Red sky at night, sailors' delight at Scarborough's South Bay

If there is any truth in the old adage, this fiery sunset would have delighted sailors planning the following day’s fishing and leisure trips from Scarborough’s coastline.

For, in ancient weatherlore, red sky at night is a sign of a dry and pleasant forecast for the next day to come.

See inside the 90-year-old family business in Hull that's one of Britain's last traditional joke shopsAnd it is certainly a picture of stillness and beauty here. The sky’s warming colours are reflected in calm waters as dusk falls in the seaside town on a winter’s evening. Moored boats are cast into shadow as the sun disappears and daylight fades.

Speaking of boats, Scarborough is home to approximately 300 leisure craft, as well as a commercial fishing fleet ranging from large trawlers to smaller shellfish vessels.

The sun sets over Scarborough South Bay. Technical details: Nikon D3s camera with a 12-24mm lens, exposure of 1/60th sec at F5.6 iso 400. Picture by Simon Hulme

Its working harbour, at its heart for decades, sits at one of end of its South Bay, a sandy beach that each year draws hundreds of tourists to the North Yorkshire coast during the summer season.

Hidden history of Leeds rail tunnelBritain’s oldest seaside resort, Scarborough was founded in 966AD by a Viking raider, though there is evidence of settlers on the headland from even earlier - around 2,500 years ago. But, according to tourist website Visit Scarborough, it was the 1800s when Scarborough experienced a burst in popularity.

“In 1845, the Scarborough to York railway line opened, leading to a boom in the size and population of the town, with many of Scarborough’s great landmarks being built, such as The Grand Hotel which, when opened in 1867, was the largest hotel in Europe.

How Keighley and Worth Valley Railway keeps film and TV producers coming“Four towers represent the seasons, 12 floors represent the months, 52 chimneys represent the weeks and the original 365 bedrooms represented the days of the year.”

It was South Bay, pictured here, that was the site of the original medieval settlement and harbour, which form the old town. Today, this seafront remains a key tourist area with cafes, amusements and entertainment venues - not to mention some spectacular sunsets.

Watch out for a sunrise of the same colour though. You know what they say about red sky in the morning...