Railway House

Light floods this house. Three storeys of original windows, forty-three in total, fill every room from the ground-floor hallway to the second-floor bedrooms. A glass atrium above the main staircase throws daylight down through the building even on grey mornings. High ceilings with original coving and ceiling roses run throughout. This is a proper Victorian townhouse, built with the kind of scale and detail that modern holiday homes do not attempt.

Two separate lounges mean twenty-two people do not have to agree on what to watch. The Ladies Lounge has plush sofas and a 60-inch TV for the film crowd. The Gentleman's Lounge has table football, an arcade machine, a PlayStation, and its own large wall-mounted screen. By the second evening, each room has its regulars.

The kitchen has marble worktops, a six-burner Rangemaster with three ovens, a wine cooler, and a dishwasher. Cooking for a group this size sounds ambitious, but there is enough hob and oven space to do a full roast dinner without anyone waiting for a slot. In the dining area, the original 1800s range cooker has been restored and sits in its chimney breast. It sets the tone for the room. A long dining table seats everyone together.

Ten bedrooms run across all three floors. A super-king on the ground floor has its own bathroom with a freestanding bath and walk-in shower, which makes life easier if anyone in the group finds stairs difficult. The first-floor master has a freestanding bath too, and from it you can see Scarborough Castle on the clifftop and the sea beyond it. Three more super-kings, a king, and two doubles fill the rest of the first floor, serviced by two bathrooms and a shower room. Up on the second floor, a king-size bedroom leads into a family room with two doubles, a layout that works well for older children or friends sharing. Travel cots and highchairs are available if you need them.

The enclosed rear garden has outdoor dining furniture and a custom-built stainless steel hot tub. A railway line runs along the bottom of the garden, but you cannot hear trains from inside the house. On a warm evening, dinner outside followed by a long soak is the natural order of things.

Jamie, the owner, leaves a welcome hamper with bread, milk, towels for the hot tub, and all the basics you need for the first night. He picks up the phone quickly and sorts things without fuss.

You can walk to nearly everything. A corner shop is a minute away, the nearest pub is a five-minute walk, and South Bay beach is under a mile on foot. The train station is close enough to arrive without a car if you want, though the driveway takes eight cars if you do bring them. The harbour, the Spa, and the town centre are all within walking distance. WiFi runs throughout, and there is a Nespresso Vertuo machine in the kitchen if you bring pods. For a day out, the North York Moors Railway runs steam trains through the moors to Whitby, and Peasholm Park gives younger children somewhere to run around.