Viking, North Utsire, South Utsire… I know I’m far from alone in feeling a little thrill whenever those words come on the radio. To the uninitiated, the Shipping Forecast can seem a little bit eccentric. Most of us, after all, aren’t the sort of salty seadogs who need to know that it’s turning cyclonic in Malin soon. In fact, until you’ve cracked the code, the whole thing can sound like total gibberish.

But the loveliest thing I’ve learnt while writing a book celebrating the…