There’s something about a spa break in North Yorkshire that makes it particularly hard to resist. Perhaps it’s the combination of rugged coastline, sweeping moors and gorgeous country hotels – or the fact that you can spend a morning walking beside the sea before retreating somewhere warm, quiet and decidedly more luxurious.

And you don’t necessarily need a luxury-sized budget to enjoy it. I grew up in Scarborough and regularly return to the North Yorkshire coast for a dopamine top-up, so I know how much the county can deliver without the price tag of a long-haul escape. This time, I’m discovering some of its best spa stays, where a little planning can get you a restorative break for less than £225. 

My first stop is to Happy Seal Yoga for an early-morning class. For £8, I can swap a studio for the sand and sea – and pay less than half what I usually do for a hot yoga session.

North Yorkshire has long been recognised as a home of wellness. In the 1660s, wealthy holidaymakers flocked to Scarborough to partake in the spa’s healing waters.

The natural mineral water, found to contain a high level of magnesium sulphate, was said to heal a variety of ailments. People travelled to the town in the hope of curing problems such as scurvy and gout. Visitors from cities were also encouraged to promenade along the seafront to make the most of the fresh air and to bathe in the sea for overall wellbeing.

Bathing machines – wheeled huts providing privacy for bathers to enter the sea – were introduced in 1735 and The Grand Hotel was constructed in honour of Queen Victoria in 1867 at the cost of £100,000.

According to the Scarborough Maritime Heritage Centre, a community-run museum that aims to preserve the town’s history, Scarborough is believed to predate towns such as Brighton and hold a claim as Britain’s first seaside resort.

While Scarborough’s fortunes have ebbed and flowed over the years, like the sea itself, its waves continue to offer respite to visitors. Now brave souls can enjoy wood-fired trailer saunas along the coast (from £15, whitbywellbeing.com) and stand-up paddle boarding lessons (from £40, scarboroughsurfschool.co.uk).

Energised by my morning’s exercise, I head to Sleights, a village 7km from Whitby in the North York Moors National Park. While North Yorkshire’s obvious draw is the sea, the wild moors also pull me home. The stubborn heather clinging to uneven ground, bending to the wind, is reminiscent of the Yorkshire grit I know and love.

Lacing up our hiking boots, my husband and I set off on a five-mile walk to Goathland. Stomping along unmarked paths, warbling Kate Bush’s “Wuthering Heights”, we are eyed warily by ewes and their lambs. Heads of cottongrass dance in the breeze as though they too are celebrating the miraculous blue skies we have been granted after a miserable forecast.

In Goathland, we stop for lunch at The Homestead Kitchen, where our boots and waterproofs are welcomed. The Michellin Green Star restaurant, which sources its produce from the North York Moors and surrounding areas, is a quiet sanctuary. We order the set menu and for £35 enjoy a lunch of Moorland stottie with caramelised Summerfields cheese fondue, wild moorland Roe deer faggots, and lemon posset with Yorkshire strawberries.

Our stomachs full, the return journey is slightly slower. We fix our eyes on the sea and wade, knee deep at times, through the heather, focusing on our steps. Our meditative silence is broken only sporadically by plump red grouse, startled from their hiding places, who call indignantly with their distinctive “Go back!” cry as they fly low to new cover.

The benefits of mindfulness on the moors have been embraced by companies like Adventures for the Soul, run by former Zen Buddhist Alison Goodwin, which offers walks and moonlight hikes (from £16.50). The North York Moors National Park has also designated September as Mindful Month, offering activities such as wild foraging and watercolour painting.

The next morning, we make the 90-minute drive to Harrogate, stopping at Yorkshire’s food capital Malton for brunch. At The Pantry, we’re served Miner’s Benedict – great wedges of black pudding topped with perfectly poached eggs and hollandaise sauce.

In Harrogate, we head to the Victorian Turkish Baths. Opened in 1897, with much of the original decor remaining, this must be one of the best-value spa experiences around. Prices start from £27 for two hours and visitors move between rooms heated at different temperatures, with regular dips in a plunge pool.

We begin our experience in the Frigidarium, relaxing on daybeds and gazing in awe at the intricate wall patterns painted in terracotta, mustard and teal. Beneath our feet, the marble mosaic floor took Italian craftsmen three weeks to lay.

At the mixed session (female-only sessions are also available), there is a relaxed atmosphere. Unlike the hushed reverence of fancy day spas, I enjoy the more informal feel as couples and families chat quietly. Phones are also, refreshingly, banned, which allows you to savour the moment.

After warming up on the stone slabs in the Tepidarium (which reaches temperatures of 45°C), we shower and head to the plunge pool to cool down. It feels colder than its actual 19°C and our first go is met with gasps. But our bodies soon begin to adjust to the contrasting temperatures and, by the time we dunk after the Laconium (70°C), we are used to the tingling sensations. After completing a few circuits, I feel a glow.

Our trip concludes with dinner at Yorkshire institute Betty’s, which, after 106 years in business, introduced its first dinner menu last month. We’re served by waiting staff dressed in tailored uniforms, with starched white bib aprons, while a pianist plays softly in the background. As we tuck into dishes of Yorkshire rarebit and chicken schnitzel, the menu offering a nod to founder Frederick Belmont’s Swiss roots, it feels a little like we’ve stepped back in time.

I’m reminded that no matter what the year, North Yorkshire will always be a tonic for the soul.

My wellness break spending diary

Lunch at The Homestead Kitchen, Goathland: £35

Evening snacks from home: free

Premier Inn: from £52 x 2 nights

Brunch at The Pantry, Malton: £15

Emily-Ann Elliott was a guest of Harrogate Turkish Baths, which offers two-hour sessions from £27.