The Valley & Spa bridge

As you cross the bridge, the views up the valley to your left are almost as impressive as the coastal views on your right. Walking straight ahead, below you to the left you will see the Rotunda Museum with the Grand Hotel in front of you.

Swiss Cottage, designed by Sir Joseph Paxton was once the residence of the Spa manager

The Spa Bridge takes you across The Valley. This is now a dry valley but it hasn't always been that way. In fact there was a stream here as late as the 19th century. There are a series of valleys across the town, although this is the largest, and all have been formed the same way.

They've been carved out of the boulder clay that makes up the area, by large volumes of water. Given the size and depth of the valley it's likely there was once a sizeable river here, even if only for a relatively brief time.

In terms of a geological time scale, these valleys were formed quite quickly and relatively recently.

It's fair to suggest the geology of Scarborough is why the town developed here in the first place. The boulder clay being carved away, coupled with the rocky outcrop of the Castle headland meant there was shelter from the wind and a safe accessible bay area.

To the left you can see the Rotunda Museum. William Smith, who's known as the father of English geology, is the man behind the Rotunda which was constructed in 1829. As well as being the first museum of geology it's also the second oldest purpose built museum still surviving in the country.

Rotunda Museum - the second oldest purpose build museum in the country.

The Rotunda is constructed from an upper Jurassic sandstone, locally quarried from the Hackness area. The same stone was also used for the Yorkshire Museum in York.

At the end of the bridge, to the left is a wall that's worth a closer look. Here various plants have managed to establish themselves, including wild parsley.