Whitby or Scarborough with kids?

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Planning a few days away in half term with toddler dc and tween. Never been to either but wondering which would be the most suitable for dc? Whitby looks picturesque but hilly with the buggy. I like the idea of the castle ruins and nice walks but we might not get the weather.

We'd need some family friendly stuff to do - swimming etc if the weather is crap. Just wondering what people would advise.

Scarborough hospitality businesses must have lost so much business from Alpamare shutting.

Whitby is a victim of its own success now. It's absolutely packed and parking can be an issue too.
As long as you wrap up warm Scarborough is your best bet.
If DC like fossils you can book a dinosaur walk. Rotunda and Woodend museums are small but interesting. There's a great little art gallery next door.
Bridlington has a great very reasonable leisure centre with a pool with big slides and there's a climbing wall.
There's a fab fish and chip cafe on the pier in Scarborough, the best I've tasted and for ice cream (the knickerbocker glory is delicious), The Harbour Bar is a must.
Olympia has a good arcade on the South Bay if the weather is lousy. There's a ten pin bowling alley on the top floor too.
The town centre isn't great, like most high streets but the North and South Bays in Scarborough are beautiful.
If you're driving, Whitby and Bridlington are only half an hour away each and York, Hull and Middlesbrough are each around 40 miles away. Several of the amenities mentioned are closed for Winter so I'd check first. I know Playdale farm closes for Winter but the soft play centre (Mini Monsters I think) and lazer tag next door are open.

I agree with a PP's take on Bridlington. There's lots to do although it is smaller than Scarborough. Sewerby Hall is nice, 2 good play areas suitable for toddlers up to teens and the zoo is nice too.

Candy Kingdom is inside the John Bull rock and sweet factory, which you can go round on toours and had a good factory shop.

We also recommend the birds or prey and animal park (also in Carnaby like Candy Kingdom). The birds of prey display was excellent, you could see the man taking it really cared about the birds, and we got to cuddle some adorable guinea pigs.

From Brid, you could have a day trip out to York, about an hour away, which has loads to see, or a trip to the county town of Beverley, or a trip to Hull. The Deep aquarium there is excellent.

The cliffs at Flamborough are beautiful, and the RSPB reserve at Bempton is also worth a visit.

Brid itself has quite a good leisure centre, with clip and climb walls and a pool with a couple of good, long water slides plus a toddler area and slide.

There is also a big cafe/bar on the front called Jeromes with an indoor play area. I haven't been for a few years but my DC used to enjoy it.

Thornwick Bay holiday park is nice and then a short drive to Scarborough etc.

I absolutely love Whitby but in your situation, Scarborough. It isn't far, you could do a day trip from there to Whitby easily if you wanted.

I have a problem with Scarborough (I was sent as an 8 year old for 11 years to one of the boarding schools there and my view may be a tad biased),
but,
it does have stuff you can do with out going to the tourist traps areas, you could walk for miles on the paths on the sea front. I dont like the folk who live there, predatory money grabbing scxx.

Whitby only has a couple of things to do and is much more compact so depending on your stay length you may get bored quickly,

I only go to both when I am out riding my motorcycle and only go to the inland Fish and chips shops.

We've done both with a young child. I'd suggest Scarborough for certain as there's more to do and it's flatter for a pram/small child. It's also closer to other places like York and Bridlington. Whitby's a lovely place, but not much to do other than soak in the atmosphere of a quaint fishing village. It's a day trip really. If you do go for the day, take the open top bus which runs on a loop and takes you up to the Abbey (no need to climb the steps) and also stops on the cliff top at the other side to see the tusks.

Whitby is gorgeous and one of my favourite places but I don't have any kids and I definitely wouldn't want to push a buggy round it. It would be great for older kids who are more likely to appreciate some of the spooky/historic elements and quirky shops etc, but Scarborough's probably better for smaller kids.

I dont like the folk who live there, predatory money grabbing scxx.

Er, this is an absolutely insane thing to say.

Love both, but Scarborough definitely better for kids in my opinion, more to do.
Lots of arcades if the weather's good, nice beach, the Harbour Bar also needs visiting for a knickerbocker glory 😍😁

Yes, we went to the Harbour Bar in Scarborough last year after it was mentioned in the i newspaper as one of their top ice cream places in the country. It was very good. 🍨🍦

as the saying go "Memories and experiences may differ".

You have your views I have mine

My MiL lives in Bridlington so I've been there a lot. 2 Gorgeous long sandy beaches. South beach has better sand, North beach has sand and white round rocks. It is often windy there. They have amusements, donkey rides, lovely fish and chips on the pier. There is a rock experience where you can see the rock being made. They have a birds of prey place, it might be called Park Rose, with a petting zoo and there is a little train that runs along the promenade. The promenade is wide and good for buggies and wheelchairs. Bridlington is about 18 miles from Scarborough. Bridlington is the cheaper of the two for a caravan. They have a caravan park near the golf course. They also have Haven Primrose Valley at Filey with lots to do including water park, trampolines, and a holiday club kids can go to with a dancing tiger.