Late Summer Holiday Adventuring Part 5 – 19th -> 23rd September

 Late Summer Holiday Adventuring Part 5 – 19th -> 23rd September

19th September - Megawatt Valley Venturer

When there was news of Hastings Diesels having a railtour towards the High Marnham branch in Nottinghamshire I was interested.  The cost was reasonable with the timings allowing for a day trip from home, so no expense in accommodation required (which for some places a Saturday night can be eye watering expensive).  When the tour went on sale, I decided to treat myself to 1st class, however my plans went a bit wrong when there was late notice engineering works around New Malden with the Tour De Staines.

The day started with the 05:25 service with 159002 for the run towards Waterloo, getting quite busy after Woking due to the reduced timetable with the trip via Staines & Twickenham.  At Waterloo I grabbed some breakfast items and some lunch items as I wasn’t sure what sort of things were included in the “Light snacks” advertised.  I jumped onto 701018 to Clapham Junction to await the tour to arrive from the Hastings direction.  It was both the 6-coach unit with coach 1013 at one end with the 4 coach 201001 unit attached, I located my seat in the narrow coaches and got reminded that while the coaches are nice, the bench seats are ever so narrow for two people to sit side by side.

Hastings Diesel Coach 60119 (1013) at Clapham Junction

On the bright side, at least the 2 other people at my table were sociable, and the toast was quite nice.  The tour headed towards Kew Bridge, using the curve before the station to head towards South Acton and onto the Dudding Hill freight line towards the Midland Main Line.  After joining the Midland Main Line, the tour headed towards Bedford for one final pick up (including some higher speed running on the fast line) and continued towards Corby & Loughborough to arrive at Nottingham were some passengers alighted, others boarded in standard class with a part fare option and lunch was served with a very tasty range of sandwiches & cakes.

The train reversed at Nottingham and headed towards Langley Mill using the freight line linking the Erewash line & Robin Hood line, joining it near Kirkby in Ashfield.  It headed north towards Mansfield & Shirebrook (reminding me how much exploring I need to do in this part of the country; Nottinghamshire has quite a few old railway line paths from the days of coal).  I last headed onto the now freight only High Marnham branch back in 2015 on a railtour which got as far as the former Thoresby Colliery, so it was a nice trip down memory lane, passing some of the old stations (Warsop, Edwinstowe, Ollerton).  It was onto new track, crossing over the ECML (sadly no golden shot of a train passing when we were crossing over) towards the end of the line near the long-closed High Marnham power station.  The tour headed on the section which would have originally run to Lincoln via Fledborough.

ECML from the High Marnham Branch (South)

Another reversal with the trip back towards Shirebrook, passing the Rail Innovation & Development Centre at Tuxford.  The tour was running behind time so ran nonstop towards Toton yard, where it got further delayed due to some sort of trespass at Nottingham (probably a fare dodger trying to escape a revenue block on platform 7).  I decided to bail at Nottingham (turning down the dinner of cheese & biscuits) in order to get some fresh air, have a walk and get home a lot faster (and avoiding a 3-coach special on a London – Salisbury service).  I said farewell to the other 2 at the table and after grabbing some supplies at the nearby Tesco boarded a busy 158863 to Grantham transferring to 801219 on a London bound service to Kings Cross.

On approach to London, I had the bright idea to avoid the slow run via Staines, and walked towards Paddington, jumping onto an Oxford bound 800316 to Reading (annoyingly I was aiming for a pair of fast 387s but those were delayed).  At Reading it was a short wait before 221108 took me to Basingstoke, transferring onto 159014 on a Basingstoke starter (which was lightly loaded, in the rear coach at least).  This took me back home to Grateley, the end of a mostly enjoyable railtour, but the days of spending hours on a charter train isn’t much fun.  If I ever do a Hastings unit tour again, I shall aim for a seat in the wider coach, just for that bit of extra comfort.

20th September – A Merseyside Adventure Day 1

A quieter couple of days, with a trip to Merseyside with mum, a place she has been talking about returning to, after a brief visit a couple of years ago.  I managed to get a twin room in a city centre Travelodge for a reasonable amount and good value advance fares for her.  A trip with no real plan in mind.  It began with 159007 & 159002 from Grateley to Andover to step back onto 159016 on a Reading service where we visited Wendys for some breakfast related items before taking a seat on the 09:15 XC to Manchester, being careful to be in the correct unit as it was splitting at Birmingham.   221116 & 221137 took us towards Birmingham New Street, diverted at short notice via Warwick due to an incident at Kenilworth.

At Birmingham New Street, it was just chaotic. This was the Sunday where the WCML was closed for late notice works, so the XC had a lot more passengers boarding than it would usually have done and it eventually departed with the aisle within coach B very busy, from the looks of the platform it left a lot of folk behind.  It was a bit of a fight to exit the train at Wolverhampton where mum’s advance tickets were split (seems Reading to Wolverhampton is a lot cheaper than Reading to Birmingham).  Lots of police were floating around due to the kickball (because the fans can’t be trusted not to beat each other up) as we popped to the little Sainsburys for lunch items before taking 350130 & 350105 on the Liverpool service (even featured a ticket check!) to Liverpool Lime Street.

After purchasing the Saveaway tickets from the Northern run ticket office, we headed downstairs to jump on 777043 to James Street, where we had a gentle stroll across to the ferry terminal for a very busy (some sort of religious event) trip across to Seacombe on “Snowdrop”.  The ferry was so busy that it ended up being delayed due to having more passengers on than what it could legally carry.  After grabbing a photograph of the ferry departing Seacombe (we were one of the few who left it there), we headed to the bus stop to jump on the Arriva run route 423 to Liverpool city centre.

Mersey Ferry Snowdrop departing Seacombe

This bus went to Liverpool, the long way round, going via Wallasey, Leasowe, Moreton, Upton, Woodchurch & Birkenhead to terminate in the city centre.  An interesting way to see parts of the Wirral you don't see by train (or even by foot).  The buses weren’t over yet, as we decided to take another Arriva bus route, the 432 to New Brighton.  Mainly because this used the newer tunnel underneath the Mersey to head to New Brighton via Wallasey, where we had a gentle stroll up the hill to the station to jump on 777021 to Birkenhead Park (making use of the island platform for an easier connection) for 777016 to West Kirby.

After a visit to the seafront at West Kirby, we headed to the Spoons for dinner.  I was considering doing the bus back towards Liverpool but it was the time where day would turn suddenly into night, so I parked that idea and instead we took 777043 to Moorfields.  Leaving the station, we headed to the Travelodge which was close to the portal of the older Mersey tunnel & a layover area for various buses.  A bit noisy with the window open, but with the window closed it was quite peaceful.  Certainly, a hotel I might use again if ever I stay in Liverpool again and the price was right.

West Kirby Marine Lake

21st September – Merseyside Day 2

We checked out of the hotel, heading to Lime Street station via a branch of Spoons underneath a shopping centre for breakfast.  I had no real idea for today, other than maybe doing a bus to Southport (the route 300 looked interesting, although sadly run with single deck buses).  For the first train move I decided on taking 331110 to St Helens Central on a semi-fast Blackpool service, where we had a gentle stroll to the temporary bus station area on Chalon Way to board a Metro Network (Stagecoach) run route 89 with a new 76 plate double decker.  Quite nice interiors although the seats are not as comfortable as the modern Arriva buses in the North East.

The 89 runs towards John Lennon Airport and isn’t that quick as it goes via Eccleston Park, Prescot, Huyton & Belle Vale (and a shopping centre).  At Belle Vale the bus broke down, so a change of plan was called for, and the next bus happened to be an Arriva run route 204 to Liverpool city centre.  This route is another one which goes here, there & everywhere, going via Knotty Ash, Olive Mount, Wavertree & Toxteth to terminate at the Liverpool One bus station.  The last bus of the trip was the frequent Stagecoach run route 82 service to Liverpool South Parkway with a modern electric double decker.

331110 departs St Helens Central Station

This bus route follows the A561 via Toxteth & Aigburth to terminate at South Parkway where after a visit to the toilets, we transferred to the trains and onto 777038 to Maghull North, changing onto 777041 back towards Liverpool city centre at Liverpool Central.  A gentle stroll towards Lime Street followed before we boarded 807008 on the next Euston service, busier than usual due to the previous London North Western service starting at South Parkway instead of Lime Street due to late running, the train emptying out at Crewe.

A near enough on time arrival into Euston, and it was onto the Northern line with 51520 & 51704 to Waterloo, ending the day with 159016 & 158886 on a Salisbury bound service.  An enjoyable couple of days in Merseyside with mum, and relaxing after how busy I had been in the previous couple of weeks.

22nd September – Peak Forest Tramway & Canal

A walk I’ve been wanting to do this year, the Peak Forest Tramway path from Chapel Milton towards Buxworth & the Peak Forest Canal from Bugsworth Basin towards Whaley Bridge.  One which was pushed back over the summer months due to Avanti deleting the first off-peak Manchester service (which gave a more comfortable connection into the hourly Buxton trains at Stockport).  The day began with the 06:57 service to Waterloo with 158882, 159010 & 159014 and a gentle stroll to Euston for the 09:33 Manchester train.  This was a busy 390155 which I took to Wilmslow for a random time-wasting move, stepping back onto 331110 to Stockport on a service from Alderley Edge, mainly to clear Wilmslow to Cheadle Hulme for 331 coverage (I need to try and do Manchester Airport to Wilmslow at some point).

At Stockport I transferred to platforms 1+2 for 150204 on the next Buxton service to take me to Chapel-en-le-Frith where my walk began in the sunshine.  I followed a footpath down the hill from the station towards Chapel-en-le-Frith itself, going via the roads to reach Chapel Milton, picking up the Tramway Trail path near the Black Brook, close to the A6.  I headed underneath the railway viaducts, carrying the freight line from the Peak Forest quarry (getting lucky with a passing freight train).  The first section of this path was across a field towards a little industrial unit near Charley Lane.

66099 crossing one of the Chapel Milton Viaducts

The path quality did improve after crossing over the lane, to be more solid as it headed towards Chinley, skirting around the southern edge of the settlement before heading into a woodland area, passing more industrial units.  Not the quietest of paths as the A6 was close by but quite nice to walk with the views when they opened out.  The tramway path ended at Bugsworth Basin on the Peak Forest Canal (where at one point cargo would have transferred from boats to wagons in the olden days).  These days the basin is home for many boats as I followed the decent quality towpath, underneath the A6 to reach the junction to the north of Whaley Bridge.

I followed the road from the canal junction area towards Whaley Bridge, picking up a path along route of the old railway route towards Cromford, which headed up a long climb to Shallcross.  At the top of the incline, I returned to the roads to head back downhill towards Whaley Bridge, going towards the Memorial Park.  I was going to head towards the reservoir but the area is still a building site after the events a few years ago when the concrete on the spillway started to crack, so that idea got parked for a future trip.

Shallcross Incline Greenway along route of the Cromford and High Peak Railway, Whaley Bridge

Back on the roads in Whaley Bridge, I headed to the station for 150214 & 150110 to take me towards Stockport, where I transferred onto 390117 on a London bound Pendo for a speedy journey back towards London.  I decided to take the underground with 51532 & 51706 to Waterloo, finishing the day with 159002, 159005 & 158886 on the 19:20 service back to Grateley to end the day.  A nice little day trip to Derbyshire, another canal & old railway removed from my large list of things to do.

23rd September – A Day in London

For my last day of my summer annual leave, it was a day trip to London to meet up with my good friend Dan for a random day with no real plans other than to ride some buses.  The day began with 158883, 159021 & 159017 to Waterloo and a gentle stroll towards London Bridge to take 465160 & 465194 to Abbey Wood via Deptford.  At Abbey Wood I met up with Dan and we headed to the bus stop used as the starting point of the SL11 service to North Greenwich, underneath the flyover.  We boarded the SL11 service, which got held up in traffic due to roadworks around Woolwich and got terminated early in the Charlton area.  The first time we knew that the bus was terminating at that stop is when the automatic announcer said it was terminating there when at the stop (i.e. no notice whatsoever).

It was a short wait for another SL11 service to take us to North Greenwich bus station and to the Jubilee line with 96013 & 96076 to Canning Town for a spot of DLR hunting as the new units were back in service.  It wasn’t long to wait before winner 209 rolled in on a Stratford International service and first impressions they feel reasonable, seats a bit on the firm side but that’s modern trains.  We took this to Stratford International, returning to Stratford on the same unit before transferring to the Central Line with a set made up of 91195, 92018, 92448 & 91091 taken to Gants Hill where we exited the station to locate the starting point of the SL12 bus service.

DLR Unit 209 arriving at Canning Town Station

We were at the bus stop, having just missed one service, the next was a bit of a farce with the bus pulling up with passengers waiting but the driver deciding not to bother opening the door to allow anybody to board, so they could get away “on time”.  Eventually the next bus rocked up with a modern electric on the SL12 which we decided to ditch the idea of riding it all the way to Rainham, instead bailing at Romford to transfer to Greater Anglia.  As I wanted to give Dan an experience of a 720 and its high-density spec interior with 720512 on the next service to Liverpool Street.

Next up was a trip to Euston on the route 205 service, just to waste some time, before grabbing lunch and relaxing in the sunshine.  Next up was winner 730206 attached with 730236 on the next Milton Keynes stopper which we took to Watford Junction, annoyingly the next Southern service had been cancelled so it was back towards Harrow & Wealdstone on a busy 730229 and to Harrow bus station via the route 140 (solely as it was the first bus heading in that general direction).  We transferred to Harrow on the Hill station for a short wait for 165008 & 165009 to take us to Marylebone, because it had been a while since the last Chiltern Turbo.

165009 at London Marylebone

At Marylebone we had the choice of two bus routes, deciding on the 453 to Deptford Bridge with a slow trip, getting busy along the way but emptying out in Central London, my bus mileage on the New Routemaster buses has been high today.  We made the mistake to take the DLR with 34, 25 & 59 to Heron Quays to transfer to the Jubilee line as it was now evening peak and Canary Wharf was very busy (my suggestion was to take the DLR to Greenwich for a South Eastern/Thameslink towards London Bridge to avoid the underground overcrowding.  I said farewell to Dan here as he made his way towards Victoria and I managed to board 96024 & 96079 to Waterloo, a station in a bit of chaos due to an earlier issue between Basingstoke & Waterloo.  The first train for Basingstoke was a busy 444039 & 444010 where I transferred onto 159007, 159104 & 158890 which was starting at Basingstoke instead of Waterloo to take me back to Grateley to finish my late summer holiday adventuring, as it was a return to work on the Thursday.  As always thanks for reading, more photos can be found *here*.  I’m still playing catch up but September is now done.

Late Summer Holiday Adventuring Part 4 – 15th – 18th September – North East

 Late Summer Holiday Adventuring Part 4 – 15th – 18th September – North East

15th September – North East Day 1

For my main trip for the 2nd week of my late summer holiday, I decided on a return to the North East, getting a room in a guesthouse in Whitley Bay for the usual charge.  As always, it’s hard to decide what I want to do on the days in the North East as I’ve got so many options, thankfully this trip it wouldn’t be roasting hot so some of the options I paused in August came to mind.

The trip began with my usual 06:57 service to Waterloo (with 158887, 159019 & 159009) for a speedy run into London and a gentle stroll across the city arriving with plenty of time to grab a decent seat on the 09:30 Edinburgh service with 801208.  All was going well until the train got caught up with some sort of issue around Newark, losing time so arrival into Newcastle was 32 minutes late (helped out by a voyager blocking the platform until it’s departure time, without that voyager I suspect the delay would have been under 30 minutes, so every little helps).

After picking up my Travel North East £7.50 day ticket (or whatever it was called) I headed to the Metro, jumping onto an airport bound 555030 to the Regent Centre where I managed a tight connection onto an Arriva run route 44 service to the village of Dinnington.  This bus headed via North Gosforth and Hazlerigg Village, to pass the end of the runway at Newcastle airport to reach Dinnington where my walk began.  I followed the signs to pick up cycle route 10 which was a decent quality path heading east with countryside on both sides, crossing over the A1 and heading towards Seaton Burn in the sunshine.

Cycle Route 10 path between Dinnington & Seaton Burn

 
In Seaton Burn I picked up the route of the Seaton Burn Waggonway path, an old railway route built for the era of coal mining.  Firstly I headed north towards the end of the path, doubling back on myself to cross over Bridge Street, and towards Wideopen.  The path skirting around the side of this village with some nice views on my left hand side, especially of the hill at the Weetslade Country Park.  I reached a junction where the Wideopen/Havannah Mineral Railway headed towards the village, passing many modern houses to reach the end before doubling back on myself once more.

After returning to the main Seaton Burn Waggonway path I continued heading east into the Weetslade Country Park, a country park built on a former colliery and making use of a spoil heap to create a manmade hill.  It would have felt wrong not to climb the steps to the top of the hill for a decent view of the surrounding countryside.  I came down the hill, following a path rather than going via the stairs, as this gave more views of the countryside, even getting a photograph of a passing Azuma.  I returned to the Waggonway path heading towards the ECML bridge near the A189 before turning south on the Burradon to Westmoor Waggonway path.

View from Weetslade Hill, Weetslade Country Park

This path follows the ECML (hidden by trees, but has a random foot crossing) towards the West Moor area, crossing the railway close to the site of the former Killingworth station.  I left the old waggonway path and headed towards Killingworth via the rather delightful lake, ending the walk at a bus stop near Southgate school.  I could have easily continued to do some more paths in Killingworth & Camperdown to finish at Northumberland Park but I wanted to get checked into my accommodation at a reasonable time.  I turned down the first bus for a Go North East operated route 354 for Newcastle which was more direct, as other than a trip via the Quorum Business Park (home of Greggs) it called at Four Lane Ends Metro which was quite helpful to change to 555018 to take me to Monkseaton, where I headed to my accommodation going via Morrisons & Home Bargains to pick up some bottles of water & fizzy pop to keep in the room for the next few days.

I checked into the guest house and returned to the Metro and took 555037 to Gateshead Stadium where I spent half an hour or so with my little deckchair, calling it a night as my hunger levels rose and taking 555016 for the trip back towards Whitley Bay.  After detouring via the local Spoons for dinner, I relaxed for the remainder of the evening, looking at options for the Wednesday.  A good first day in the North East.

802219 crossing Killingworth Drove (B1505), West Moor

16th September – Waskerley Way

The Waskerley Way is a path along the route of the disused Weardale Extension of the Stanhope & Tyne Railway running from Consett towards the County Durham Moors and either to Stanhope or Rookhope (the marked path ends near the former Blanchland/Parkhead station high above Stanhope).  Originally, I was going to walk from Rookhope towards Consett, but that involves a very steep incline (Boltslaw Incline) and was a bit more awkward to visit owing to more restrictive bus times at Rookhope.  So, I decided to reverse the walk to start from Consett to walk up hill towards Blanchland before taking on the Weatherhill & Crawley Inclines downhill.

The day began heading from Whitley Bay towards Monument on 555038, grabbing some supplies for breakfast and making my way to the Eldon Square bus station for a bus to Consett.  Annoyingly the bus I was aiming for was a no show so it was onto a Go North East run X70 service to Consett via Sunniside, Burnopfield, Dipton & Leadgate to reach the little bus station in Consett. I made my way via the town centre towards a Morrisons to grab some lunch (and to make use of the toilet).  I picked up the cycle path which ran alongside the A692 before heading south west, passed an area of redevelopment (no doubt more housing).  This section of the path was technically the "Consett & Sunderland Railway Path" according to my OS Map.

Terris Novalis sculpture alongside the Waskerley Way Railway Path, between Consett & Hownsgill Viaduct

My walk continued along the tarmac path reaching Lydgett's Junction where the railway path towards Lanchester heads away and I continued towards the rather nice Hownsgill Viaduct.  I suspect a viaduct which has seen many tragic events over the years owing to the tall fences on both sides to prevent suicide, even with the fences the view was wonderful.  After the viaduct the path continues towards the former Rowley Station (no evidence remains), crossing the A68 and into a little picnic area.  I continued along the path with the stunning views opening out and the path climbing towards the moors.

The path turned to head south, still climbing and still with the beautiful views of the countryside mixed with some woodland.  Near the former Burnhill station the railway line path runs away from the route of the original railway which has been turned into a nature reserve, heading towards the former junction where the railway would have continued towards Crook and the path follows the Stanhope branch.  Still some beautiful views of the countryside on this remote path, although I was glad, I didn't do it back in August as there wasn't much in the way of shelter from the sun.

View from the Waskerley Way Railway Path (Cycle Route 7) between Whitehall & the former Burnhill Station

I reached the former Waskerley station site and a car park before the surface changed from smooth tarmac to a hard surface which was a bit bumpy with the countryside changing to the moors on both sides.  Reminds me of Rannoch moor for remoteness, certainly there wasn't many other walkers in this part, only a few cyclists to enjoy the views and the uphill climb.  Soon I reached the building of the former Blanchland station, now turned into a café with the railway line path splitting with one arm going to Rookhope & the other towards Stanhope.  I was considering Rookhope but the bus connections were a bit rubbish so that is an option for a future walk potentially.

Away from the cycle path, the path quality soon changed to rougher, with some beautiful views of the countryside as I started to drop on a path alongside the B6278 (complete with sheep) as I was coming down the Weatherhill incline.  The footpath alongside the road ended near the site of the former Crawley engine as I followed the pavement alongside the road down the Crawley incline (dropping around 450 feet in just over a mile).  I reached the end of the walk in Stanhope getting lucky with timings for the hourly bus towards Bishop Auckland as one was due a few minutes after I arrived near the hospital (my backup option was to walk into the town centre alongside the Wear and relax near the Castle).  What a stunning walk for the beautiful scenery.

Route of former Stanhope and Tyne Railway line between the former Parkhead Station & Crawleyside

It was onto a Weardale Travel run route 101 double decker service, the reason for the double decker began clear when it arrived in Wolsingham as a lot of school kids boarded (sadly including at least 5 who were vaping on the bus).  I did have the option to bail at Crook for another bus towards Durham but decided to stay on the bus towards Bishop Auckland, leaving it near the railway station where I made a swift connection onto 156483 for the run to Darlington before taking an Aberdeen bound 800112 to Newcastle.  A tight connection was made onto 158859 for the run towards Sunderland where due to the football I ran away back to Newcastle on 158815, passing a required 555 on an airport service near Pelaw.

A good thing I checked, as Google Maps was suggesting this unit might not return to the city centre (for it terminated at Regent Centre) so I jumped onto 555001 to Kingston Park, turning down a winner 555 on a South Hylton service for winner 555045 on the Regent Centre terminator.  A short wait at Regent Centre and I took 555001 to South Gosforth followed with 555036 to Haymarket where I made use of the station WiFi to upload my photos taken on my walk.  A short time later winner 555025 took me to Gateshead Stadium for another short fester before 555026 returned from Sunderland which I took to South Gosforth finishing the day with 555041 to Whitley Bay.  Unsurprising I ended up in the Spoons for dinner before relaxing in my room after a very nice day.

555045 at Regent Centre Metro Station

17th September – Berwick Upon Tweed, The Tyne & Derwenthaugh Park

The idea for today was originally going to be a trip towards Carlisle via bus, making use of the limited-service route 74 from Newcastle to Hexham, connecting onto the route 122 towards Carvoran for a HW1 service to Carlisle.  A lazier day compared to the Wednesday, however like most things I changed my mind at short notice.  The day began with winner 555023 from Whitley Bay to Central Station where I failed to grab something warm from the Sainsburys for breakfast and made my way towards the bus station at Eldon Square via a handy Tesco for some supplies.  I arrived earlier than expected and ended up in the Haymarket bus station where I decided to switch back to an original idea and boarded the Arriva run X18 service to Berwick via Alnwick.

For a long bus route, I decided to turn down the front seats for lack of leg room, instead picked a nice seat near the middle of the top deck, decent leg room and seat comfort on the newer double deckers used on the Arriva network north of Newcastle.  Which was a good thing considering this bus route is over 4 hours long!  (Yes, I was mad enough to do it in one sitting, rather than the more sensible option to break it at Alnwick).  

The bus headed away from Haymarket bus station towards Gosforth being more limited stop along this section, before running nonstop along the A1 towards the Morpeth area.  As it was morning rush hour, I was surprised at how busy some of the other Newcastle bound buses were in the Gosforth area, certainly they get well used.  After visiting Morpeth bus station, the bus headed towards Pegswood, Widdrington & Acklington before reaching the coast at Amble.  The bus continued along the A1068 towards Warkworth and Alnmouth, the cycle route going onto my list for potential walking ideas.  After Alnmouth the bus headed towards the town of Alnwick, doubling back towards Hipsburn (the location of Alnmouth station) before going via the coastal route north.  Craster, Seahouses & Bamburgh, the bus getting busy along the way but emptied out at Bamburgh where there was an impressive looking castle.

View of the North Sea from a bus stop in Craster

 
The bus moved inland, crossing over the ECML near Belford before following the A1 towards Berwick Upon Tweed.  The other Newcastle - Berwick bus route (the X15) is more direct as it follows the A1 more.  Needless to say, after 4 hours sat down on that bus, I wanted a little stroll so leaving the bus at the railway station I headed towards a path alongside the Tweed via Coronation Park, pausing for a photograph of a train over the viaduct (sadly it was a pair of voyagers, but you can't have everything!).  After passing the Royal Tweed Bridge it started to drizzle, as I followed the town walls path before heading back to the station area having just missed a TPE service (which turned out to be a blessing considering that TPE randomly lost time before Berwick & Newcastle and got looped by the LNER service I caught).

800107 from Aberdeen took me the 67 miles to Newcastle station, where I made a tight connection onto 158901 working the Hexham stopper to Blaydon for another walk as I had some unfinished business with the River Tyne in this area.  Leaving Blaydon station via the northern exit, with direct access to the Keelman's Way path I headed east towards an industrial area before picking up the riverside path once more, near the A1 bridge.  This was quite a pleasant area for woodland & views of the river.  I headed underneath the disused Scotswood railway bridge & headed towards the mouth of the River Derwent.  I did a little loop of a riverside path on the opposite side of the Derwent, but to be honest that wasn't anything worth shouting about as it was a business park, the river hidden from view by bushes.

A pair of voyagers on the Royal Border Bridge, Berwick Upon Tweed

 

I returned to the Derwent to where I walked from Consett earlier in the year, walking on the opposite river bank, towards Axwell Park and the Derwenthaugh Park (or Derwent Walk Country Park).  This was a decent path alongside the river, and within the park I did a couple of loops before making my way towards Winlaton Mill, turning down a random extension towards Winlaton itself via the "Black Path" and caught a Go North East run route 47 towards the Metro Centre (the bus continued towards Newcastle, but as there was a train due within a couple of minutes I made a quick connection to jump on 158860 to take me towards Newcastle station (rather than getting caught in rush-hour traffic as this wasn't one of the limited stop bus routes).

Time for a metro hunt, earlier in the day I had spotted 555029 at Whitley Bay, so I headed underground keeping my eyes peeled for any winners, jumping between Monument & Central station a couple of times to waste some time before winner 555024 popped up to take me to West Jesmond, wasting some more time to end up in Felling to ID a South Shields unit which passed me when I was heading north, which turned out to be winner 555029 which was a good way to end the day with the run to Whitley Bay, where once more I ended up in the local Spoons!

555029 at Whitley Bay Metro

After dinner, I returned to my accommodation for the final night, coming up with my plan for the Friday (changing from my original idea to walk from Benton towards Newcastle city centre via South Gosforth & the Jesmond Dene to something I was considering in August.  The River Tyne is now complete within the Tyne & Wear area.

18th September – The Sunny Side of Sunderland

For my final day on Tyneside, I decided to do a walk in the Sunderland area along a couple of disused railway paths.  After checking out of the guest house, I headed to Whitley Bay Metro and onto 555041 to West Jesmond where I made a quick dash to the nearby Sainsburys Local to grab some breakfast items before taking 555020 for the long run towards Pallion, where I remembered to touch out with my Pop PAYG card to benefit from the £2.50 flat fare when using PAYG (rather than £6 odd for a paper single).

Leaving Pallion metro on the south, I soon picked up the route of the Painshaw branch of the York, Newcastle and Berwick Railway towards the Millfield area, going via some roads before picking up the Hetton Colliery Railway.  This had signposts for the Stephenson Trail which is something I need to research.  Anyhow I followed the signposted path heading south towards the Silksworth Sports Complex, built on the former Silksworth colliery and featuring a nice lake.  The former railway route continued south but I decided that could be a job for another day as it heads towards Hetton.

Lake within the Silksworth Sports Complex, Sunderland

After doing a loop around the lakes within Silksworth Sports Complex, I picked up a cycle path heading towards the route of the former Silksworth Colliery Railway towards the former Ryhope Colliery, meeting up with where I walked to earlier in the year (when walking from Seaham).  My original idea was to catch a bus towards Sunderland city centre, but I had plenty of time so after leaving the old railway near a boxing club, I followed some roads to head underneath the A1018 & railway to reach the coast picking up the Coastal Path.

This path was high above some cliffs, giving some nice views of seemingly isolated beaches as I headed north towards the Hendon area of the city, dropping down onto the Hendon beach promenade, heading towards an industrial area.  I followed some roads to reach Mowbray Park, doing a little explore before reaching Sunderland station.  After grabbing lunch from Tesco I headed to the platforms (a place the sun doesn't shine) and onto 180112 on the 12:30-odd departure to London, grabbing a seat in the unreserved seating area at the southern end of the train for the run via the Durham coast & ECML to London, the train getting busy at York (not helped with various LNER cancellations due to issues north of Newcastle).

Hendon Beach, Sunderland

At London, I headed to St Pancras and onto 700122 to London Bridge, swiftly followed with 376012 & 376022 to Waterloo East and onto a short formed 16:50 service formed of 159002.  Not as bad as expected for crowding due to being a Friday.  This sprinter took me home where my North Eastern adventure concluded.  As always thanks for reading, more photos can be found *Here*.  The last part (5) will be posted when I write it, hopefully at some point over the course of the weekend as my catch up continues.  Funny how this trip ended up being nearly what I was planning to do in August (Waskerley Way, Berwick Bus & Sunderland) before changing my plans due to the hot weather.

Late Summer Holiday Adventuring, Part 3 (12 – 14th September)

 Late Summer Holiday Adventuring, Part 3 (12 – 14th September)

12th September – Aire & Calder Navigation

Having started with the Aire & Calder Navigation (which runs between Leeds & Goole via Knottingley & Castleford with a branch to Wakefield) over the summer with Leeds to Castlefield, the idea for today was to focus on the section towards Goole.  Due to the distance involved between Knottingley & Goole, I decided to split it up at Whitley Bridge station near the large village of Eggborough.  Sadly, Whitley Bridge station doesn’t get much in the way of trains (2 trains to Leeds & 1 train to Goole daily) which meant I needed to use the bus from Selby (which was a bit easier to reach than Pontefract).

The day began with the 05:27 from Grateley with 159012 to Clapham Junction, changing onto 701011 to Vauxhall where I made a swift change onto the Victoria line with 11086 & 11085 to King’s Cross St Pancras.  After grabbing some supplies from the little Tesco close to the station, I boarded a reasonably busy 801205 on the 07:30 service to Edinburgh for the nonstop run to York before taking 155345 to Selby, giving me a comfortable connection into the Arriva run hourly route 476 service to Pontefract.  Not the busiest of buses from Selby as it headed towards Eggborough via Brayton, Burn & Hensall, getting reasonably busy in Eggborough as I departed the bus to begin my walk.  I crossed over the railway at Whitley Bridge station and onto an old road bridge, picking up the Aire & Calder Navigation (also known in this area as the Knottingley & Goole Canal) near Templar Close with an unmarked footpath link.

Platforms at Whitley Bridge Station

As this canal gets used by larger sea going ships (although probably not as much as it used to since the colliers & power stations closed), the canal is reasonably wide with strong sides.  No risk of minding gaps due to erosion today.  I decided to head towards Castleford with the canal not being the most interesting.  The M62 ran to the south which generated a bit of road noise across the fields, with the towpath quality on the south bank (this is a section where there is a dual towpath) was grassy.  I reached Sudforth Lane where my guide book & prior research found the towpath beyond this point being unusable due to issues relating with the Kellingley Colliery.

This meant a marked diversion via a bridleway, crossing over the railway on a foot crossing to re-join the canal at Southmoor Lane.  I headed to the point where previously it was blocked off with a large fence (Streetview) only to find the fence had vanished, so I did some investigating.  I passed the remains of Kellingley Colliery with the coal loading wharf, going underneath the railway and reached the road bridge I was standing on earlier, annoyingly there was no need for that diversion (and seemingly since I did the walk, it seems the Street View images have been updated by someone who tours various canals/rivers taking lots of pictures).

Aire and Calder Navigation near the former Kellingley colliery

I doubled back towards Kellingley Colliery & Southmoor Lane, continuing along the canal bank heading towards Knottingley.  Parts of this path the canal was hiding behind trees.  I detoured via the short Bank Doe branch which links the canal with the River Aire (and onwards to the Selby Canal at Chapel Haddlesey via Beal, which is something I will do next year, just to plug a gap in my walking coverage).  After doubling back, I returned to the Aire & Calder Navigation in Knottingley, a place I felt a bit uneasy for some reason.

Anyhow I continued along the canal as it skirted around the northern edge of Knottingley, the path sandwiched between the canal & river Aire, reaching Ferrybridge Lock, where the canal section came to an end with the navigation running into the River Aire.  Now on the Aire, I crossed over with the historic Ferry Bridge (The Old Great North Road Bridge), going across fields to reach Brotherton, where the river side path detours inland to re-join the riverside near some bodies of water I presume was related to the long-closed power station.

Old Great North Road bridge over the River Aire (Aire and Calder Navigation) in Ferrybridge

I was back on the footpath alongside the river, although the river was hidden from view with trees, but it was a nice woodland path with a reasonable surface.  I headed underneath the A1(M) and the railway at Fairburn Viaduct (which has a walkway bridge alongside it).  I soon reached the RSPB Fairburns Ings Nature Reserve with the river a distance memory.  The path within the nature reserve gave some nice views of various bays of water, certainly a pleasant place to spend an hour exploring the area.

When I reached the Castleford Viaduct (which used to carry a railway line across it), I was onto an area I explored back in 2022 when I walked from Garforth along said former railway line.  This section was along the short Bulholme cut of the Aire & Calder Navigation, with a little detour to the entrance lock but sadly no decent views of the viaduct due to the angle of the sun.  The walk along the navigation ended when I reached Barnsdale Road, and a gentle stroll towards the station, detouring via the nearby Aldi to grab some more liquids.  The quickest way back to London involved taking 150144 & 158908 to Pontefract Monkhill for a short wait for 180105 to arrive on a Grand Central service to London.

180105 arriving at Pontefract Monkhill Station

This wasn't the busiest of trains, the front coach only having 3 other passengers in, 2 which left the train at Doncaster.  Even at Doncaster it didn't get that busy for the run to London, unusually for a Grand Central service there wasn't any sign of the guard doing a ticket check after Doncaster.  Anyhow at London I headed to the underground with the Bakerloo showing severe delays I took 11079/11080 to Vauxhall and 701008 to Waterloo, where after grabbing some dinner items I boarded a very busy 159003 to take me back to Grateley.

A mostly enjoyable walk along the Aire & Calder Navigation, the highlight being the nature reserve area.

13th September – Exploring Nuneaton

Today was originally going to be a restful day with a short walk in London, but I decided to change my mind when I saw that both my remaining active 730s were gettable, and dust off a plan involving Nuneaton.  The day began with 159108 & 159015 from Grateley to Andover followed with 159017 to Reading where I had time to grab some supplies before boarding 221108 & 221127 on the 09:15 service to Manchester where the 10-coach voyager would split at Birmingham so the rear unit was a bit quieter than the front.  I took this to Lemington Spa (where the train was diverting via Solihull due to an incident between Coventry & Birmingham), changing onto 196002 to take me all the way to Nuneaton where my walk began.

Heading out of the station, I picked up the A444 road crossing over the railway to the south of the station, following the road to pick up a path running alongside the river Anker towards Sandon Park & Weddington Meadows, returning to the roads in a housing development.  I followed the roads & a couple of footpaths to reach the route of the former Ashby and Nuneaton Joint Railway route which ran from Nuneaton towards Ashby.  A small part at the Nuneaton end has been turned into a mixed used route which ends on the A5 near Higham on the Hill.

River Anker in Weddington Meadows (Nuneaton)

This was a nice woodland path, decent surface and when I reached the A5 I did an U-turn to head back towards Nuneaton, passing the point where I joined the route to reach the ending point near the WCML.  I picked up a short road which went underneath the WCML and the freight chord from the Hinkley line, and up a footbridge which crossed both routes towards Coleshill (the curve leading into the low numbered platforms at Nuneaton and the track used by XC to cross over the WCML, this area being a maze of railway lines).

The last section of today's walk was via the roads, passing Abbey Green, detouring via Asda for some supplies before making my return to Nuneaton station, which was very busy due to the incident earlier in the day.  Winner 730236 rolled in with 730221 on the rear and I easily found a seat towards the back of the train for the run towards Rugby where there was some confusion regarding a possible delay due to the onward driver being late, but after a short pause the train continued and I bailed at Milton Keynes Central where my last active 730 (so excluding the trio which haven't entered service) was due to be on a stopping service to London.

Path along the former Ashby & Nuneaton Joint Railway near Nuneaton (Cycle Route 52)

Well 730206 did indeed arrive at Milton Keynes, but the return to London was cancelled due to a shortage of train crew, which was a bit annoying as there was a gap in London bound services due to issues elsewhere on the WCML.  390124 was the first train to arrive which was due to continue to London and I took this Pendo to Euston, transferring to the underground with 51619 & 51620 to Waterloo and onto 159006 & 159004 to take me to Andover for a 30-minute fester before 159022 rolled in from Reading to take me the last step to Grateley.  I will need to return to Nuneaton to finish my exploring (Riversley Park, Bar Pool Brook) but that could easily be a winter time visit.

14th September – “The Source, 12 Miles”

The idea for today’s walk was to finish the Thames Path, having reached Cricklade on a warm July day, I didn’t want to leave it too long due to the risk of mud on the rural section of the River Thames.  The day began with a drive to Salisbury and onto the 06:35 service for Worcester with 165131 for the trip to Swindon (one of the few direct trains to Swindon from Salisbury).  Swindon was in a bit of chaos due to an incident at Twyford with both platform 1 & 3 having delayed London trains on.  Thankfully the 165 used platform 2 where it got swamped with school kids.  I left the station, heading towards the bus station area via Tesco for some supplies (mainly to waste time) and onto a late running Stagecoach run route 51 service (running around 20 minutes late for some unknown reason).

This bus took me to Cricklade where I began my walk from the bus stop in the centre of the town.  I followed the road (detouring via a handy toilet block) to reach the Thames Path near the North Wall, crossing across a grassy area to the north of the built-up area.  In a farmyard area I crossed over the Thames and entered the North Meadow Nature Reserve, following the route across various fields with the occasional glimpse of the river on my left-hand side.  It was nice and peaceful but a bit rough on the legs (for it was a bit bumpy in places).  I reached the route of the former Midland railway route which ran from Cricklade towards Cheltenham via Cirencester, part of which is walkable from South Cerney.

Thames Path in Cricklade

The next short section of the Thames Path ran along the former railway line before heading into the Cleveland Lakes Nature Reserve.  This nature reserve was quite pretty with various lakes; some used for water sports others just for fishing.  The path quality was quite reasonable in this section as well as I followed the path as it snaked its way via various lakes being careful to follow the correct path (for there were many in this area) before arriving at Ashton Keynes.  I followed the path as it ran along a couple of roads to return to the River Thames, picking up a footpath which ran alongside the river.

Well, it did for the first section before the river dried up, leaving the riverbed and the path along the southern edge.  It gave me an impression of a disused canal.  After crossing the busy B4696 the path headed towards another area full of lakes, the dried-up Thames running between various lakes leading to a very posh looking area (which looking on Google Maps suggests it's full of accommodation options).  I reached Somerford Keynes with the path running along a road to reach the Neigh Bridge Lake Nature Reserve, before the path headed away from the lakes and back into fields.

Thames Path between Ashton Keynes & Somerford Keynes

I followed the Thames Path and the route of the Thames, along the edge of various fields, pausing for some lunch along the way before carrying on heading north towards Ewen.  The path in this area being variable quality, some parts were a bit rough and overgrown, others fine.  I reached the end of this section alongside the dried-up Thames in Ewen, where the Thames Path detours via the roads close to Kemble.  I met up with part of the Thames Path I walked back in 2021 when I did a small loop in the Kemble area.  This was a woodland path with the river on my left-hand side, heading towards the A429 where I was back onto new coverage, the route of the river being on my right-hand side, although it was a mere ditch as I crossed fields and the A433 towards Thames Head and the Source Stone.

I saw the stone in the distance, picking up my speed in excitement, grabbing a couple of photographs of the stone (and the writing saying the stone marked the source of the River Thames).  This was the end of the Thames Path.  I paused for a few moments to rest and enjoying the silence before retracing my steps, detouring a footpath crossing over the railway on a foot crossing and heading to Kemble station via the roads (rather than a bumpy field).  I shouldn’t have rushed as the next London train was delayed by 20-odd minutes as a busy 802014 rolled in from Cheltenham to take me towards Reading, changing onto 165112 on the stopping service to Basingstoke.  The final train of the day was a busy 159022 (for the 2nd day running!) to Salisbury, where I drove home to get my rucksack sorted ready for my North East adventure.

River Thames Source Stone, Thames Head (End of Thames Path)

As always, thanks for reading, more photos can be found on my Flickr *here*.  Part 4 will follow when I write it.

Late Summer Holiday Adventuring Part 2 (8th – 11th September), Scotland

 Late Summer Holiday Adventuring Part 2 (8th – 11th September), Scotland

8th September – Scotland Day 1

A return to the little guest house in Hamilton was on the cards for a 3-night stay, having left the previous blog travelling north on the sleeper to Glasgow.  The sleeper arrived into Glasgow Central near enough on time, and I headed out into the city streets with a gentle stroll to the Bridge Street subway station (mainly to get some fresh air and to wake my legs up).  I headed to the island platform and got lucky with winner set 313 on an outer service, passing another winner set at the next station so I gave chase taking 313 to Kelvinhall for a short wait for 314 to roll round on an inner service.  Certainly, the new automatic announcements felt strange at first compared to the older style manual announcements but I guess it’s something regulars will get used to.

Anyhow I took 314 to St Enoch, transferring to Glasgow Central and onto 385026 working a Gourock service, new track coverage for a 385 and a long-awaited return to the Gourock line.  I took this train to the end of the line, arriving onto platform 1 which made things a bit easier as I could use the side exit of the station to begin my short walk, with one eye on the weather as rain was due to arrive at some point.  Leaving the station, I headed on the path via the ferry terminal to reach Tarbet Street, going via Cove Road to reach Battery Park overlooking Cardwell Bay near Fort Matilda station.

385026 at Gourock Station

After a detour in Battery Park, I returned to the road before picking up the Greenock Esplanade with some nice views over the water.  This took me towards Greenock with a detour via the roads (and underneath an old railway bridge which used to carry a branch line into the docks).  I re-joined the water front near the cruise terminal (with a large cruise ship berthed) and followed the path along Custom House Quay and the small harbours (East India & Victoria).  I continued my stroll along the side of the water passing the Premier Inn at Greenock, near the entrance to the James Watt Marina where the waterside cycle path moves inland [and towards the old railway line path via Bridge of Weir].

I climbed a slight hill as the rain began as I was walking along the main road before reaching Cartsdyke station, taking shelter from the rain before 385033 arrived to take me back into Glasgow Central.  As I still had some time before I could check into my accommodation I headed to St Enoch in the hope that set 317 would be out, taking 315 to Bridge Street and spending 30 minutes keeping my eyes out on both sides before taking 308 back to St Enoch with an unsuccessful trip.

Clyde Estuary from Greenock Esplanade

At Glasgow Central I made the mistake to jump on 320413 to Exhibition Centre as it missed a connection to a Hamilton bound service, giving me an extra 10 minutes before 320315 rolled in to take me to Hamilton Central, where I made my way to the guest house for my first visit since Easter last year (it only has one room so is quite often sold out).  It's not perfect but for £35 a night is hard to beat in the current climate, especially as it's not above a pub!

After checking in, and emptying out my rucksack, I returned to Hamilton Central station and onto 318250 & 318260 to take me to Glasgow Central, where I boarded a late running 397004 on a Manchester Airport service as it had been a while since my last long-distance run on a 397 where it would get a chance to run at speed.  Also, it avoided a busy looking 9 coach Pendo on the next London train as I had a private table for the run to Carlisle.  With time to waste in Carlisle I had a gentle stroll towards the little Tesco Express (and via M&S for some doughnuts) before returning to the station to board 222602 on the Stirling bound Lumo, easily getting a decent seat (these trains are similar to Grand Central, busy at the London end but usage drops off at the northern ends).  This service took me to Greenfaulds, where I swapped platforms.

222602 at Greenfaulds Station

Next up was 385109 on a Glasgow Queen Street service, as I made use of the declassified first-class area at the rear of the unit for the slow run via Springburn.  In Glasgow city centre, it was a gentle stroll across to Glasgow Central and onto 320304 & 320321 for the run to Hamilton Central.  In Hamilton I made my way back to the accommodation to relax for the remainder of the evening, looking up train times for the morning.

9th September – Scotland Day 2

My plan for the Wednesday was a walk I’ve been wanting to do for a while but postponed it due to poor weather forecast, the disused railway line path from Dunfermline towards Alloa (not to be confused with the mothballed (?) freight line which goes via Culross.  I headed to Hamilton Central station and onto 320418 & 320316 to take me to Glasgow Central, where after grabbing breakfast (and items for lunch) I headed to Queen Street and onto 385031 to Bishopbriggs for a time-wasting move.

A short time at Bishopbriggs and it was onto 385108 & 385118 working one of the last ‘peak time’ extra Edinburgh fast services which have an unusual calling pattern of Bishopbriggs, Lenzie & Falkirk High before running nonstop to Haymarket.  Next up was 170396 to take me to Dunfermline City where my walk began. Leaving the station area at Dunfermline, I headed towards Pittencrieff Park, following the former road towards Pittencrieff Street.  A gentle stroll via the suburbs took me towards the Tower Burn near to where the former railway line path began.  It was a decent solid path with the first section having housing on the north side and countryside on the south before leaving behind the housing and into woodland.

170396 departs Dunfermline City Station

The cycle path continued heading mostly west, the woodland giving way to the delightful Fife countryside on this peaceful path.  The path skirted round the southern edge of the villages of Oakley, Comrie & Blairhall with some beautiful woodland.  I continued with the scenery changing between countryside & woodland, going underneath the A907 near the former Bogside station (no evidence of the platforms but an old signal box remains).

I continued along the path which turned into a farm access track before returning to a standalone tarmac path crossing over the A977, giving some nice views of the hills to the north as the path came to an end on the outskirts of Clackmannan, just after the B910.  The next section was along a closed off road leading to a cattery before crossing over the A907 and running alongside this busy road, underneath the existing freight railway.

View from the Dunfermline to Alloa Railway Path between Bogside & Clackmannan

The section along the road ended as the cycle path entered a woodland area heading towards Alloa and a housing area.  I continued along the cycle path to reach Alloa Tower and a little park area where my walk on the cycle path came to an end. The path continues towards Cambus/Tuillibody & splits with one part going to Stirling, the other heading towards Menstrie & Alva but that is a job for another day.  I headed via the town centre, detouring via Asda before reaching the station and onto 385016 which had split on the platform at Alloa (leaving another 3-coach unit behind which runs ECS to Dunblane).  A long but very enjoyable walk, worth the wait.

I took this 385 to Stirling, changing onto 385111 to Dunblane for a time-wasting move before the next Lumo service.  Dunblane is another area on my list for a decent explore, especially with the "Darn Walk" route towards Bridge of Allan, but for today I remained on 385111 to take me to Larbeth, swapping platforms to take 385012 & 385007 back to Stirling as I waited a late running 222605 to arrive on platform 10.  It was late in which meant it was late departing back towards London, as I made myself comfortable for the run towards Carlisle.  This particular service was one of the services which bypasses Motherwell station to run via Holytown & Wishaw for the extra novelty of a 222 over those unusual curves.

Alloa Tower

Annoyingly I was planning to visit Spoons in Carlisle for dinner, but the delay to the southbound train meant my connection was cut from 80 minutes to just over 20 minutes, so instead of Spoons I had a fast walk to the little Tesco Express in the city centre to grab some dinner before returning to Carlisle station and onto winner (for renumbering) 222603 to take me back to Scotland, leaving the train at Motherwell and making a connection onto 320315 & 318270 for the journey to Hamilton Central.  A gentle stroll back to the accommodation finished the day.

10th September – Scotland Day 3

Today’s idea was to head towards Tayside and to walk the Angus Coastal path from Arbroath towards Carnoustie, Monifieth & Broughty Ferry.  I left my accommodation a bit earlier than the day before to catch 320411 on a service to Glasgow Central, a service which got quite busy due to being 3 coaches.  At Glasgow Central I headed upstairs and towards 380008 for a little spin to Paisley Canal, another branch line I hadn’t been along for a good few years (back when the 314s were floating around).  I returned to Glasgow Central on the same 380 and had a gentle stroll towards Queen Street for the Aberdeen train.

This was a 4 coach HST set, with 43035 & 43128 and I relaxed for the speedy (other than some long dwells at Perth & Dundee) run to Arbroath where my walk began with a strong breeze across the water!  I headed via the town towards the little harbour and the Signal Tower Museum, picking up a path along the side of Inchcape Park, used by campervans (Queen's Drive).  This let me towards West Links and a lovely beach (even if the water looked rough).  I continued along the path with the water on my left and railway line on the right, heading away from Arbroath and towards Elliot Links where the path moved away from the waterfront towards the railway.

An Azuma alongside the Arbroath West Links Beach

The path quality was reasonable for the next section, as I followed the path south west towards East Haven, quite a busy path with other walkers & joggers.  At East Haven the path moved inland again, going underneath the railway and running along a cycle path next to the road (separated with a hedge).  This took me towards Carnoustie, crossing back over the railway and towards the waterfront in the Westhaven area of the town.  I passed the station and followed the waterfront path towards the rather posh looking Carnoustie Golf Hotel, heading inland again (there is a path which follows the water from the looks of it, but something which needs more research).

I was now back on a path I've used a couple of times (and no doubt many others when visiting stations), a path which I swear has been upgraded since 2020.  This runs between the golf course (on the left) and the railway (on my right), heading to Barry Links station.  A plan to grab a photograph of this little served station was spoilt with someone sitting on a bench and when I paused on the level crossing, he looked straight towards me and I decided it wasn't worth the hassle if he kicked off for daring to take his photograph, so a photograph of a 158 will have to do instead.

158727 alongside the Angus Coastal (Cycle Route 1) path near Carnoustie

Leaving Barry Links station area, I paused for a few minutes to have my lunch before carrying on with new coverage with the area on my left now MOD property with the railway on my right-hand side, the HSTs making a lovely noise when they passed.  Sadly, I didn't get lucky with the rain as it started to rain when around half-way along the path, so I got a bit wet!  I continued towards Monifieth and the pleasant beach deciding to end the walk here, the weather wasn't getting any better and my coat was a bit hopeless with heavy rain.  I arrived at the station around 10 minutes before a Glasgow bound HST arrived with 43134 & 43149 to take me to Dundee (local door only due to the short platform).

This is when I made a mistake in not checking the location of my last Lumo 222, as earlier this morning it was due to arrive into Motherwell around 21:30, but it had been swapped over during the day and at the time I was on the HST the 222 was at Stirling on the 17:09 service (and that HST would have got me into Stirling for around 16:45, the benefit of hindsight and all that).  Anyhow I changed at Dundee onto a London bound 800104, taking a seat in coach C which was showing as Available, until it reached Inverkeithing where it changed to being reserved from Inverkeithing to Edinburgh and I got turfed out.  I do wish LNER would go back to displaying “May be Reserved Later” for the seats which can get reserved along the way, would be more customer friendly.  Anyhow I changed at Haymarket onto 385124 & 385102 on a Glasgow Queen Street service, first stop Falkirk High.

43134 arriving at Monifieth Station

At Glasgow Queen Street I made a bee-line towards 156493 & 156458 on a West Highland Line service to take me towards Dalmuir, I was considering staying on this until Dumbarton to visit the Spoons but decided to change at Dalmuir onto 334006 & 334012 towards Partick & then 320415 & 318258 to Cambuslang.  At Cambuslang I headed towards the local Spoons in an old cinema building for dinner before finishing the day with 318254 & 320321 to Hamilton Central and a relaxing warm shower.  An enjoyable (if wet) day in Angus, I shall need to return to Tayside to finish the coastal path plus an old railway path another time.

11th September – Scotland Day 4

My last day in Scotland (boo), I checked out of the accommodation and headed to Hamilton Central station for the last time on this trip, jumping on 318250 & 320310 to Motherwell to give a reasonable connection onto 320417 working a peak time service to Glasgow Central nonstop via Bellshill.  Surprisingly I managed to get a decent seat in the motor coach for the speedy run to Central.  At Glasgow Central I made my way towards 380111 working the next East Kilbride service to take me to East Kilbride (mainly to tick off coverage of this slow branch line by an electric train, because Scotland understands the benefits of overhead wiring).

The original idea for today was to explore the route of the long-gone railway which used to continue from East Kilbride towards the Hamilton line, so after leaving the station I followed some footpaths before the mixed used cycle path began.  Running via the Show Park for a short distance before finishing in the Nerston area of the town.  On seeing a signpost saying Glasgow wasn't that far away, I decided to continue along the route of the cycle path.  Heading via the industrial estate and Kingsgate retail park the path detoured via a dead-end residential road before running alongside the A479 giving some nice views of the countryside and views of the large built-up area of Glasgow (buildings as far as the eye could see).

380111 at East Kilbride Station

I arrived in the Whitlawburn area, leaving the route of cycle route as it headed towards Rutherglen, as I headed towards Cambuslang, ruling out the option of picking up a train at Kirkhill (or even Burnside).  Passing via the Holmhills Wood Community Park but it was mostly via the roads reaching Cambuslang station to pick up 320309 for the run into Glasgow Central (low level, rather than a random 320 popping out on a Lanark service).  This gave me time to grab some supplies in the city centre before making my way to Queen Street and onto a Dundee service formed of 158732 to take me to Stirling (some high-speed Scottish Sprinter action!).

At Stirling, I relaxed on the benches on platform 9 & 10, waiting for winner (for renumbering) 222604 to arrive from London, as I grabbed a seat in the unreserved area of coach C (original 222 seating rather than a former 1st class coach with new seats).  I settled down for the long journey to Euston, the coach I was in only getting busy at Preston, where it ran nonstop to Nuneaton (passing Wigan & Warrington certainly felt unusual).  Arrival into Euston was near enough on time with my 222-mileage increasing somewhat this trip!

222604 at Stirling Station

I headed to the underground, jumping on 51573/51572 on the first available southbound northern line service to Waterloo, even having time to grab some dinner from Sainsburys before boarding the 18:23 with seconds to spare before it departed.  Something I wouldn't dream on doing on a Monday to Thursday, but as it was a Friday it wasn't that busy towards the middle of the train.  159007, 159010 & 159014 finished my Scottish adventure with the speedy run to Grateley, where I relaxed after unpacking my rucksack and getting set for another series of day trips.  Which feels a good place to end part 2 of my late summer holiday writing, as always thanks for reading, more photos can be found on my Flickr *Here*.  Have a good day