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In brief
Set against a dramatic historical backdrop spanning thousands of years, the vibrant shores of sweeping South Bay Beach are the chosen destination for crowds of fun-loving tourists and locals. However, those who linger after the sun goes down may find their idyll shared by the many troubled souls that seem fated to walk the oceanfront and castle ruins for eternity.
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About
Just a short walk from Scarborough town centre and overlooked by the forbidding spectre of the 12th century Scarborough Castle, South Bay Beach is a popular and traditional English seaside location providing tranquil waters, soft sand, and amusements galore. This thriving and seasonally busy north Yorkshire coastline, however, has a fearsome reputation as one of the UK's most haunted beaches.
Used to create the beach scenes in creepy, psychological British thriller Saint Maud, the many reported ghost sightings perhaps have some connection to the grisly happenings that took place at the nearby castle.
History
With over 3,000 years of fascinating history, the South Bay beach site has been used as a 4th century Roman signal station, an Anglo-Saxon chapel, and a Viking settlement. The 12th-century Scarborough Castle suffered many attacks and housed numerous enemies of King Edward II.
During the Civil War, the foreboding castle was held under siege and bombarded for months, causing significant damage. Used as a prison from the 1600's and to house French prisoners in the later Napoleonic wars, the castle survived but went on to suffer severe damage in both World Wars.
In addition to the notable history of the castle site, South Bay was also the scene of many shipwrecks, with the bodies of unfortunate sailors washed up on its shores. In the recorded severe storms of 1880 alone, ten ships went down in just one night, and the beach was crowded with crews attempting rescue and groups of concerned and fearful people fully aware of the catastrophic situation unfolding before them.
With such death, suffering, and emotions over centuries in one small area, is it any surprise that the place is well-known for its paranormal sightings?
Ghostly activity
- The ghost of a dishevelled woman wearing a dirty long, dark coat with a hood that partially covers matted grey hair has been reported on a number of occasions. The phantom woman is thought by some to be the ghost of a local witch due to her demeanour and appearance and the fact that she is often described by unsuspecting witnesses as letting out a sinister cackle.
- In 1312, after the bitterness boiled over, Piers Gaveston fled north to seek refuge at Scarborough Castle. The castle was held under seige, and Piers Gaveston was eventually captured and later executed at Blacklow Hill near Warwick. Does Gaveston's soul return to Scarborough, still contemplating his position and trying to outsmart his enemies?
- The ghostly figure of a woman is said to walk the beach at night. Local legend claims that the tragic woman jumped from the cliffs to her death after being rejected by the man she loved.
- There have been many reported sightings of an almost transparent apparition of a woman wearing an old-fashioned pink nightdress walking across the beach carrying a baby wrapped in a white shawl.
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Location
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Foreshore Road, Scarborough YO11 1PB, UK
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