The Stephen Joseph Theatre (SJT) in Scarborough, North Yorkshire, has always been one of this sleepy seaside town's biggest pulls. That and the idea of fish and chips on a beach looking out to the biting North Sea. I last visited the town in 1996, when the theatre had just reopened. Living in Sheffield, Scarborough was the closest place to satisfy my longing for sea air. My lasting impressions were of fading Edwardian grandeur, an icy sea which I swam in regardless, and a high street that was disappointingly generic.
There is still a whiff of old age about the place. The local tourists, who have been coming here since their 1940s honeymoons, fail to fill the struggling, down-at-heel hotels. Still, they take their walks along the esplanade and eat their fish and chips out of paper on the beach. But although not quite prepared for the ciabatta-munching generation that fills the coastal resorts in the south, Scarborough is beginning to raise its game.
It has supposedly been on the up for some time. Property journalists have tentatively suggested it is about to become the northern St Ives, with a swelling surfing scene and a new creative centre of artists' studios and galleries about to open this summer.
This season also sees the SJT perform its 100th premier play since the theatre moved to its 1930s former-Odeon home. Sir Alan Ayckbourn, who has been the theatre's patriarch for 37 years, has used this theatre-in-the-round to champion new writing and launch the careers of many of our finest actors and directors. After Ayckbourn announced he will be stepping down next year, this season sees a revival of his 1965 comedy, Relatively Speaking, as well as an exciting programme of lunchtime plays.
When I mentioned to a friend that I was planning a visit he said I should stay at a hotel called Beiderbecke's, insisting it was the only place in town that mixed a decent cocktail. I duly followed his advice and discovered an establishment that, while not quite trendy, is certainly attempting to appeal to a younger, more discerning generation. Situated in a grade-II-listed building on a very smart Georgian crescent, Beiderbecke's describes itself as a bespoke hotel and has just 27 rooms, which are decorated in muted tones, with a nod to the period. The three large rooms on the front fully exploit their Georgian proportions and have a narrow balcony that looks out on to a park and the sea beyond. While comfortable, there is nothing particularly memorable about the décor and it feels like the potential of the place hasn't been fully realised.
There are two bars downstairs: the public Vladimir's Red Square attracts a raucous cocktail-drinking crowd, who can be escaped by moving into the gentlemanly surroundings of the Bix. Meanwhile, the AA-rosetted restaurant Marmalade's serves a reasonably-priced set menu of suitably cosmopolitan fare – baked goat's cheese tart with aubergine and walnut pate, sea bream with fennel and white grapes. There are regular live jazz sessions at the weekends (although not the night I was there). The service is very friendly and there is a sense of occasion about the restaurant, although I felt it was perhaps trying too hard.
Out in town, one of the most noticeable differences is that many of the old tearooms have now turned themselves into coffee shops, a sign that cappuccino culture is on the prowl. I happened upon a place called Roasters on Aberdeen Walk that serves up an excellent house blend alongside an extensive menu of coffees ranging from Monsooned Malabar to Ethiopian Yirgacheffe. I got caught up in conversation with a particularly passionate barrista who told me they hold regular tasting nights.
But fish and chips are still what Scarborough does best and among the amusement arcades and cheap caffs that line the waterfront of the South Bay you'll find the Golden Grind Waterside eating house. It has a heritage that dates back to 1883 and serves splendid battered haddock and mushy peas in an interior that probably hasn't changed for 50 years. And perhaps, after all, that is why we want to come to northern seaside towns; they are places to escape the pretension and posturing of the Brightons and Bridports.
Walking to the end of the North Bay, I sat on the wall of the Old Scalby Mills pub looking out at what Margaret Thatcher once described as "the best view in my country", and was pleased that Scarborough hasn't fully achieved metropolitan self-consciousness.
Further information
Beiderbecke's Hotel; +44 (0) 1723 365766
Standard double toom (twin or double bed) - from £105