Seaside Special

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I did a couple of talks in Scarborough and Cleethorpes last week – a chance to compare the fortunes of two old-school Victorian seaside resorts, which like most, are struggling to make ends meet in this very different era. Call me biased – I am a Yorkshireman after all – but I thought Scarborough scored higher on every front. Its setting is spectacular, the North and South Bays overlooked by the castle ruins, the beaches are the golden sand that every seaside holidaymaker dreams of and although Scarborough is certainly not short of hotels that are past their prime, so-so pubs and fast food eateries, there are a few hidden gems as well. I ate at Embers in Victoria Road and the food from its “wood-fired kitchen”  was delicious (maybe they’ll give me a discount next time?!). It didn’t hurt that the sun was shining and the next day’s drive down across the North Yorks Moors and the Wolds was beautiful, with long, near-empty roads.

I took a pit-stop at Beverley and either I’d forgotten what a lovely place it is, or perhaps I’d never been there on a sunny day before: beautiful buildings, including the Minster and the Parish Church, a great selection of independent shops and places to eat and drink, not least the justly famous old pub named “Nellies” for its former landlady. Her boyfriend was known locally as “Suitcase Johnny” because whenever they fell out – and it was often – Nellie was likely to toss Johnny’s clothes and cases out of the windows into the street outside. I would gladly have spent a day or two  getting to know the place better, had the clock not been ticking down towards the next talk booking.

Crossing the breathtaking Humber Bridge was another highlight, only slightly spoiled by my forgetting to pay the toll by the following midnight, meaning that a £25 “administrative charge” will be dropping through my letterbox any day now. The only disappointment on my trip was Cleethorpes. On my admittedly brief visit, I found it a much less enticing place than Scarborough or Beverley. The beach is sandy when the tide’s in but a vast expanse of mudflats when the tide’s out. It had the usual seaside mix of fast food outlets, cafes, pubs, amusement arcades, and shops selling tourist tat, but if definitely cheap, it seemed anything but cheerful to me.

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