I shoved the shopping list into TPR’s hand and said that I would meet him at Tesco. Then I jumped on the train.

Settled in the carriage, I was enjoying the company of my former colleagues AT, JB, and MG when I realised that the train had been travelling for some time without calling into any stations en route. My heart sank when the others explained that this was the non-stop service to Redcar. Poor TPR would be stuck in Tesco without me!

The single positive outcome of my mistake was the opportunity to pay a return visit to the handsome Georgian seaside town. Here I admired the white-painted townhouses and shops on the wide high street.