Before The Gold-Rush

The view from the train: at Parton 1024 shades of grey swell and coalesce from the horizon to the shore. Nestled in the lee of the Firth, just where the coasts of Scotland and Cumbria open into the vagueness of the Irish Sea, the oil exploration platform, dimly glimpsed, seemed to be sporting a distant flare on its starboard side. I don't suppose for a moment this means they've actually found anything, but the sight was curiously encouraging.