The sand outside the windows stretches for miles. The sea is glinting in the distance and there are egrets standing guard along the estuary, their white feathers bright against caramel-gold sandbanks. “Could be the French Riviera. Look at it!” says one of my fellow passengers, waving his arm at the expansive views. His enthusiasm, partly fuelled by cans of morning cocktails, is not misplaced. The scenery gets better and better as winding saltmarsh gives way to the rising fells.
