The Start & Finish

You can start wherever you like along the route, but we have our Start & Finish at the Clock Tower on The Esplanade, Scarborough with the walk going clockwise.

The terrain is a mixture of trail and pavement. Much of the first half is trail with most of the remaining half on pavements. Comfortable walking boots or trail trainers would be recommended for this walk. It is either flat, or gentle ups and downs, with one steeper section just before the half-way point.

The 7 lakes are; The two main lakes at Burton Riggs Nature Reserve, The Mere, Throxenby Mere, Peasholm Lake, Northstead Manor Gardens Lake and the Valley Bridge Lake. They are well spread out along the route.

For anyone with a reasonable level of walking fitness, it's a very attainable challenge. And, despite passing through rural areas, Scarborough, and public transport, is never far away as the trail goes through or around the edge of the town. The one steep ascent is from Seamer Road up onto the hill near Jacob's Mount, but even that is split into two parts.

The quality of paths is generally excellent, from the pavements in town, to the footpaths in the countryside. The most challenging section is probably the downhill stretch from Seamer Beacon to Throxenby Mere which is uneven in places and can be a little muddy after rain.

Facilities along the route include Morrisons supermarket, bus stops and Seamer Railway Station, shops like One Stop in Crossgates and all the food, drink and public toilets you could wish for, along the seafront!

All the lakes are beautiful and vary in size from a large pond under Valley Bridge to the large lakes of The Mere and Burton Riggs. They are a mixture of natural and man-made and the route ensures you walk along each one of them. 

This is a fly-through of the route. 

Here's a direct link to walk, from Ordnance Survey.

It's worth taking a rucksack with food, drink and waterproof clothing. A spare fleece too. A physical Ordnance Survey map is never a bad idea, in case your phone battery dies. And depending on your departure time, or time of year, a head torch is useful too, but always pack spare batteries! Although you're either in town or never far away from town, it's always good to be prepared. After all it's still a 17-mile walk.

Scarborough has a number of beautiful lakes either in the town itself, or very close to the town. This walk gives locals and visitors the chance to see more of Scarborough's beautiful lakeland scenery, along with some beautiful woodland and hill-top views over the town.