Scalby Walk 2023

Despite the indifferent weather forecast there was a big demand to enter this year’s Scalby Walk on Easter Monday. So much so that Walk organiser Michael Whiteley, interviewed on the BBC York breakfast show at 7.30am on the day, was asking that day entries turn up early as there we only 35 places left. These were snapped up quickly so we had a record attendance this year of 250 walkers – up 89 on last year’s record attendance. Around 20 walkers who were not able to get numbers still completed the Walk with friends and family. (report continues below Gallery)

Walk Gallery (please click on any image to view as a slide show)

The Walk has so many elements. We are still true to the tradition of it being a proper walking event with trophies for the fastest walkers in many categories. We also have many fancy dress walkers, and we have a third element who do not get dressed up but want to walk in their own time with friends and family and just enjoy our beautiful villages and their lovely pubs.

The new route this year that avoided two difficult road crossings and the narrow paths on the A165 coastal road. Instead we used the Cinder Track from the Station Lane in Cloughton to Field Lane in Burniston and from the coastal road at Burniston Garden Centre to Lancaster Way in Scalby. Scarborough is a dog friendly area and we wanted the encourage dogs to join us on the walk. We had 35 dogs entered who had free treats and water available at each pub.

The walkers set off, a little later than planned, at 10.42am in dry weather from The Plough in great spirits. The weather held until around 1.20pm when it did rain quite heavily for about half an hour. We kept on timekeeping up to 2.00pm when 153 walkers had completed the walk. The weather will have encouraged some walkers to stay longer in the pubs.

The trophies were awarded at around 2.30pm in the Plough.

Scalby Walk 2023: official results

The Fancy Dress individual prize was won by Scary Rabbit and The Group prize was won by Cat in the Hat – Things. The best dressed dog prize went to an 80’s dog – in a luminous jumper!

The Prize Draw prizes were great this year and we want to thank the many local businesses that were so generous in donating prizes.

• Dinner Bed and Breakfast for 2 at The Plough, Scalby
• £50 voucher to spend at JCS pubs inc. The Nags Head, Scalby
• Alpamare entry for 2 adults and 2 children
• £40 voucher to spend on cleansing products at Body Concepts, Scalby
• £25 Meal voucher for Hartleys at Scarborough Rugby Club
• Sunday Lunch for 2 at The Three Jolly Sailors, Burniston
• Sunday Lunch for 2 at The Oak Wheel, Burniston
• Sunday Lunch for 2 at The Blacksmiths Arms, Cloughton
• Sunday Lunch for 2 at The Hayburn Wyke
• Meal for 2 at North Street Kitchen, North Street, Scarborough
• £20 voucher to spend at The Grainery, Harwood Dale
• 3 months Blue membership at Barons Gym
• Afternoon tea for 2 at The Yew Tree, Scalby

A big thank you to the all the pubs for hosting the walk. The Plough in Scalby, The 3 Jolly Sailors in Burniston, The Red Lion in Cloughton, The Blacksmiths Arms in Cloughton and The Oak Wheel in Burniston. They open early and put on extra staff to get everybody served quickly with their drinks.

A big thank you to the Scalby Fair members who helped on the day: Tom Gillon, Nicky Grunwell, Dominic Grunwell, Catherine Stephenson, Tony Stephenson, Jamie Wallis, John White, Richard Grunwell, Nigel Sheppard, Iain Johnson, Peter Calow, Geoff Dove and Yvonne Gibbs. And huge thanks our friends and family who also helped on the day: Lol Whiteley, Joanne Gillon, Marion Sheppard, Barbara Johnston, Colin Bayes, Lesley Bayes, and Michelle and Zoe from SPARKS. Big thanks to David Henderson who set up the online entry forms so successfully and Nigel Sheppard who collated all the data that really simplified the entries on the day.

Our charity this year was SPARKs and we are pleased to announce that we have raised well over £2,000 to support the work this fantastic local charity.

Thank you to everyone who supported the 2023 Scalby Walk in so many ways.

About the Walk

Since 1959 the annual Scalby Walk has been raising money for local charities. What started out as a local bet has become a regular feature on the Scalby calendar every Easter Monday (except 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid 19 pandemic).

2023 is the 62nd Scalby Walk and will be held on Monday, 10 April 2023.

The rules are simple:

Starting off at the Plough Inn, Scalby, at staggered start times from 10.30 am, each entrant must complete a 6 mile route by walking only – that means no running!

This year the route has been changed to avoid two busy and potentially dangerous road crossings. The journey from The Blacksmiths Arms now makes use of the old Whitby to Scarborough railway line (called the Cinder Track).

Route

Download and save or print the schematic route map (kindly produced by pocketpubguides.co.uk).

Download and save or print the route map (made with OS Maps):

Download and unzip a GPX file of the route (to upload to your favourite mapping app).

See the route on OS Maps.

See the route on Komoot. (Note: Komoot adds a few of its own idiosyncratic waypoints on the route.)

Rules and Regulations

Download or view the Entry Rules and Regulations below.

A half pint (lager, bitter, squash or tap water) must be drunk in each of the pubs en route (your drink is included in the entrance fee), in the following order:

• The Three Jolly Sailors, Burniston
• The Red Lion, Cloughton
• The Blacksmiths Arms, Cloughton
• The Oak Wheel, Burniston

Under 18 entrants do not have to finish their drinks.

Trophies will be awarded for fastest resident walker (male, female & oldest) and the fastest non-resident walker (male and female), but disqualification looms if you don’t drink the half pints at each stop, or if you are caught running! Prize giving is at 2.15 pm. A selection of Bao buns will be available at the Plough from 12pm to 3pm.

We welcome fancy dress and there are prizes for the best fancy dress entrants. You can choose whether you want to go for a fast time or just enjoy a lovely walk.

Dogs are welcome. They need to be kept under control on a short lead. There a free dog treats at each pub and dogs can take part in the fancy dress and win a prize.

Our 2023 Charity

You can help support our nominated charity by getting sponsorship. Over the years we have helped raise thousands of pounds for good causes. In 2023 we are supporting SPARKS.  SPARKS was a 3-year project set up independently to help people in Barrowcliff / Woodlands Ward who were falling through the net and in need of support. The original project was a great success and SPARKS PROJECT has now expanded into Eastfield and has become a Registered Charity to ensure the future of its much-needed work and to aid those who urgently need help. SPARKS works in locations of high poverty and deals with all the issues that come with that, including food, fuel and data poverty, mental health issues, social isolation, domestic abuse and addiction. Help and support is also available for those who do not need that level of crisis support. For example, those who need support with aspirations, training, and employment

Sponsorship Form

You can donate to our chosen charity – SPARKS – when you register to enter the Walk. Otherwise, you can obtain sponsorship from family, friends and colleagues using the form below. Please download and print the form for you and your fellow walkers’ use.

Registration and Entry Fees

Pre-registration closes at 5pm on Sunday, 9 April. You can register and enter on the day of the Walk from 9.30 am at the Plough, Scalby.

To register and enter online before 5pm on Sunday, 9 April 2023 the cost per entrant is £12.00 (Adult, aged 18 and over) and £6.00 (Junior aged under 18).

Please note that entry on the day is £14.00 (Adult) and £7.00 (Junior).

Enter the Walk as a single Adult or with a Group (all ages, from a single address)

Enter the Walk as a Single Entrant aged 14-17 on the day of Scalby Walk (NB parental permission required)