Saturday 30 August - Scarborough - cockles, mussels, whelks - and Evensong

The train from York was pretty crowded but we had seat reservations and, in any case, the train emptied out at Malton. There was a cutting wind at York but this had settled down at the coast. The clouds gradually cleared to reveal a sunny hot day. The route to the beach was down a wide pedestrian boulevard with very busy shops.  

The tide was going out and the beach was beginning to get busy with families with dogs etc. There were a couple of donkey rides but they weren't doing very much business. Mary and I were both keen to haveca donkey ride but unfortunately there was a sign "No Adults".

After inspecting the Lifeboat we walked towards the north, past the shellfish stands and the harbour. We sampled a plate of cockles, mussels, whelks, scampi, fake crab etc.  The whelks were not very appetizing.

 

The speedboat and the pirate boat were giving rides and they were advertising rides to see the harbour dolphins although I would think the chances of seeing one  would be remote. There is a small fun fair with a ferris wheel. Walking back into town we were amazed at the number of fish restaurants and bars. We found a genuine fish and chip place that was not pretentious but which had good cod and chips at a pretty reasonable price. 

We then walked south along the prom. One of the attractions was a large tank of water on which two large transparent balls were floating. Children were zipped in and the ball was reinflated. The tide was a long way out and the dogs could race around to their hearts' content. 

There is one section with rocks and weeds which should satisfy curious youngsters.  The funicular railway was a convenient way to climb back into the town and we made our way back to the station.  The train was turned round and had to be cleaned.  Everyone was waiting to get into the train but we had to wait while one man put the seat reservation tags into their respective slots. One area where the bus company scores.
Click here to see all pictures taken at Scarborough

The trip back was through sunny pleasant country.

We went to Evensong in the York Minster this evening.  The choir was from Wolverhampton and sung very well. There were several very small children, maybe six or seven. One of them sang with a very clear voice that carried although another seemed to have difficulty concentrating. The organ was also impressive and we stood for some time listening to it afterwards.

We went to the Blue Bell this evening this time for a Wold top bitter. Pleasant enough with a hint of hops but not as good as either the Rooster or the Timothy Taylors

Spent a little time with two Canadian girls who were shortly to take Eurostar to Paris.