North bay

Scarborough is the biggest town along the Cleveland Way, with a population of around 50,000. It is divided into two distinct sections by a rocky headland, on top of which stand the 11th century ruins of Scarborough Castle. It's quite a while since I visited the castle at Scarborough, but I remember it as being a surround of walls, filled with a grassy space. Little remains of the internal structure. The setting is dramatic though.

North Bay is the quieter of the two bays, with a large park (Peasholm Park) containing a miniature railway and a lake for radio controlled model boats. North Bay was also where Atlantis could be found. I first saw Atlantis in 1990, when we walked this part of the Cleveland Way. At the time, we just walked by. The weather had been somewhat damp and the last thing we wanted was a day by a pool. (In fact, I seem to remember spending quite a while in the public toilets across the way from Atlantis, using the hand drier to take some of the moisture out of my sodden boots!)

More recently, however, my younger son and I camped in the area and Atlantis was definitely on our 'to do' list. Take a look at this image and you will see why! Those slides really were every bit as much fun as they appear :)

Sadly, Atlantis is now no more. It was beginning to look a little tired even by the time we were there and, in 2007, the decision was taken not to spend the £200,000 needed to prepare the water park for reopening, and the bulldozers moved in. The whole area is undergoing redevelopment with a mixture of housing and leisure facilities. Perhaps I should go back soon to see how it has changed!

This photo-day was another of those not suitable for an outdoor pool! The weather along the coast can be variable; this is England after all. The up-side of that is the majestic sight of the waves pounding against the sea defences! What awesome raw power!