Favourite Things: Oliver Barron

I first moved to Scarborough to take up the post of music teacher at St Augustine’s School 15 years ago. I used to frequent Scarborough, Filey and Whitby as a youngster, exploring the beautiful coastline with my two siblings, mum, dad and various friends who dared to go on Barron family outings.

My Dad is known to take us on diversions and shortcuts, usually ending up on cliff edges which we had to scale down! Little did I know then that I would be working, living, married and have three young boys in this vibrant area on a permanent holiday by the sea.

As a family we love to go for adventures and there are endless places to discover in Scarborough and beyond, from the Mere, Raincliffe Woods and Dalby Forest to one of our favourite places on our doorstep, Cornelian Bay and Cayton Bay.

Cornelian Bay is not known by many so I didn’t know whether to mention it in this article or not as the boys love the fact that every time we brave the steep path and cliff down, there is no-one in the bay apart from us, leaving us to hunt the rock pools for various types of life and interesting stones.

The best way to get to Cayton Bay is down the cliff through the woods on the windy, muddy path which is located off the old Filey Road where the road is blocked off. When you get to the bottom it opens up on to the most amazing beach with so many things to explore like the old bunkers and hideouts, and there are great waves in the summer.

Every time it’s one of the boys’ birthdays, or ours to be fair, the discussion comes up, where shall we go for a meal …

FLORIOS! We love the atmosphere, the friendliness and especially the food. I first discovered this place with all my old Commercial football friends, as we liked to watch the football on a Sunday,

occasionally have a drink or two and then head to Florios, “Table for 11 please”. It soon became a favourite for my family too.

During the summer months, in between days out at the beach with picnics and swimming in the sea, we love the Spa Orchestra’s Teddy Bears Picnic. It is

always a fun-filled morning full of great music led by the extremely talented and lovely Kathy Seabrook, who always makes a special effort with my boys in thanks for helping her twin boys through the five years with St Augustine’s

Music Department.

It’s great to have such a talented bunch of musicians on our doorstep and the Spa Orchestra really do a great job in entertaining locals and tourists alike during the summer.

Scarborough has a fantastic music scene with so many great bands and talented

musicians, from the local music service bands to the jazz and blues nights at The Cask; I try to get to as many things as possible.

One of the best venues for live bands is the Newcastle Packet, great staff, crowds and acoustics. I used to play there with The Supertones for many years and still like to pop in to see the bands

playing from time to time.

The Spa Grand Hall and Ocean Room are also great venues to see live music and shows. Over the past year I have seen Jools Holland and Magic Mike there, both great shows and well worth going to see. My boys also love Magic Mike, especially his crazy animal balloons and dodgy dancing!

I love Scarborough and all it has to offer; what a great place to bring up children, with so many things to see and do. I hope to continue to enjoy this place for many years to come.

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