My student’s guide to going to the seaside!
Hi! I’m Scarlett, a first-year Primary Education student at York St John University. During the Easter holidays, I visited the local North Yorkshire beach of Scarborough with some friends. I wanted to chat about what I did to enjoy the day whilst on a student budget, and why I think being so close to the beach is a great aspect of living in York.
Travel
First, public transport is a must for students and using discounts while travelling to different places is always a great idea. So, make sure to carry your York St John student ID card with you. (I always keep mine in my phone case, so I never forget!).
We began by getting the train to Scarborough station, costing around £15 for an open return with a rail card (something I would recommend getting to save money if you frequently use public transport). You can also take a bus, which is capped at £3 each way – an even cheaper way to travel there! It takes around 45 minutes to get there on the train, and it’s a lovely scenic journey. Whilst it’s slightly longer on a bus, about 1 hour 30 minutes, but sometimes it’s worth it to save the pennies.
Our day
When we got there, we met my friend Anna, who lives in Scarborough and was our designated tour guide for the day. She took us down into the town’s main street, where we looked at a few shops and grabbed a coffee. I particularly loved the ‘Revolutions Music’ shop, in the centre, which had some great bargain records.
We carried on walking down to the sea, and the views were lovely! Having a look at some local shops with cute jewellery and classic northern souvenirs. My friend and I each grabbed a bargain magnet to go on our flat fridges. Having a nice walk along the shore, we were lucky to have some nice (relatively) warm weather.
Anna took us to ‘The Fishpan’, a fish and chip shop on the beach, we got a takeaway and then sat on the beach to eat. The fish and chips were great, and they even offered a 10% student discount, which we all made the most of.
There was a small amusement park at the end of the beach walk called ‘Lunar Park’ where we went on a few rides. This was my highlight, and it honestly had the most adrenaline-inducing rides, though I may have got a bit of whiplash on the intense ones! We then had a relaxing walk up to see the views from Scarborough Castle, which were beautiful. Heading back down past Anne Brontë’s grave, and through a great market full of cafes and local shops. We finished the day at Crema Cioccolato ice cream shop, where I had a lovely mango sorbet and sat outside enjoying the last bits of sun.
Getting the train back was nice and easy, and the travel throughout the day was smooth. I will definitely be heading back to another North Yorkshire beach sometime soon, now I’ve realised how easy it is to get to many of them!
If you’re looking to discover even more discounts beyond those offered with a railcard, check out Grace’s blog on on perks of being a student – discounts and savings.
