Tag: beach

Babet’s seaside frenzy

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Evidence of Storm Babet’s displeasure could be seen all over Scarborough the next day.
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There are hundreds of memorial benches along Scarborough’s seafront.

I was fortunate a few weekends ago to spend a couple of days in a friend’s flat on the Esplanade in Scarborough which overlooks the South Bay, just above Scarborough Spa. Unfortunately, it happened to coincide with the weekend that Storm Babet decided to visit too.

The reason for my trip was to go and see a long-awaited concert at the Spa. My friend and I had planned a gentle afternoon walk on the beach followed by fish and chips overlooking the ocean view before heading to the show.

Well, very grumpy Babet had other ideas, didn’t she, descending on the town and causing absolute mayhem wherever she went. She whipped the sea into a boiling frenzy, sending huge waves crashing over the wall in front of the Spa, battering the building and flooding the car park. The concert was cancelled.

Obviously, we also abandoned the beach walk, but were determined to have our fish and chips. We headed out, opting to take the car as the shop was a fair bit away, and by then, Babet was at the peak of her incandescent rage. Away from the sea front, we were protected somewhat by the buildings, but as we turned the corner back on to the Esplanade, Babet powered up her giant wind machine and pointed it right at us. We had to park quite a way from the flat, and it was a battle to stay upright when we got out of the car. I hung on to my friend for dear life for fear of literally being swept off my feet. I don’t think I have ever felt wind like it, and the deafening roar of the sea just below us made any kind of conversation impossible. Once we’d battled our way back inside, we felt like we’d just survived a polar expedition. It meant we enjoyed our fish and chips even more from the safety of our warm and cosy cocoon as we listened to furious Babet battering the windows and brawling along the sea front.

By the next morning, Babet had grown bored with Scarborough and moved on, but had left plenty of evidence of her displeasure, with dozens of broken branches littering paths and a trail of sandy scum along the seafront roads. She’d even tossed a van onto its side on Marine Drive. I was glad to see the back of her.

I took a walk around the Spa gardens, determined to get some sea air into my lungs and grateful that the wind and rain had subsided. What struck me most on my ramble was just how many memorial benches there are. It is understandable that this stirring view out to the North Sea is a favourite for many, as it is undeniably beautiful, and seeing the rows and rows of benches, each with their own little memorial plaque and moving personal dedication to whomever had passed away, made me feel just a wee bit sad for those left behind. But when we lose a loved one, we all appreciate a special place go to remember them, and a bench is a fitting way to do it, especially when it is placed in a favourite spot.

My dad was not a big fan of such benches though because, although he acknowledged it was a lovely idea, he declared that it might not occur to people that the bench would need to be maintained and kept sound, especially if it is in a popular public place. Who would repaint it when needed and who would pay for its ongoing maintenance in the years to come? He had seen too many neglected benches that had fallen into disrepair and gone rotten.

Scarborough Borough Council, however, have already solved that problem, and have a system in place where you can order a bench with a plaque which they will install, and part of the cost goes towards future maintenance. No doubt they receive so many requests that establishing a formal system was inevitable.

Another favourite spot for memorial benches is undoubtedly Sutton Bank near Thirsk, arguably one of the finest views in England. It is one of my all-time favourite places, as it was for my late sister, Tricia, who requested that some of her ashes be scattered there.

We haven’t gone as far as buying her a bench though. I’m not sure Dad would have approved.

Read more at countrymansdaughter.com. Follow me on Twitter @countrymansdaug

This column appeared in the Darlington & Stockton Times on Friday 10th and the Ryedale Gazette and Herald on Wednesday 8th November 2023.

Don’t fret, canny lad

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A sea fret is known as a ‘roke’ in Yorkshire dialect. Pictures by Alastair Smith

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I was having a chat with a lady from Lockton near Pickering who is a regular reader of my columns and she asked me if I had ever come across the dialect word ‘roke’. She’d heard it some years ago when a local man used it and she had to ask what it meant.

He told her that it referred to the mist that rolls in from the sea, otherwise called a sea fret or sea fog. A fret feels and looks different to your average fog, and can stubbornly hug the coastline, leaving it dark and damp, while the rest of us are basking in blazing sunshine. It occurs when warm air drifts over a cold sea, and it thus cools down and condenses, creating the fog. If it is a calm day, the fret will likely remain hanging over the water, but if the right breeze is blowing, it will be pushed onshore, and sometimes even further inland. Frets can last for a few hours, or a few days, depending on the ground temperature, the strength of the wind, and the heat of the sun.

Frets can appear very suddenly, and reduce visibility substantially, which is why sailors have to be well prepared to ensure they don’t get disorientated when it descends.

According to my dad’s Yorkshire dialect dictionary, it can also be spelled ‘rawk’, and a second meaning is a line or scratch, such as you might find on a piece of furniture. ‘Rawky’ means cold, damp and misty, while ‘muck-rawk’ refers to a dirty line or tide mark, the like of which you might see on someone’s neck showing the limit of where they have washed.

I have visited the Netherlands many times and know that the Dutch word for smoke is ‘rook’ (pronounced like roke) and its origins likely lie in the Old Norse term ‘roka’ meaning fine spray or whirlwind. Indeed, the word ‘reek’, meaning ‘stink’, is a relative, as is the first syllable of the Icelandic capital ‘Reykjavik’, which means ‘Bay of Smoke’.

There are a number of words and names used along the East Coast of England that are very similar to modern Dutch. It is little surprise, bearing in mind the country’s history as a seafaring nation, and us being the first land they would come to if they set sail in a westerly direction. In our seaside towns you often see the word ‘strand’ used in various ways. In Dutch, the ‘strand’ is the beach. My sister used to live in Bournemouth, and she would frequent a restaurant with stunning ocean views housed in a building called ‘The Overstrand’, the translation from the Dutch being ‘on the beach’.

In many of our communities you will also find an ‘Outgang Road’ or ‘Outgang Lane’. In Dutch ‘outgang’ (uitgang) means ‘exit’ and invariably, if you follow these streets, they will lead you away from town.

In my dad’s column from 3rd April 1982, he talks about another dialect word, ‘canny’, and its various uses. It is commonly associated with Tyneside rather than North Yorkshire, but it was (and still is) spoken here. It is uttered in many contexts and your meaning is conveyed by your tone of voice and facial expression, and depending on that it can mean nice, kind, clever, funny, careful, cunning, or even deceitful.

Calling someone a “canny lad” with a warm smile on your face is a compliment. But exclaiming “Why you canny little tyke!” with a frown is rather less so. It could also be used to rate a piece of work: “Thoo’s made a canny job ‘o that!”, or to warn someone to be careful if it is a tricky task: “Tak care to be a bit canny wi’ that.”

It can also be used to to signify your approval when a choice is involved. For example: “Aye, that’s a canny spot for a picnic.” Or to signify you’ve enjoyed something: “Eee, that were a canny pint ‘o beer.”

Even though we think of it as a dialect word, it does have an entry in the Oxford English Dictionary where it is defined firstly as ‘Shrewd, especially in financial or business matters’, then secondly as ‘pleasant, nice’. It suggests it originated in 16th century Scotland, derived from the word ‘can’, now more commonly spelled ‘ken’, which means ‘know’.

I must say, I’ve had a canny time writing this piece!

Read more at countrymansdaughter.com. Follow me on Twitter @countrymansdaug

This column appeared in the Darlington and Stockton Times on 1st April and Ryedale Gazette and Herald on 30th March 2022.