Beautiful Train Journeys at the Bookends

I write this as we zip past Berwick-upon-Tweed en route to Edinburgh. It’s been a lovely journey. Logistically, perhaps not. We’re two hours behind schedule and have had been on four separate trains. Nevertheless, I still feel justified in taking the (much) longer alternative to flying because of the ambience it provides. The time isn’t wasted, like it might feel before, during, and after a flight. I get incredibly scenic views of the UK countryside for five hours or so, plus the time, space, and comfort to just write, or work, or gazing out the window.

It reminds me distinctly of some of our earliest travels this year. All the way back in January, through rural Japan. Whilst looking out at the hilly golf course extending into the sea at Berwick actually most strikingly brings to mind Cape Wickham, a beautiful remote spot on King Island, off the South Coast of Australia, the nostalgia of Japanese rail travel is also firmly there. We could be pulling into Onomichi, or bending left towards Wakayama, heading to Tanabe from Ōsaka. Just swap out the sheep maybe.

Just as the wintery conditions then made the long local train journeys a nice opportunity for respite and reflection, here the weather also feels appropriate. The view is clear and the grass is green, but the skies are grey. Strong writing atmosphere. Not that the perceived ‘mood’ should matter, but it does nevertheless.

Since we’ve been delayed for so long, we might even get a refund. I haven’t even minded it that much, so it’d feel like house money. Anyway, see you in Edinburgh!