John Edward Cooper’s Notes

[i] These are my previously researched timings for buses and the train from Scarborough to Bridlington, using Google Maps.

Janet wrote: “At 9.00am we left the hotel for the bus to Bridlington, to change for Flamborough Head. Another overcast and cool morning. We left on the 9.20am №13 bus, which went ‘all around the houses’ — or rather, all over the holiday camps! Nightmare! Destination of hoi polloi! Some [of the holiday parks were] massive. Never seen so many. We finally arrived in Bridlington at 10.35am.” The bus took a number of diversions from the main A165 road from Scarborough to Bridlington. One was to visit the town of Filey, which was to be expected. But the rest were to serve holiday parks and caravan sites, e.g.: Brown’s, Osgodby; Cayton Bay and Cayton Village; Blue Dolphin; Primrose Valley; and Reighton Sands. Very unpleasant-looking places! The bus was branded “Coaster”. “What coast?!” I quipped. For we passed through agricultural land as far as the eye could see, with no visible hint that there might be a coast nearby. Then, at the end of the road down to Primrose Valley, finally! Flamborough Head was briefly nebulously visible.


Wednesday 1 September 2021 09:15:28
Outside Scarborough Railway Station, aboard the №13 bus, awaiting departure


Wednesday 1 September 2021 09:21:02
Proceeding southwards along Ramshill Road, Scarborough; (ahead:) Oliver’s Mount


Wednesday 1 September 2021 10:40:30
The №13 bus at Bridlington Bus Station, now showing its return destination

“We had a short wait for the Flamborough Head bus,” Janet recalled, “so crossed over the road to a shopping centre where we had a pee, then a drink at a coffee bar in there.” On the south side of the bus station is the Promenades Shopping centre, so we went in there, used the loos conveniently situated to the left as we entered, then not much farther along on the left found Jerome’s Café, into which we went for a drink.


11:15–11:37 Beachcomber BLUE Bridlington (Bay C1) – Flamborough Head
12:15–12:37 Beachcomber BLUE Bridlington (Bay C1) – Flamborough Head[ii]

[ii] These are my previously researched timings for buses from Bridlington to Flamborough Head, using Google Maps.

Wednesday 1 September 2021 11:11:46
Boarding the Beachcomber “BLUE”-route bus at Bridlington Bus Station


Detail from the Beachcomber timetable, showing the “BLUE” route (the blue line)
Click on image to enlarge

“We left for Flamborough Head at 11.15am and arrived 11.37am,” Janet wrote. “Annoyingly, we had to pay £3.00 each as all we received was a discount from the full fare — no idea how much that was. Hey ho!” When Janet produced her bus pass, the driver told her that she couldn’t use it for free travel on the Beachcomber service; it would serve, however, to show that she would be eligible for the concessionary fare of £3. (“It’s just £5 for an adult day ticket, or £3 for a child or concessionary passholder,” according to the East Yorkshire Buses website.) This would have been valid for multiple journeys, had we chosen to make them, and not only for getting there and back.


“Beachcomber… Route: BLUE” tickets, issued “11:12”

Almost every year, when I was a child, we used to go on holiday to Bridlington, so I was hoping that this trip would bring reminders and awaken memories of those days. But perhaps the only familiar-seeming landmark was the gatehouse to the Sewerby Hall estate, which we passed to our right when the bus turned left into Church Lane at the end of Main Street, Sewerby. I seem to remember that we saw wallabies on a childhood visit there. The white Flamborough Head Lighthouse, with its smooth conical shape and square outbuildings, was typical of lighthouse construction in many places, so “much of a muchness” and not distinctly memorable from those days. I certainly had no memory of the Old Flamborough Lighthouse, which we passed to our left just before the bus stopped and we got off.


Google Street View image of the Sewerby Hall gatehouse
Image capture: Sep 2018 © 2021 Google


Wednesday 1 September 2021 11:35:26
Old Flamborough Lighthouse, seen from the bus


Wednesday 1 September 2021 11:41:32
Flamborough Head Lighthouse

Janet wrote, “It was very wild out there: a strong wind off the sea, and still overcast and cool. We had a pee, then I went to the café for a drink whilst [John] explored. He went down to the beach, then to the Old Lighthouse, before we left on the 12:37 bus back to Bridlington.” There was a toilet-block near the bus stop, and immediately to the north of it the Headlands Family Restaurant & Café Bar, which Janet entered while I went off exploring. I found nearby some steps leading northwards down to an east-facing bay to the north; so I went down the seeming hundreds of them to sea level. It occurs to me that as well as the Sewerby Hall gatehouse, the detached stack on the south side of the bay was a sight remembered from childhood. My Dad used to take photos, usually with people in them, with an old box-camera; but one year they bought me a small plastic camera, with which I was determined to photograph only things, not people. The film was very small, and so were the prints: small and blurred. But I seem to remember that the stack was in one of them.


Wednesday 1 September 2021 11:51:52
Selwicks Bay


Wednesday 1 September 2021 11:52:04
Selwicks Bay


Wednesday 1 September 2021 11:52:12
Flamborough Head Lighthouse, viewed from the descent to Selwicks Bay


Wednesday 1 September 2021 11:55:20
Views of Selwicks Bay


Wednesday 1 September 2021 11:55:36
Views of Selwicks Bay


Wednesday 1 September 2021 11:56:36
Views of Selwicks Bay


Wednesday 1 September 2021 11:57:02
Views of Selwicks Bay


Wednesday 1 September 2021 11:58:44
Looking back at Selwicks Bay from the ascent to Flamborough Head


Wednesday 1 September 2021 12:04:56
Flamborough Head Lighthouse

On ascending, I found Janet in the café, agreed with her what bus we’d be catching back to Bridlington, then went off to see the Old Flamborough Lighthouse.


Wednesday 1 September 2021 12:21:14
Old Flamborough Lighthouse and fifth tee of Flamborough Head Golf Club


Wednesday 1 September 2021 12:21:14 (detail)
Fifth tee of Flamborough Head Golf Club


Wednesday 1 September 2021 12:27:24
Fog Signal Station, Flamborough Head


Wednesday 1 September 2021 12:28:00
Flamborough Head Lighthouse and Headlands Family Restaurant

On my return, I couldn’t find Janet in or around the café, so I visited the loo again and waited near there, in sight of the bus stop and the toilet block, till she appeared.


13:37–14:10 Flamborough Head – Bridlington
14:37–15:10 Flamborough Head – Bridlington[iii]

[iii] These are my previously researched timings for buses back from Flamborough Head to Bridlington, using Google Maps. I’d anticipated that we’d spend longer there than we did, so the bus we got was in fact the 12:37.

Janet wrote, “…We left on the 12:37 bus back to Bridlington.” The only map we had with us was one, the image of which I’d found on the internet on 27 August 2021 and printed. I’d got most of the image to fit on an A4 sheet, so the names of roads were almost too small to be read unless one knew what they were.


Click on image to enlarge

Try as I might, I could not see the location of the bus station on it. (I didn’t realise that this was because it isn’t, in fact, on it!) So on the return journey, I followed our route on the map, insofar as it appeared on it. “Level crossing,” I thought: “that must be ‘Sewerby Gate’. Going under a bridge: that must be ‘Limekiln Lane’… ‘St. Annes Road’…” I wasn’t entirely successful, but had some idea which way “Promenade” was, after we got off.
 “Once there,” Janet wrote, “we went in search of somewhere where I could get my lunch of salad and bread, and [John] could have a drink. My goodness, the pubs were all extremely grotty — I didn’t fancy going in any of them. We also looked around the harbour but, again, all the eateries were ghastly. Eventually, we found The Apollo — clearly a rival to Wetherspoon’s, but immediately [perceivable as] better, for the tables had been cleared and cleaned!! I ordered a salad and brown baguette, and a Diet Coke, and [John] had a pint of Moretti. That cost £8.85: bargain! There was a lot of bread so [John] had a bit. It was warm and tasty and the salad was just right.” Just right — apart from the pieces of onion, which Janet pulled out and gave to me. I’ve already mentioned the reaction that Janet gets to things of the Allium genus.


Google Street View image of The Apollo, 24 Prince Street, Bridlington YO15 2NP
Image capture: Apr 2017 © 2021 Google


Receipt from The Apollo, issued “13:42”


Wednesday 1 September 2021 13:45:12
Birra Moretti at The Apollo, Bridlington

Janet continued, “We headed back down to the seafront and harbour. So many people not social-distancing or wearing masks. The world is full of fuckwits. It was a typical hoi polloi scenario and I was glad to get away from there. We went down the mole.[iv] Good views of Flamborough Head and the bay. By far the best spot in Bridlington which, really, is only worth one visit[v] to go on to Flamborough Head!”

[iv] The mole: called “North Pier” on maps.
[v] Worth one visit recalls the spoof review that George in my student house wrote in the mid-1970s to the Daily Mirror in their “Old Codgers” spot, about the appallingly bad fish-and-chip shop Monica’s, which concluded, “Well worth one visit.” Monica didn’t see the irony of George’s letter, and used to give him free portions if he was foolhardy enough to go in there afterwards.

Wednesday 1 September 2021 14:41:44
View north-east from the steps down to the beach at North Pier, Bridlington


Wednesday 1 September 2021 14:43:04
Flamborough Head, seen from Bridlington


Wednesday 1 September 2021 14:49:50
Bridlington’s answer to the Hispaniola, the Harbour, Bridlington


Wednesday 1 September 2021 14:53:52
Bridlington and Harbour, seen from near the end of North Pier


Wednesday 1 September 2021 14:54:06
Bridlington Spa, South Marine Drive, seen from North Pier


Wednesday 1 September 2021 14:55:34
Herring Gull at North Pier, Bridlington


15:55–17:35 №13 Coaster, Bridlington – Scarborough Railway Station
16:25–17:42 №12 Coaster, Bridlington – Scarborough Railway Station[vi]

[vi] These are my previously researched timings for buses from Bridlington to Scarborough, using Google Maps. I’d anticipated that we’d spend longer there than we did, so the bus we got was in fact the 15:25.

Janet wrote: “We headed back to the bus station and left on the 3.25pm №12 back to Scarborough. The sun had come out some time ago (finally) and it felt warmer. The №12 took a different route and less time and we were back in Scarborough not long after 4.30pm.” The №12 bus avoided three diversions to holiday parks and caravan sites, so its scheduled journey time was 1hr 17min, as opposed to the №13’s 1hr 40min — though it did depart from the A165 in a fairly extensive loop to go through the villages of Hunmanby and Muston. I had the Asus computer with me, and logged on to the Wi-Fi provided on the bus (15:36): “Welcome to the Wi-Fi zone, powered by Icomera.” I looked at the news (15:36–15:40), because the deadline for withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan was yesterday: “Dominic Raab grilled by MPs on Afghan withdrawal.” I looked at Blogger (15:41–15:42) at my article “Holidays”, but when I tried also to access material on Google Drive (15:44–15:46), things started to go wrong.


Wednesday 1 September 2021 15:00:30
View west into Queen Street from Prince Street, Bridlington


Wednesday 1 September 2021 15:56:52
Passing through Hunmanby on the bus

Janet wrote: “The previous day I’d spotted a hairdressers’ around the corner so headed off to ask if I could get a wash and blow-dry — if it was open. I was pleased to find that it was, and that I could have my hair done straight away. Charlotte was a pleasant young lady. It cost under £17.50, so I rounded it up to £20 as I was so delighted to get it done. I hate having to do it myself in hotels: it’s bad enough at home.” I sat in the shop while she had it done. It seemed to take a long time, and the drying of individual locks of hair and clipping each in place before drying the next one looked a rather intricate operation.


Receipt from Hair by Helena, issued “16:34” (not the correct time)

“I went to the [railway] station for a pee,” Janet added, “and we were back at The Raincliffe at 5.30pm.” I resumed the internet session on the Asus computer, using the hotel’s Wi-Fi (17:35–17:51), looking at childhood holidays and other material, mainly on Google Drive. Meanwhile, I transferred 27 photos from the camera’s SD card to the WD Elements HDD using the Samsung computer (17:39–17:40), viewed them in Windows Photo Viewer and rotated one that needed it (17:43). Janet wrote: “We went for dinner at 6pm and were the only ones! No matter. It was chicken, with roast potatoes for [John], and as usual a huge portion of veg[etable]s. We did the best we could! The food is excellent, but way too much for us — and neither of us likes to see stuff go to waste. However, Petra, Vicky’s Rhodesian Ridgeback (aptly named. I’d just heard about this breed recently — on [the TV quiz show] The Chase, I think — so it was interesting to see one) ate the chicken leg [John] had left.” There was no Birra Moretti available this evening, so I had two 330ml bottles of Stella Artois. Janet had two Coke. Janet only wanted some slices of white meat, so I was served the rest of her chicken portion as well my own. Vicky asked if she might let Petra have what I couldn’t eat; and it may have been Janet who asked if we could see her. She wrote: “We asked to see her (was I mad?), but she didn’t really interfere with me (so I wasn’t particularly freaked out!). [John] enjoyed stroking her. We had quite a good chat to Vicky that evening. We were back in the room around 7pm.” The “good chat” included Vicky’s explanation of her policy of only supplying sliced bananas at breakfast, i.e. because some residents would take whole ones away for later consumption. Even with them sliced, one resident provided himself with a plastic bag for what is essentially theft. Back in the room, I checked my Gmail inbox (19:21).… [and did this and that (to] 20:58).

[Thursday 2 September 2021]