Scarborough Castle Reviews Summary

Accessibility

Pros:

• "The staff were really helpful to show where disabled parking is and there's a nice coffee stand when you're ready to have a rest and just enjoy the Castle."
• "Disabled parking can be arranged on the castle premises just contact or visit reception for permission to drive and park up on the castle itself."
• "As Blue Badge holders we were able to drive to the top as the steep climb would have been beyond us otherwise."
• "It's largely wheelchair accessible as it has large open fields and a main walk right through."
• "Great views of the coast and most of the grounds are accessible if you have a pram."

Cons:

• "Doesn't look very accessible for people with limited mobility."
• "Access from the sea front isn't straightforward with a pram."
• "The castle can be quite challenging to navigate, particularly for those with mobility issues, due to the steep incline and uneven terrain."
• "No parking available and the entrance is on a steep heel."
• "Not really suitable if you've someone on a manual wheelchair."
• "If visiting the castle either go by car and use the car park below or be prepared for a very steep climb and lots of steps!"

Staff and Service

Pros:

• "The staff are very friendly."
• "Very pleasant, helpful staff."
• "Kudos to the staff, they were all absolutely lovely."
• "Staff were extremely helpful and made us very well aware of and Covid measures put in place."
• "The staff are friendly and knowledgeable too."
• "Helpful, knowledgeable staff made this a wonderful experience."
• "Very friendly and helpful staff."

Cons:

• "The man serving coffee was a right old grump but everyone else was amazing."
• "Ticket chap was quite pushy with the National Heritage membership plug to the point of making me feel uncomfortable."
• "The server could have been a little more friendly."

Facilities

Pros:

• "Dog friendly with complimentary water bowls."
• "There is a good cafe on the site with plenty of choice."
• "Nice gift shop, cafe with outdoor seating, ice cream van with good quality ice cream and nice toilets."
• "Facilities are excellent with a 'Coffee Hut' and modern clean toilets with an indoor seating area with a microwave for warming food."
• "They also have a bottle warmer, microwave and baby changing facilities."
• "Classic gift shop, coffee shop and ice cream van facilities-wise."
• "Mini-Café had fair priced tea, coffee and snacks."

Cons:

• "The 'museum' also looks tatty and uncared for."
• "Unfortunately, there is very little in the way of information about the castle after the initial information displayed by the food/picnic area."
• "Some of the woodwork added to make area of the castle assessable are well worn and very slippy as well as some that have rotted away which make it a little dangerous on wet days."
• "The cafe van closed at 4 and the toilets at 4:30."
• "Shop way over priced (see pics, £10 for a mug!). Toilets and cafe on site, again expensive (£5 for simple cheese and ham toastie)."
• "The winds were too high so they closed the Keep, the only portion of the castle you can actually go in, which was really sad."
• "Cool place but so much more could be done here. A large part of the area seems to have been left to have become overgrown."

Value

Pros:

• "Pricing is very reasonable as well."
• "Bought tickets online, in advance, as we were able to save £2 per adult on the admission price."
• "The entry fee was nominal."
• "Like many of EH castles, this one has clearly had a hard life and there is not actually that much left of it. That being said, the views from the curtain wall across Scarborough and the surrounding countryside are pretty spectacular, and the entry price is very reasonable."
• "Prices are very reasonable."
• "The entry fee wasn't too expensive either."
• "Cheap entry."

Cons:

• "I am only giving 3 stars as when I went to buy a cup of tea I found out they charge 50p extra for alternative milk."
• "A tiny bit overpriced in my book."
• "Far too expensive. Even the tour groups were finding the best place to see it without going in."
• "We Intended to walk to the castle ruins... Unfortunately we decided £40 for the four of us was just too expensive."
• "Thought the drinks were a tad expensive..."
• "I think it's a bit overpriced for entry for what it's is."
• "I love Scarborough but.....not really understand why must pay for entrance in castle.....if I must pay for nice views from there (not in there) hmm that's little nasty...."

Views and Location

Pros:

• "The views over Scarborough are excellent, we had a lovely sunny day but the gusting wind was quite strong."
• "Huge platform with amazing sea views inside the castle grounds."
• "Large area to stroll around along the fenced cliff edge with wonderful views of the coast and Scarborough."
• "Stunning location with spectacular views."
• "Amazing location for a hilltop fortress/Castle... with fabulous views of Scarborough Harbour on one side, Scarborough beach on the other side and the North sea."
• "The best views of Scarborough from the castle."
• "The views are just stunning with panoramic views all over Scarborough."

Cons:

• "Grass cutting while we visited which was causing a bit of a fly/bug issue while walking in the freshly cut areas."
• "Grounds were poorly maintained with long grass paths, weeds and brash growing in and around the castle structure."
• "We took the castle wall walk as it used to have fantastic views but the path has sadly been neglected."
• "The castle itself isn't in the greatest condition but it's full of history."
• "Sign posts to the castle are distinctly lacking, as are parking directions."
• "Don't be fooled into driving up to the castle thinking you can park there."
• "Parking here is ridiculous and the site give absolutely no thought to this when running events or busy periods."