Scarborough, Whitby + the North Yorks Moors

At the beginning of last month I joined a photo holiday run by LSP holidays, led by the impressive Lillian Spibey and based on Scarborough. It was first class.

The weather wasn’t great but the worst was limited to the first morning when we were on the North Yorkshire Moors. There was on and off drizzle and photo opportunities were largely limited to what you could see on the ground.

After that although we didn’t experience the sunshine and temperatures which were prevalent later in the month the rain held off and we enjoyed time in the North Yorkshire Moors Railway’s engine sheds at Grosmont, at Whitby where we stayed on to photograph the sunset, along the front at Scarborough itself and at Flamborough Head.

And in between we enjoyed good food, especially at the Pier Cafe and at Bar Italiano (both in Scarborough) and were looked after at an excellent hotel, The Bike & Boot, in Scarborough

There were nine of us, several had been on a previous LSP holiday and they were all fully equipped with multiple lenses and tripods.

My five highlights:

• the knowledge, energy and charm of the redoubtable Lily (well supported by husband Daniel). Lily was full of ideas, was ever present and an inspiration;
• photography at Grosmont. I didn’t set out to do so but gathered enough material to constitute and half ways decent ARPS submission;
• as noted above our hotel and restaurants were uniformly good or excellent and the Pier Cafe in Scarborough served super food and worthy of a 5 star tripAdvisor review;
• Scarborough’s (faded) grandeur. This is epitomised by the Grand Hotel itself built when Scarborough enjoyed its heyday and at the time the largest hotel in Europe. Now it sadly part of he Britannia chain and caters for coach tours although the facade and the downstairs lobby area are still in good shape; and
• street photography in Scarborough in general and, in particular, the young lady who volunteered for a photo when she say me photographing an older couple nearby.

Click here for a link to a photo album.

LSP also do holidays in Italy and Wiltshire. At least one is in my plans for 2027.