Red Scar Lane, Station Road and North Bay Promenade

The route

This loop links Red Scar Lane and Station Road on the northern edge of Scarborough with a stretch of the North Bay promenade, staying close to sea level throughout and rarely straying more than a few dozen metres above it. With only 12m of total climbing across 14.9km, this is the flattest route on the North Yorkshire coast worth calling a proper loop rather than an out-and-back along the front.

Why so flat

The combination of quiet residential lanes, Station Road's gentle gradient and the level promenade make this route almost entirely free of the small climbs that even flat coastal routes usually pick up. That makes it a genuinely useful option for tempo efforts, recovery days, or simply testing pace without terrain getting in the way of the numbers.

The promenade section

Joining North Bay's seafront for part of the loop gives this route its only real scenery beyond suburban lanes - open sea to one side, the North Bay attractions and gardens to the other. It's a reliable stretch for picking up the pace once the lane sections are behind you.

Who it suits

This is a strong option for anyone easing back into running after injury, or wanting a genuinely predictable surface for structured pace work. The lack of climbing removes one variable entirely, leaving just distance and effort to manage.

Getting it right

Given how flat and straightforward this route is, the main things to watch for are shared-path traffic on the promenade in summer and the usual coastal flood risk during storms and high tides. Otherwise this is as low-commitment as routes on this list get, and a good one to keep in reserve for days when the moors and coast path further out are best left for another time.