The British transport system’s a bit of a hit-and-miss, I find. Nothing goes according to schedule and reality never follows the virtual planning that the National Rail website so proudly does for you.

Two destinations down south on Monday; a whole day of travelling.

Ducks, geese and swans at the WWT Arundel Wetland Centre. Something like the London Wetland Centre but with a more rural woodland and Arundel Castle as backdrop.

With a bit of time to spare, we went to Brighton, a very youthful city with an alternative sub-culture. Did the touristy thing, saw the famous Brighton Pavilion and Brighton Pier. I can’t say I like this city much; everything’s so loud.

We bought a sporting kite from the shop at Seahouses. Lovely beaches, strong breeze, deep blue skies, so why not? Had some great fun tagging at the strings after we returned from the Farnes.

Bamburgh, capital of the ancient city of Northumbria, was most famous for its imposing castle. Mucked about on the hills behind the Bamburgh Dunes in the late evening, waiting for the sun to descend behind the castle.

The Holy Island of Lindisfarne is a funny one. Accessible only during low tides, across a motor causeway. We went on Saturday but there were people in their Sunday best, presumably for some important church function or another. The first monastery was founded there by a St Aidan in 635AD, and it’s been the site of Christian pilgrimage ever since. Now the skeletal ruins of the Lindisfarne Priory remain.

It was a few hours’ drive away from Northumberland National Park . The weather was being miserable, so we mostly stayed in the car, driving along a section of Hadrian’s Wall for a while. Most memorable was the Forest Drive, one of the highest roads in England. We were blanketed by a thick layer of fog as we got to the middle of the forest. Otherwise quite scenic most of the time.

Still misty and grey, we reached the Borderlands. There were two huge boulders marking the English-Border line: on one side was etched ‘Scotland’ and the other, ‘England’. Passed through the Scottish town of Jedburgh and its Abbey before returning southwards towards our lodgings in Belford.

Our adventures in the north being over, we headed London-bound on Sunday, dropping by the City of York. Easily one of the more beautiful cities in this part of England. Gothic architecture melded with Victorian and the modern. Historical town walls and ramparts surround the city centre, much of it still intact and walkable. Plenty of green spaces, and very happy people.

Finally, after years of yearning. This was a far more accomplishable trip, unlike my other dreams of going to South Africa, Madagascar, South America and the likes.

We made it off the coast from the Seahouses harbour, and spent a good four hours circling the handful of Farne Islands. Thousands of seabirds – gannets, terns, guillemots, cormorants, shags, puffins. Saw colonies of grey seals too. Made a landing on Inner Farne, the largest of the islands. The Artic and Common terns got real close, so close you’d trip over them or get shat on if you’re not careful. Puffins flew clumsily overhead with rows of fish in their bills. They had short fencing and proper boarded footpaths so it did feel a bit like a zoo or a wetland centre. It was amazing out there nevertheless.

The day after checking my sis into Oxford, we went down to the New Forest National Park last Monday. The deer enclosure there wasn’t all that exciting, but the area had some really lovely and calming woodlands, humble little streams, and moors. Managed to sink into some deep thought while dozing on the prickly grass, while wild ponies trotted past.

Wednesday came the road trip proper. With Xi, Kamil, and Randy who was visiting from Holland. On our way up, we passed by the North Yorkshire Moors, a beautiful landscape of heather moorland, complete with grazing sheep.

By the eastern coast was the little civil parish town of Whitby, featured in Dracula, with some well-utilised but clean beaches and rock pools.

It was getting late when we got to Newcastle, so most shops were shut. Grabbed dinner and left; our hotel was an hour’s drive away. Most memorable takeaway phrase from the city were the words on a cathedral banner: ‘Love good, hate evil’.

Drove into Seahouses on Thursday morning, where the boats to the Farnes launch from. Skipper says bad weather, sea swells, no go. So to Berwick-Upon-Tweed we went instead, the most northerly town in England. It has seen many bloody battles between the Scottish and the English, but it’s now a quiet seaside town with historic ramparts and town walls and an impressive-looking Romanesque Royal Border Bridge which we then found out was constructed only in 1847.

At the Scottish Seabird Centre in North Berwick, we hung around puffiny merchandise and natural history books. There was another beach and rocky shore, littered with families and screaming children with spades, buckets and nets. Dead jellyfish aplenty, a few teeny crabs and polychaetes in the water. Did jumping-jack remote-controlled group shots on the rocks while the tides came in from behind.

I like Edinburgh. It’s got a very European feel, and there are pseudo versions of buildings, statues or monuments that they have in London. Very historical. Busiest city we’ve visited so far. Scottish bagpipers round the street corner, shops selling kilts, Tam o’ Shanters, sporrans and other Scottish garb. Went past the statue of David Hume with his lucky toe polished to a golden shine by passers-by wishing for some good fortune. Entertained by bubble-blowing buskers in front of the St Giles Cathedral.