Beyond the End of the World

I once read a survey which stated that the city of Kingston-upon-Hull, more usually known as just Hull, is the city fewest people can place geographically.

If you start off from Leeds - which we did - which is roughly in the middle of the British Isles, and then go East along the M62, you will quickly find two things: firstly, there isn't much traffic any more, and secondly it all gets very flat, with a landscape of fields and power stations.

After sixty miles or so, you reach Hull, which feels like the City at the End of the World.

But today we kept going: our destination was even further. After another twenty-odd miles (and it is odd, if you're used to hills, like I am: it's FLAT FLAT FLAT) you get to some pretty villages, such as Patrington and Kilnsea: and finally you reach the wide mouth of the River Humber, and Spurn Point. (Emily continually refers to it as Sperm Point, and if you look at the shape, you will see why).

I've wanted to go there for years, and today was the day I finally made it. It's a long - four miles long - thin, hook-shaped piece of land with the North Sea on one side and the Humber Estuary on the other. You have to make a real effort to get there - you'd never, ever, be passing - there's nowhere to pass to.

The North Sea side is continually eroding and the Humber Estuary side is continually filling in, so the whole strip of land keeps moving. Here's the sign on the cafe at the beginning of it:

There used to be a railway line on Spurn and the tracks now point in completely the wrong direction.

If you love sand dunes, and melancholy estuaries with seabirds calling, and wild plants, and strange landscapes, and sunlight and clouds over the sea, and lighthouses, then you will like Spurn Point.

I, of course, love all those things.

After a substantial lunch in the cafe, we walked the four miles along to the end. In the middle section it's quite thin - waves wash right over it sometimes and there are fears it may eventually become an island. It's not a difficult walk - very flat and you really could not get lost since you can always see the lighthouse at the end. For quite a bit of it you can see two beaches at once - one on each side - and this, to me, is bliss.

Then we came to this:

and Stephen and Emily and Gareth all chorused "Ah, Daphne loves those!" And they were right, I do, though I'd be hard put to say why.

We reached the lighthouse at the far end, wandered about a bit and and walked the four miles back again to the car. It was a Grand Day Out, and no mistake.