10 Best Places to Go Shopping in Scarborough

Westborough is the principal pedestrian thoroughfare that cuts through the middle of Scarborough. It's also one of the town's leading high-street shopping hotspots. It shoots off the A64 as it runs into the south side of the resort and goes for about 500 miles in all before meeting St Nicholas Street to the north.

Look to the left at the beginning of Westborough, and the big Brunswick shopping centre opens to offer all manner of clothing brands. Strut on and you'll soon be flanked by outdoor outfitters, pasty shops, shoe sellers, and cosmetics outlets. All that comes with a good dosing of street entertainers and buskers during the summer.

Eastborough picks up on the opposite side of Scarboough to the walking strip of Westborough, offering a slightly more local mix of shops and a range of nightlife spots for good measure. It's within a 5-minute walk from the parking on the West Pier and really close to the main sands of Scarborough Beach.

Clocking up around 420 metres in length, Eastborough is known for its mix of hearty taverns and pubs. They provide pub grub and cold beer to fuel retail sessions in the various shops, which you'll notice are indelibly independent in character. Eastborough is a haven for gift buyers especially, thanks to standout jewellers like White Beach Designs and Sing And Bling.

The Scarborough Market Hall and Vaults is one of the original top shopping locations in the town. It dates back to 1852, when it was opened as a trading space for local Yorkshire farmers and sea-goers. A transformation has seen it reopen its doors for the 21st century, but you'll still find it hidden behind a classic shell on St Helen's Square.

Open from morning until 5 pm throughout the week, the Scarborough Market Hall and Vaults is host to all sorts. There are crafters and wood whittlers, embroiders and jewellers to take care of all those souvenir needs. You also get excellent local delicacies at honey stalls and artisan bakeries.

Brunswick's many shopping concourses are the place to go for that fix of well-known high-street brand names and outlets. The space opens behind red-brick walls at the top end of Westborough, which is one of the town's main retail precincts. It's just a 5-minute walk from the Scarborough railway station. 

Inside Brunswick, you'll discover bargain emporiums like Poundland next to leading homeware and fashion brands like Next and New Look. There are also convenient card and gift stores packed in with purveyors of makeup and jewellery. There are 1 or 2 pubs, plus a leafy urban park on the next door Crescent to escape to once the shopping is done.

The little strip of Sandside is a hubbub of life in the summer months in Scarborough. It's tucked between the rises of Scarborough Castle and the main port over on the east side of the town.  

It's a good idea to have Sandside on your itinerary for its pubs alone. Hearty English seaside taverns churn out cold pints and gastropub plates in these parts. But there are also award-winning fish-and-chip stalls, along with a smattering of cute little souvenir places that can take care of all those fridge-magnet and snow globe needs.

Castle Road is one of the longest roads in the whole of central Scarborough. It skirts the northern edge of the town, running from the top end of the castle hill to the intersection with Aberdeen Walk. To get there, you're looking at a short stroll of under 10 minutes from the main train station.

Shopping is mainly centred at the western end of Castle Road. You can find a Tesco Express, plus some unique places to get spending. Head to Richardson's Cycles for bespoke rides or Beevers for characterful home furnishings.

Eastfield is a town that sits to Scarborough's southern end, but historically has been seen as part of the resort itself. You can get there on regular buses or your vehivle of choice down the A64 or the A165. Both options should take between 15 and 25 minutes ,depending on traffic.

What awaits is a classic out-of-town shopping zone. The part of Eastfield that buts up to the A road is laden with builder's merchants and hardware warehouses. There are also larger supermarkets (like Morrisons), pawn shops, and car hire outlets. Once you're done, Cayton Bay Beach, some 5 minutes' drive to the east, is a great place to unwind.

North Bay Beach is the rugged brother of Scarborough's main beach. As the name implies, it sits just over the castle headland to the north of town. You can walk there from the town centre in less than 20 minutes, but there are also regular buses that can skim the journey down to under 15 minutes.

The focal point of North Bay Beach is a promenade that clutches a sliver of land beneath the cliffs. There, you'll find one of few surf shops in the whole of Yorkshire, along with board rental outlets for when the swell is pumping. The strip also has many seaside pubs and cafes, along with tea shops and souvenir kiosks.

Huntriss Row is a hidden little run of shops, bars and cafes in Scarborough. It shoots off the main drag of Westborough and runs parallel to Bar Street, which is where you can go for post-retail drinks and grub.

This 150-metre-long passage mingles the well-known and the off-beat. Big names like McDonald's stand before cosy northern taverns, all interspersed with locally owned tattoo parlours and makeup stores. 

The Balmoral Centre is wedged right into the thick of the retail action in Scarborough. The shopping mall is backed by one of the town's largest NCP parking lots, so you should never be short of somewhere to leave the wheels. The Scarborough train station is also a mere 5 minutes on foot around the corner.

Wilko takes up a significant space in the Balmoral Centre. It's the flagship store in a series of smaller stores that focuses on homeware, gardening, fashion, and footwear. The best part? Westborough, arguably the prime retail precinct in town, runs right out front.