The drive down to Spurn Point from Hull (A1033, B1445 and then Firtholme Road) is an unusual one: this spit of land extends into the Humber estuary for nearly four miles, yet is only 50 metres wide in places. The sand and shingle banks are held together by marram grass and sea buckthorn, but even so, high tides can shift sand over the road in great drifts – so check access to Spurn Head (at the very end) before you go. It’s a particularly wild and atmospheric journey in winter, when you can appreciate something of the force of the North Sea. Wildlife to be seen includes porpoises, seals and migrating birds (there’s an observatory).