The NORTH

Not a particularly long distance nor a particularly time-lengthy journey at a bit over five hours but far too long to be sat in a car when there are perfectly good trains available performing similar journeys and involving far more fresh air even if the first twenty miles were over some of the bits of roads I would actually admit to liking alongside pretty scenery. At least there was some almost civilised road-behaviour at the bit where the A64 joins the A1 when people were being positively generous about leaving space for other people to change lanes. Unfortunately I was driving when we went past the biggest field-full-of-bales I've ever seen and was encumbered by a coffee when a really nice tree-on-the-skyline slid by but was luckily able to get this when waiting for a procession of shoppers to cross the crossing at the exit of the supermarket, much to the annoyance of the beemer behind me which was audibly revving and inching forwards and backwards impatiently despite the pedestrians' right of way. Although only three degrees further north it's nicely relatively pleasantly chilly and refreshing up here after the almost-sub-sea level mugginess of the past week; unfortunately this has resulted in the activation of the central heating.