Yorkshire Day 6: Back in Scarborough

We had a bit of a lie-in today, which I was thankful for. I swear I get fatigued more easily when autumn and winter comes. Martin cooked up the Fortune’s kippers for breakfast with some buttered toast. They stank the whole flat out. I was terrified of the really thin bones when I first cut open my fish – I thought it was some kind of gross hair and nearly lost my mind. On being assured that I could eat the bones and they were fine enough for my stomach to dissolve, I got past the initial fear and tucked in. I’m so glad I did because they were really tasty.

It was a slow start. We took our time with breakfast and cups of tea, then vaguely wandered off to get ready for the day. We didn’t leave the flat until midday, which is unusual for us.

This time we walked south on the Promenade, further than we’d been previously, to find the Italian garden. This was established in the early 20^th century and forms part of the larger South Cliff Gardens, formerly Belvedere Gardens. The sun was out at this point and we’d never been this way, so it was a nice and interesting walk.

There was a little rose garden on the way, but they weren’t as fabulous as they probably would be at another time of year. I think we’re in the wrong season for them to be fully blooming. There are lots of winding paths in this area, so I’m glad the gardens were signposted.

The Italian garden was really beautiful. On either side there are steps and platforms with benches, leading down into the garden itself. The flowerbeds were still a riot of colour, despite the time of year, and in the middle is a large pond with floating lily pads and a statue of the Roman god Mercury. We could hear birds singing and see lots of squirrels gambolling here and there. I took my time walking around and through the garden – it’s not very big but it’s a really pretty and peaceful place. I imagine it’s a lovely place to hang out in the summer.

There was also a magical older woman in the garden, feeding the pigeons and squirrels right out of her hand! The birds would light on her arm and take some of the seeds, and the squirrels came right up to her shoes waiting for her to bring her hand down to them. It was so amazing, and delightful to watch.

We zig-zagged our way down the cliff face in order to walk the long road back to South Bay. I really enjoyed this interlude as we passed some old abandoned buildings and chalets, as well as Victorian beach huts. The itch to explore was great but as I’ve said before, I prefer not to be arrested.

We walked down along the usual seafront, heading for the pier. We’d walked past it plenty of times but never actually gone onto it. As we skirted the harbour and stepped onto the pier, a random Chinook flew by overhead, really low. Everyone stopped to watch its progress as it flew out to sea. I have no idea what it was doing or why, but it was cool to see one so close up.

We walked beyond the little lighthouse to the end of the pier, where there were lots of benches. For a while, we just sat there and relaxed. The weather wasn’t hugely cold so it was nice to just watch the sea. We also saw another pirate ship go by – why are they everywhere here? It was also at this point that I realised I could still taste the smokiness of my breakfast kipper despite having had a can of Coke.

There is a statue standing in front of the lighthouse, called ‘Diving Belle’. I liked the punny name, for a start. It’s a steel statue of a Victorian woman preparing to dive, facing out to sea. It was placed in such a way that it’s framed by the lighthouse and the symmetry is really nice. I’ve since read that this statue is part of a pair (the other being ‘Bathing Belle’), and were made to celebrate Scarborough’s status as the first sea-bathing resort in the UK.

Mum and I wended our way in and out of the gift shops as we headed back down the seafront the way we’d come in. I love a seaside gift shop – it’s mostly the same products but it always brings back nostalgia of family holidays when I was younger, so I enjoy looking at them.

There’s a pub on the seafront that we’d been eyeing all week because it looked really old and cool. It’s called King Richard III (lol, remember when he was found buried under a car park) because it’s said that he stayed in this house during the 15^th century, before he was king. A lot of the building has been refurbished over the years, particularly in the early 20^th century, but some of the original 15^th century ground floor remains, as well as building work from the 1600’s. It had been packed every time we saw it before, so today we took the chance when we noticed it was quiet. It was a really nice place to sit and have a drink – it was dark and cosy inside, and the original rough stone walls were marvellous.

We wanted to get back up to town, so we decided to use the old Victorian tramway. It was built in 1881 and has remained mostly unchanged since then (with regular maintenance and refurbishment, of course). This was another thing we’d had our eye on all week, and – as it’s almost the end of the trip – we thought we’d give it a whirl. It wasn’t outrageously priced at £1.20 per person, and was definitely more fun than slogging up the many steps next to it. I don’t think I’ve ever actually ridden in a cliff lift like this before, so it was exciting and interesting to do so. You can’t fault the Victorians on their engineering chops (or their dedication to death and mourning).

Up in the town centre we stopped at a bakery chain, Cooplands, because I wanted to find some parkin. It’s a sort of oat, treacle and ginger cake that was invented in Yorkshire. I imagined I’d find it in this particular bakery as they only seem to exist in the north. I was in luck – I found a whole parkin loaf in there for £2! I quickly snapped that up to try later on.

We stopped for dinner and a couple of drinks at the Lord Rosebery again. This time I had a big fat burger with chips and it was delicious. It was a lot busier than last time we were there, and we didn’t have the really good table by the window, but it was still a nice time anyway.

When we came home, the flat still smelled like kippers – we had to open the windows for ages to get some of the smell out. I had a big slice of parkin and it was really delicious. Definitely want to try to bake my own at some point!

Again, I’ve just been reading and hanging out since we got back to the flat. This break has been a lot of walking, but also a lot of just relaxing. I’m feeling really good despite the tiredness, and I can’t believe it’s our last day tomorrow! We’re returning to Whitby and maybe stopping by Robin Hood’s Bay.