Greetings! walkers, cyclists and dogs are all welcome at this Scarborough hotel

A hotel with a hostel vibe, Bike & Boot is geared up for those who love the great outdoors, though actually there’s little lycra on show

Checking in at a hotel while on a cycling and walking tour, I invariably feel the need to apologise. “Sorry about the muddy boots,” or “Sorry about my dripping bike – is there anywhere I can put it?” It’s one of the reasons I prefer to camp or use a hostel. No matter how “walker/cyclist-friendly” a hotel might purport to be, I almost always feel a bit out of place. So, I was intrigued by the possibilities of Bike & Boot, a new hotel that opened this month in the traditional North Yorkshire seaside resort of Scarborough.

The former Mount Hotel was boarded up when Simon Kershaw and Simon Rhatigan bought it last year. One of those large, gracious, sea-view establishments that forms an entire terrace, it had once been a hotel of some prestige, but its glory had faded. Having enjoyed careers in the hotel and leisure industries, the two Simons decided it would make the ideal venue for a joint venture. The renovation took 18 months and “roughly £2m” and has resulted in a hotel/hostel specifically for cyclists, walkers and dog-owners.