I went to Holy Isle in the UK for a birdwatching weekend run by Birdwatch North East. It's a long haul from Cambridge up past Newcastle on the A1 - took me over five hours each way. Especially dire was driving back in the pouring rain on Sunday - happily the weather had been good up to then, especially clear and bright on the Saturday. We had a clear night for a lunar eclipse on Saturday - with all the telescopes around you could see the moon being occluded very clearly.

I'm still not sure why even with the eclipse you could still see the half of the moon in shadow. Holy Isle is linked by a tidal causeway to the mainland. The few shops on the island open and close according to the tides - when the visitors are in and the tides are out they open, otherwise not. I was glad my mobile worked on the island which I wasn't expecting, even if it reduced the feeling of having got away from it all. It was a peaceful place to be, a place where time had slowed down.

Two birders led the weekend, and we saw perhaps fifty different species of winged life forms. Some perhaps I could recognise again like the eider ducks (the males are vivid black and white jobs.) But many of the birds remain small brown jobs to me. The best bird for me was a barn owl seen close to dusk against a white pyramid in the sand dunes.

There was a mix of people on the weekend - age sex and experience wise. Some had very keen eyesight that's all I can say.

The weekend had a Christian theme to it, with worship and teaching. The last session saw us all crammed into the top of a bird hide, I was worried if so many people had made it top-heavy. We stayed in a retreat house on the island which was basic but sufficient - eating all together was good. The place had a cellar converted into a soothing prayer den.

There is quite a bit to see on Holy Isle besides birds and rocks. There's a ruined abbey, a castle, and other photogenic spots. You can walk to a small rocky islet where St Cuthbert stayed for peace and quiet if I got that right. If Virginia lets me out again I'll consider a similar trip to the Farne Islands where at the right time you can get up close and personal with puffins.