Jump on board, First Class
Slowly wind our way Northbound
Leave City behind 

Gather speed, rails blur
Multi-coloured fields pass by
Countryside jigsaw 

Rural peace shattered
Loud iron horse thunders past
Mares and foals scatter 

Menacing black crows
Disturbed by the intruder
Rise in unison 

Vibrant red poppies
Contrast with blonde ears of corn
Staff of life-lives lost 

Reap the new harvest
Fields of golden barley cropped
Cracked dry earth beneath 

Hollow, sheltered lake
Row of poplars, Sentinels
Peaceful fisherman.

Wind-farm sails revolve
Invisible energy
Soothing, rhythmic spins 

Snow white sheep, shorn bare
Rain. Huddled beneath the trees
Forlorn and subdued 

Harriers hover
Unsuspecting mouse, small prey
Sudden swoop and snatch. 

Angel of the North
Open arms, stands guard, protects
Take comfort from her 

Towards the border
Valleys deepen, hedgerows lush
Gentle rolling hills 

Startled deer stops, still
Helpless in the open field
Runs away to hide 

Empty stone bothys
Offer sheep kind, closed shelter
Harsh winds deflected 

Non-native trees, spruce
Distinct from traditional
Oak, hawthorn, elm, lime 

Banks of purple blooms
Cling to the railway cutting
Defy the incline

Miles of empty sand
Beaches harsh in their beauty
Natural splendour 

Horseshoe bay, lighthouse
Estuary narrows inland
Tidal flow, mudflats 

Abandoned cottage
Precarious on cliff edge
Slowly eroding 

Horizon darkens
Distant mountains, shades of grey
Shrouded in white mist 

Sleepers lie unused
Tired tracks being revamped
Rusty rails replaced

Slowly edge downhill
Cows of many colours graze
Almost milking time