Scarborough
The Yorkshire seaside constituency of Scarborough and Whitby has a large rural hinterland, with agriculture and tourism as the principal industries.
Scarborough is often called the “Queen of the Yorkshire Coast” and situated with Whitby on the Yorkshire Coast to the north and Filey and Bridlington to the south. Although Filey is within the Borough of Scarborough it is not in the Scarborough and Whitby Constituency. Historically within the North Riding of Yorkshire, with a population of around 50,000 in the town's boundaries, Scarborough is the largest holiday resort on the Yorkshire coast. A person from Scarborough is traditionally known as a Scarborian. The promontory supports the 11th century ruins ofScarborough Castle and separates the sea front into a North Bay and a South Bay.
Scarborough has a numerous attractions and blue flag winning North Bay beach. One of the most popular attractions is the Sea Life Marine Sanctuary where you can see penguins, seals, sea horses, otters, octopuses and even sharks. There are also fascinating historical sites such as Scarborough Castle and the Rotunda Museum.
Scarborough won the 2008/2009 award for the most creative and inspiring entrepreneurship initiative in Europe and was also named as the most enterprising town in Britain in 2008.
Whitby
Whitby is a beautiful seaside town and has a wonderful history, a ruined abbey, a working harbour, a delightful collection of red-roofed pantile cottages, narrow cobbled streets, and claims to have the country's best fish and chip shops as well as Fortune’s famous kippers. The town is also close to the scenic North York Moors National Park and the unspoilt fishing villages of Staithes and Robin Hood's Bay.
Whitby is divided in two by the River Esk. St Mary's Church and Whitby Abbey are on the eastern headland. The Abbey is accessible by road, and also via 199 steps from the town to the summit. These steps have associations with Bram Stoker, as he based much of his Dracula novel here whilst staying in Whitby in 1890.
Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (better known as Lewis Carroll of Alice in Wonderland fame) also set some of his work and poems in Whitby, as he was a regular visitor. The Abbey's history dates back to 675 A.D. when St. Hilda founded a monastery. The present structure is from 1078 and is now in the care of English Heritage. Whitby's cultural and historical heritage contribute to the local economy.