Blue Plaque: William 'Strata' Smith

A small blue plaque on a Scarborough street marks the birthplace of William Smith, the surveyor who literally mapped out British geology. If you're staying at one of the nearby holiday parks - Parkdean Resorts Cayton Bay or Haven Blue Dolphin are both within five miles - this is a quick detour that takes five minutes to find and thirty seconds to read.

Smith figured out that rock layers told a story, that fossils appeared in a particular order, and that you could predict what lay underground by knowing which layer you were standing on. Revolutionary stuff in the early 1800s. The plaque itself is unassuming - just a blue disc on a building wall - but it marks where one of geology's founding fathers got his start.

It's not going to hold anyone's attention for long, to be honest. History enthusiasts and geology buffs will appreciate the nod to Smith's work, especially if they're already exploring Scarborough's coastline with its dramatic cliffs and fossil-rich beaches. The beaches themselves are far more interesting than the plaque - you can actually see the rock layers Smith was studying.

Perfect as a stop while walking round town, or if you're deliberately hunting blue plaques across Yorkshire. Don't make a special trip. The real payoff is wandering down to the seafront afterwards and realising you're literally standing on the geological map Smith helped create.