Visiting Scarborough seafront after close to ten years of absence feels like coming home. The smell of seaweed on the air and the boisterous chattering of seagulls is a childhood comfort that still never fails to make me smile.

While many people imagine tat and tackiness when they think of how the old seaside towns of Britain appear today, Scarborough has managed to steer clear of this prejudice and still retains all of the excitement and charm you imagine it held in its heyday. Of course, there is a kind of garish transformation when you enter the arcades, but to me that’s all part of the fun…

Honing your technique on the two penny machines until, finally, a torrent of coins tumbles noisily into your cup affords a childlike thrill that never gets old. Neither does the anticipation that comes from popping a pound coin into a crane machine you know is rigged, but can’t resist just in case you win that fabled cuddly toy.

That said, I think that Scarborough seafront is about much more than just the arcades. It’s about strolling down the beach without a thought for the sand making its inevitable way into your shoes. It’s about stopping along the way for one of Scarborough’s famous lemon twists – a delicious ice cream that tastes just like a lump of lemon meringue pie in a cone. It’s about sitting by the sea with a tray of chips, watching the boats glide by and the seagulls fight over food. And it’s about soaking up some rare British sun while you gaze out across a beautiful horizon bordered by lush green hillsides.

After such a long overdue trip back to my childhood haunt I returned home with not just a bag full of rock and hair set in curls by the salty breeze, but a renewed love for this characterful little seaside town.

Images by Charlotte Varela