

We tend to go to Scarborough every year.

Yes. Every. Year.

It’s one of my Dad’s favourite places.

Mum doesn’t dislike it but would much rather try new places along the East Coast. She’s been married to my dad for nearly 30 years. That’s 30 years of going to Scarborough for day trips.

We live in the suburbs of a city called Leeds and it’s 65 miles to the coast either way, East to West. My mum “needs” to see the sea now and again and the beaches are lovely in Scarborough. They’re award winning and are always spotlessly clean. They’re also dog friendly and even in peak season, the areas where dogs are allowed are wide and spacious.

My first visit was when I was around five months old back in 2015. I loved exploring the sand. I dug a huge hole. I still love sand and love to get it on my nose!

And I was fascinated by the sea but i’ve never really liked it. It’s too big and noisy. Mum goes in it and always tries to encourage me to go in but I just stand with my dad and watch her thinking… no way am I going in there.

And the North Sea is cold. You see dogs just running in and out of there and I just think they’re crazy! They’re having fun though, I bet they think I’m crazy for just standing with my dad watching!

We usually do a circuit in Scarborough starting with walking along Marine Drive along the seafront. This is a bracing walk on cooler days. I did this walk for the first time in 2015 and my little legs carried me all that way from the South Bay to the North Bay. I can still do this walk no problem, even though I am 10 at the time of this being published.

After we come off Marine Drive, we head up to Peasholm Park and walk through there. There is a gorgeous lake and I love to watch people rowing and riding the pedalos. There are lots of ducks, swans and moorhens. And squirrels too – absolutely loads of them live in Peasholm Park and they’re so used to people that they are super tame. Which can be irritating to us dogs!

It’s very pretty and there is lots to do there – It has a Japanese garden theme, some magical walks, a cafe, a mini golf course and sometimes they have a miniature sea battle on the lake where model warships take part in a naval battle complete with pyrotechnics. I think they do this during the Summer holidays.

When we come out of Peasholm Park we come to mum’s least favourite part of the walk – the walk through the town. This is the least interesting part of the walk for me and mum! We always try and spot somewhere new – a new shop or restaurant or something that we have never spotted before.

My favourite restaurant/ bar The Sanctuary was around here but it is sadly closed now. We are looking for a new favourite spot in Scarborough that welcomes dogs – let me know if you know anywhere!

Then we cut through the main shopping precinct, down the hill and back to the beach.

Mum is always happy to complete this part of the walk by heading back to the beach and along the sea front on the South Bay. The seafront is typical of many British seaside towns with an assortment of cafes, bars and restaurants, amusement arcades and shops selling things like buckets and spades, fishing nets, postcards and souvenirs.

So I did this massive walk for the first time back in 2015 and still do it now.

Scarborough has something for everyone. It has a 12th century castle, a Victorian Central Tramway (which I went on during my first trip to Scarborough and I shook like a little furry leaf!) as well as a museum and a fantastic Sea life Centre where lots of smaller humans like to visit. And an ice cream from the Harbour Bar is essential during your visit!

We also love the Waterfront Bar opposite the Harbour.

If you have been to Scarborough, let me know and if you know of any amazing dog friendly places there, please leave a comment and I will give them a try next time I am there.

Do you like these pics of me as a pup? Yeah, I know I am still cute! 😀