Me: “I might write a blog about the puffins. Working title: ‘Our Feathered Friends in the North’.”
The Man of Kent: “I was thinking, ‘We’re off to see the puffins, the magical puffins of Farne.’ But ‘Our Feathered Friends in the North’ is good too.”
Tynemouth, June 2024
Pleasingly musical though the Man of Kent’s suggestion was, I decided to stick with my idea. He was on to something with the word ‘magical’ though.
The scene of our conversation was Platform 2 craft ale bar at Tynemouth Metro station. The Man of Kent and I were on one of our regular pilgrimages to the North to visit our lovely family and friends there, and had stopped for a pre-dinner beverage. Usually we stay in Newcastle city centre but this time, we decided to stay in Tynemouth for a whole week, because it was June and the Man of Kent fancied a bit of summer at the seaside.
[Brief aside – the collection of micropubs that live on the platforms at Tynemouth, Whitley Bay and Monkseaton metro stations delight the Man of Kent whenever we go to the North East coast. If you’re in the area, do try out the Left Luggage Room at Monkseaton and The Ticket Office at Whitley Bay, as well as Platform 2.]
It was our last evening in Tynemouth, and we were talking about all the things we had done on our trip. One of the highlights had been our visit to the Farne Islands. Going to the Farne Islands to see the puffins had been a long-held ambition of the Man of Kent. Indeed, it was one of the things he was determined to do on this trip North. Normally I would hesitate to use the word ‘magical’ to describe something, preferring to reserve the word for things that truly deserve the meaning of it, but honestly? The puffins were exactly that. So today, here’s a whole post about the magical puffins of Farne.