Scarborough Fair Virtual Challenge

Join the North Yorks Virtual Challenge – and make your way UP the coast!

Set off on a virtual journey along the England Coast Path, starting from a town of your choice and finishing in the iconic seaside resort of Scarborough – home of the famous Scarborough Fair, Britain’s oldest funicular, and historic coastal geology shaped since the Stone Age. Whether you walk, jog, or run your way there, every kilometre brings you closer to this legendary finish line on England’s rugged east coast!

There are prize draws along the way as you aim to achieve your chosen route by 22nd January 2026, the date the Scarborough Fair gained its Royal Charter back in 1253. Make it halfway and be in for a chance of winning some trekking poles. And finish your challenge by 22nd January and you could win a free North Yorks Ultra Challenge place!

The challenge starts from 1st November 2025 and registration closes on 30th November. Keep motivated over the winter months and join a community of great challengers!

Registration is £10 and you have the option to buy a finisher's medal and buff. All finishers will also receive a certificate when you finish. Our route options are below.

1. London Bridge - 800 km
Between the 1600s and early 1800s, a period called the 'Little Ice Age', Londoners danced, feasted, and traded atop the frozen River Thames. The medieval London Bridge's many narrow arches slowed the Thames enough for it to freeze solid in winter, but when it was replaced in 1831 with fewer, wider arches, the faster flow meant the river would never freeze that way again and the Thames Frost Fair ceased to exist.

2. Frinton-on-Sea - 600 km
Frinton-on-Sea was purpose-built in the 1890s as a refined seaside town – so refined it didn't allow pubs until 2000 or fish and chips until 1990! Strict by-laws kept the seafront peaceful, preserving its timeless charm. Its quiet beach huts and immaculate promenade make it the perfect spot for a calm, classic seaside escape – just down the road from Clacton-on-Sea!

3. Great Yarmouth - 500 km
Charles Dickens once called Great Yarmouth the "finest place in the universe" - with miles of beach, a bustling promenade, and one of England's oldest marketplaces, it's a seaside town steeped in history. From medieval walls to the birthplace of the humble fish finger, there’s character all around!

4. Skegness - 300 km
Once lost to coastal erosion and rebuilt inland, Skegness rose again to become one of England's most popular seaside escapes. Skegness is the classic British seaside in all its glory – golden sands, arcades, fairgrounds, and the irresistible smell of fish and chips. Some critics call it garish or overcrowded, but locals and visitors proudly defend its charm.

5. Hull - 150 km
Welcome to Hull (or Kingston-upon-Hull if we're being fancy)! Once Britain's biggest whaling port and the birthplace of abolitionist William Wilberforce, this resilient city rebuilt itself after being the second most bombed in WWII. Today, it's home to the world's only submarium – an aquarium that’s actually submerged in the sea!