Trips 1st & 2nd July – Thames Path & Camel Trail

 Trips 1st & 2nd July – Thames Path & Camel Trail

1st July – Thames Path in very rural Oxfordshire

After a tough week at work (hot weather, broken AC, short formations) I wanted a nice walk to get back to nature.   I decided it would be a good chance to head towards Gloucestershire to walk the long section of the Thames Path from Lechlade (On Thames) towards Newbridge, linking up with the walk I did in April.  Like the walk in April when I was first planning this walk a couple of years ago, the bus service has thankfully improved with a limited service from Swindon (rather than just a limited Highworth – Cirencester bus service).

The day began with a drive to Salisbury, and onto a Bristol bound 166218 to Westbury, where I changed onto 158766 bound for Swindon, a short delay gaining access to the Melksham line but otherwise an uneventful trip to Wiltshire.  I left the railway station, heading towards the modern bus station, otherwise known as bus stops & shelters alongside various roads close to the previous bus station, somewhere which is fine for locals who know which of the various bus stands they need to head to, but with limited information on display it can be a bit confusing for first time visitors.  As well with the shelter alongside the “J” stops being a bit smelly like someone had been inside smoking drugs.

158766 at Swindon Station

The Pulhams route 64 for Witney was running around 20 minutes late due to roadworks, but it was a reasonably fast run away from Swindon, going via Highworth to reach Lechlade on Thames, where my walk began, making my way back towards the Thames from the bus stop within the small town centre, pausing due to following school children heading on a trip to the meadows (I presume for art lessons).  Once I passed the school children as they settled down on the grass I headed east, passing the Father Thames statue from the Crystal Palace at St John's Lock (making use of a nearby toilet block for a quick visit), before going underneath the A417 and towards the wilderness.  This part of the Thames is very curvy as it meanders its way through the countryside, the Thames Path crossing over to the opposite bank (river on my right hand side) with a footbridge I was a bit worried about as Strava had it marked as closed (but seems the data is wrong and it was very much open).

The path was as expected very rural, not one to do during winter months nor after heavy rain.  I continued the stroll passing Buscot Lock heading towards Radcot, enjoying the sunny countryside.  The path flipped sides again in the tiny settlement of Radcot, which was busy with moored boats & a camp site on the 'north bank'.  Part of this section wasn't the nicest to walk as the field had been cut with the ground covered with long grass, a bit slippery in places.  Another section where the Thames was very bendy, although the Thames Path was mostly straight, moving away from the river a few times, with fishermen on the north bank.

Thames Path between Buscot Lock & Grafton Lock

At Rushey Lock the path once again crosses the river to run along the north bank along an access road toward the lock (with the river mostly hidden from view), this headed towards Tadpole Bridge, passing a busy remote pub (The Trout).  My walk continued with some more countryside views mixed up with some woods however this section was the worse in terms of being a bit overgrown with thorn bushes & nettles.  Ready to pounce on any exposed skin, my water bottle coming in handy to help push aside some of the thorns, I was glad when the path opened up a bit more near Chimney Meadows where I reached the Shifford Lock Cut with the original river heading towards Duxford.  I crossed over the river into some more woodland, the river disappearing from view for a good half mile (hidden by trees and with the path moving a bit more inland).

I guess there must be some sort of RAF base in this general area, owing to the number of military aircraft I saw in the sky, a good walk for those who like to spot military aircraft.  Anyhow the woodland gave way to open fields with another section of bends, passing the path leading to Harrowdown Hill before I made the final push with my walk ending in the small settlement of Newbridge with a choice of pubs (The Maybush on the south bank, Rose Revived on the north bank), although as I had around 10 minutes before the next Oxford bound bus I didn't visit either (had I faced a longer wait I would have popped into for a cold soft drink).

River Thames (Isis) between Tadpole Bridge & Tenfoot Bridge

An enjoyable walk in the countryside, other than a couple of parts which were hard going, lots of sunshine & wildlife.  It was onto the Oxford Bus Company run X15 service which I took a couple of stops to Kingston Bagpuize, swinging via the Co-Op only to find it being quite bare boned, before jumping on a late running Stagecoach run S6 service to Osney Island in Oxford (the temporary bus terminus whilst the road bridge at the station is still closed), this one goes more direct to Oxford compared with the X15 which goes a more indirect route taking over an hour.  A fast walk to Oxford station where I arrived in time for a Reading bound XC service which ended up losing 15 minutes due to congestion, with 220006 being very busy on departure (didn’t help the following Paddington service was cancelled).  At Reading it was a short walk to board 165106 on the stopping service to Basingstoke, losing enough time to miss the connection for a Salisbury bound service at Basingstoke giving me 25 minutes to pop to Sainsburys for some supplies & dinner before taking 159107 & 159018 to Salisbury where I drove home.

2nd July – Bodmin & The Camel Trail

The Camel Trail is the name given to the former railway line path running from Padstow towards Wadebridge & Bodmin with a branch heading towards the small settlement of Wenford Bridge, a walk I split into two sections owing to the awkwardness of getting towards Wenford Bridge as it’s not served by many buses (and even those buses require a near mile walk along country lanes to reach).  The day began with a drive to Salisbury to catch the 07:39 service towards Exeter Central with 159003 & 159005 where I visited the nearby Co-Op for some lunch items before taking 166204 down the hill to Exeter St Davids.  This is where my plans changed as my original idea was to take the service which started at Exeter heading towards Penzance for my first 175 for many a year, but that was cancelled so it was onto 802114 from London to take me to Bodmin Parkway.  Another change of plan as I was going to bail at Liskeard to take the Camelford bus from Liskeard but as I had extra time I decided on a little stroll.

Leaving Bodmin Parkway station, I followed the signs for the path towards Lanhydrock.  Some nice woodland on this tarmac path, as I followed another twisty path into some hilly woodland with signposted of the "Timber Trail".  A short section along a road took me towards cycle route 3 on a section which runs parallel to a busy road, crossing the A30 Bodmin Bypass on a suspension bridge and into some more nice woodland.

37175 at Exeter St Davids

This took me to Respryn Road, a dead-end road (has an emergency access gate with the dual carriageway) taking me towards the southern reach of Bodmin, with a detour along another short cycle path to reach Lostwithiel Road to avoid a busy section of pavementless road.  This road took me towards Bodmin town centre, passing the heritage line railway station, detouring via Priory Park.  After a visit to the town centre I decided as I still had time to make a small start with the Camel Trail, passing the former Bodmin Jail (now a posh hotel) on the railway line path heading towards Dunmere and an access point at the former station, and to a bus stop outside the Borough Arms pub.

The Camelford bus (a Transport for Cornwall route 55) was running late, and was a double decker (I guess for a school run afterwards), this was a reasonably fast run along the B3266 road detouring via St Tudy where I alighted from the bus at the bus stop at Penhale Crossroads where my second walk of the day began.  Following the country lanes towards Wenford Bridge, crossing sides of the road to protect myself on bends I soon reached the bridge over the Camel and onto the former freight line.

Priory Park, Bodmin

This was a treat for beautiful woodland & views along a decent tarmac path as I headed south on this rural path with some small settlements along the way, such as Keybridge, Tresarrett & Hellandbridge.  I was enjoying the sound of the river running close by as well as the birds.  Part of the route went via the Shell Woods and was beautiful.  I was making good progress along the busy path (cyclists, dog walkers & occasional jogger), but I suspect as this is more remote it's less used compared with the main route towards Padstow (which does benefit from more buses).

All good things come to an end as I reached Dunmere once more, meeting up with the path from Bodmin and heading to the bus stop on the A389 road near the former station, getting lucky with a late running bus from Padstow, a case of fast walking up the hill turning around every few seconds to make sure I didn't miss the bus.  Thankfully I made it to the bus stop before the route 57 arrived which was a busy bus bound for Liskeard, which I took to Bodmin Parkway station, one of these days I will do the section between Parkway station & Liskeard, but when I have a bit more time.

Remains of platform at Dunmere Halt Station on the Camel Trail

At Bodmin Parkway I had a short wait before an Exeter St Davids bound 800031 rolled in from Penzance to take me towards Exeter, looking out of the window at the views in Cornwall & also the sea near Dawlish.  At Exeter St Davids I walked up the hill to the Co-Op which was quite bare boned in both food & also drink items, managing to grab something I would enjoy (and a bottle of 7Up).  I made my way to Exeter Central and onto a late running 159002 & 159019 which I took down the hill to St Davids where it turned back on platform 1 to head back towards Salisbury arriving near enough on time.

Another enjoyable day in Cornwall, the walk from Bodmin Parkway into Bodmin was unexpected but was nice and the section of the Camel Trail was beautiful, I can’t wait to walk the section towards Padstow (probably then for a bus to Newquay to attempt to do that new loop & platform on that line).  As always thanks for reading, more photos can be found on my Flickr *Here*, keep safe.

Trips in June

 Trips in June

I wasn’t planning on doing one large post for my various June trips, but time flew by and before I knew it my trips for the month were at the end.

2nd June – Daventry & the Oxford Canal

I decided to take a gamble with the weather forecast being a bit on the changeable side to kick off my June walking with a trip to Daventry.  For an old railway line and the Oxford canal from Braunston towards Rugby.  The trip began with 159009 & 159008 to Waterloo on the 06:18 service from Grateley, giving me plenty of time to walk to Euston for the 08:53 service to Birmingham New Street formed of 350124, 350112 & 350407 with 350124 detaching at Northampton.  I alighted from the service at Long Buckby, walking up the hill towards the centre, swinging via a handy Co-Op for some supplies before taking the Stagecoach run D4 service to the small bus station in Daventry.

I headed away from the bus station, via the Tesco car park, following a couple of paths which took me towards the Daventry Country Park where I had a change of mind and did a loop of the reservoir, mostly within some lovely woodland.  The only time I saw the reservoir was at the northern end with a steep slipway.  My loop complete I followed a couple more paths going underneath some roads to pick up a mixed used path along the route of the long closed Weedon - Leamington Spa railway line.  This path took me towards the Heartlands Business Park area of the town, coming to an end as I continued along the route of the old railway towards a deep cutting topped with a viaduct, the walkable section ending in mud & fallen trees.

Daventry Reservoir

To avoid doubling back on myself, I climbed the side of the steep cutting, making use of trees to grab onto, crossing over onto a cycle path which doesn't show on Google Maps, leading me towards the Grand Union canal at Braunston tunnel.  I turned west dropping down towards the canal and walked towards the village of Braunston, covering part of the canal I walked back in May 2024, reaching the junction where the Oxford canal turns north.  The towpath was as expected a mixed bag in terms of being a bit overgrown in places or with large gaps where erosion had eaten away the bank.

Once underneath the A45 road bridge, the countryside opened out and I continued along the canal, enjoying the sunshine and views.  The sound of traffic from the A45 soon departed as I reached a large modern marina (Dunchurch Pools) and the first of the day's short showers, lasting for a couple of minutes (if that).  I continued in the countryside, going underneath the M45 heading towards Hillmorton, going underneath two railway bridges, the first carrying the main WCML via Weedon, the second carrying the Northampton loop.

WCML bridge over the Oxford Canal at Hillmorton

The canal direction changed as it followed the route of the railway, dropping down a trio of locks.  I continued along the canal towards an access path near the River Avon aqueduct, heading towards Broughton Road and the station.  Along the way of the walk there was another heavier shower, but nothing that major or lasting long enough to warrant digging out my coat.  Anyhow at Rugby station, it was a short wait before a lightly loaded 807003 rolled in from Crewe, for a nonstop run towards Euston, where it was clearer that London hadn’t escaped the rain like I had in Northamptonshire/Warwickshire.

I headed towards the underground station, passing confused looking passengers as the Northern line was part suspended due to a strike, and to the Victoria line platforms where I managed to board 11047/11048 on the first Brixton bound service, a lot quieter than expected.  I took this to Vauxhall (to save the hassle of changing onto the Bakerloo or Jubilee lines), jumping onto 701010 on the first available train towards Waterloo, changing onto 158887, 159004 & 159005 on an Exeter service, to take me back to Grateley.

An enjoyable day, the country park was a hidden gem, the railway path ticked off my list as well as the section of Oxford canal towards Rugby.  The section towards the junction in Coventry will have to wait until the towpath near the M6 has reopened (although I might return to the Rugby area again).  The 3rd & 4th June was spent in Greater Anglia land taking my mum out for a birthday trip, making a return to the Ipswich Easy Hotel for the first time in a couple of years.

10th June – Another stroll alongside the Oxford Canal

I had a day of annual leave put in for today with catching the sleeper to Scotland later on, deciding it would be a good chance to do another section of the Oxford canal, from Fenny Compton towards Banbury (the section between Fenny Compton & Napton on the Hill will need to wait until next year as part of the towpath is closed for HS2 construction works).  The trip began with the 07:27 service from Grateley with a short formed 159016 & 159017 to Basingstoke, where after grabbing some supplies, I boarded a Newcastle bound 220001, grabbing one of the seats in coach D which can’t be reserved.  This refurbished voyager took me to a slightly damp Banbury where I had a gentle stroll to the bus station to catch the Stagecoach run route 77A service bound for Leamington Spa to Fenny Compton Wharf with a fast run along the A423.

The bus stop was close to the canal (also close to a pub) so it didn't take me long to pick up the canal, turning right heading towards a marina & the railway line.  As expected from the Oxford canal, the towpath was quite variable (like it was the previous week), especially once past the marina.  The towpath flipped sides just before the A423 road bridge and into an area where once there was a tunnel (which has since been opened out).  This area the towpath runs at a higher ground and away from the canal (this area being the worse for overgrown trees).  The towpath resumed running alongside the canal as I headed into the countryside, having a little detour towards the Wormleighton Reservoir.

Oxford Canal between Fenny Compton Wharf & Claydon Locks 

The canal branched away from the railway, as I went underneath the remains of an old railway bridge which I presumed carried the old railway route towards Northampton, reaching the Claydon lock flight.  The sun had arrived as I carried on heading towards Banbury, enjoying the countryside, passing a large marina to the north of Cropredy (and the area where the towpath had previously been closed).  I soon reached Cropredy (famous for being where a music festival gets held every year), passing a few moored boats before the countryside returned with the canal heading back towards the railway line (a 68 certainly is louder than a voyager).

I continued along the canal towpath heading towards Banbury, the sound of traffic getting louder (as well as the sky turning darker at times), as I headed underneath the M40 & railway line, with the canal skirting round the edge of Grimsbury Reservoir & Spiceball Country Park (both places on my list to visit on another trip).  I soon reached the town centre and headed to the station where annoyingly I had missed a XC service to Bournemouth by a matter of a couple of minutes (typical the one time you want XC to be a few minutes late, they are on time!).  The rain arrived soon after I arrived at the station, as I relaxed before taking a lightly loaded 220011 on a Reading terminator to Reading, popping out of the station for some supplies before taking 165111 to Basingstoke and 159014 & 159018 to Andover, where I got a lift home to get myself sorted out with some food.

A 66 alongside the Oxford Canal between Cropredy & Banbury

After getting my rucksack sorted for the Scottish trip, I headed to Grateley station to take 158886 to Basingstoke, before 444017 & 444001 into London Waterloo.  For a time-wasting move before the sleeper, I jumped on winner 701032 to Twickenham (going via Kingston) stepping back onto winner 701019 back to Waterloo, where I set about walking to Euston, getting across Waterloo Bridge before the rain started.  At Euston I got checked into the sleeper with 92014 hauling the coaches, and attempted to make myself comfortable for the overnight journey to Glasgow Central.

92014 at Glasgow Central

11th June – Dumbarton & Ayrshire

After the usual so-so night on the sleeper, I was in Glasgow with various options at what to do.  In the end I decided to have a trip towards Neilston as it had been a few years since I last headed that way (when the 314s were still around).  After grabbing breakfast, I boarded 380112 which unusually ran nonstop to Muirend before calling all stops on the short branch line.  I decided to jump off at Patterton to head towards Whitecraigs on 380111.  Had the weather been better I would have explored Rouken Glen Park but as it was a bit on the damp side, I took 380112 to Muirend for a quick connection to 380014 to Neilston.

This line changes so much after Patterton in terms of countryside, passing the future Balgray station at the southern end of Barrhead.  Changing platforms at Neilston as I waited for the 380 to return from the reversing siding (I guess it’s protected with a fixed red signal with a position light signal to allow drivers to proceed into the siding owing to what was displayed when I saw the 380 head into the siding.  Anyhow 380014 took me back to Glasgow Central where I had a gentle stroll towards Queen Street, wasting a bit of time before the Oban train.

380014 at Neilston Station

In the last timetable change, for some unknown reason, ScotRail has changed a couple of the West Highland trains so instead of heading towards Dalmuir the usual route via Maryhill they go via Springburn in a Looe line style arc to pass underneath Queen Street and head towards Dalmuir via Yoker.  One of those little random things as I took a seat on a busy 156446 to take me to Dumbarton Central where the train got extremely busy with a coach party joining, thankfully I was planning to leave the train at Dumbarton, where I decided to brave the changeable weather for a little stroll.  Something I was planning to do on a previous trip to Dumbarton (when I walked from Balloch) but cut back the walk at Dalreoch.  I left the station at Dumbarton Central heading towards the town centre and the path alongside the river Leven walking towards the old bridge, crossing the river.  I headed towards Levengrove Park doing a walk around the edge of this little park to pick up a walk which was signposted as "The Shore Circular Path".  Walking alongside the Clyde Estuary, the mist being so thick that I could barely make out the southern shore, but I did have a nice view of Dumbarton Rock.

I continued along the path, as it moved inland away from the waterfront into an open area, before following a little used road, skirting the edge of a sewage works.  I headed underneath the railway and onto a steep climb, which did involve having to jump across a small gap near a waterfall as the path had disappeared.  This path took me towards the A814 road in the Westcliff area of Dumbarton.  A road I followed towards Dalreoch station where I could have made an Edinburgh bound service if I wanted to, but decided to continue my walk.  I returned towards the old bridge, crossing the Leven into Dumbarton town centre, before carrying on with the walk alongside the quay and onto a slightly rough path heading towards the football stadium (a lot of construction work in this area).  I headed towards Dumbarton Castle Park to grab a photograph of the castle hiding within Dumbarton Rock before heading towards the Gruggies Burn, following a footpath alongside the small river towards an industrial area.  The last section was via the roads to Dumbarton East station where I jumped onto 334018 & 334025 to Dumbarton Central as I needed to make use of the toilet.

Dumbarton Castle

A short wait at Dumbarton Central before 334030 & 334008 rolled in to take me towards Partick where I visited the nearby Morrisons for something to eat before taking 320303 & 320321 to Glasgow Central, where I made a nice connection onto an Ayr bound 380113 to take me to Irvine where my accommodation was located for this trip, based on cost & ease of access.  Also, Irvine made sense as I had a few walking options available in that area.   A few minutes after leaving Irvine station I reached the pub I was staying above on the harbour side, getting myself checked into this small place, emptying out my rucksack and drying off.  I had a lovely view of the river from my bedroom window.  20 or so minutes after arrival I decided to head back out, the weather was improving and I had a couple options from Irvine itself, the rejected option was to head north towards Kilwinning instead I headed south following cycle route 7.

Leaving the built-up area I reached the edge of the Irvine Beach Park with the cycle path following Marine Drive before the road headed in land, some nice scenery along this section, especially towards the bay.  I crossed over the railway near Gailes and a posh looking hotel, heading inland with a bit walking on a pavement before crossing over the A78 on a bridge.  The next section was close to Bookers Pit, heading towards an industrial area near the Caledonian Paper Mill.  After crossing the road, I headed towards Shewalton Wood which was very nice for explore (plenty more paths within the woodland, although one not for after the rain).

View of the River Irvine from room at Harbour Lights, Irvine

The cycle path took me towards an old road to the south of the paper mill, reaching the freight branch which serves the paper mill before running alongside the passenger line between Kilmarnock & Barassie, going underneath the A78 and into South Ayrshire.  Within the Barassie area I walked on a modern looking path alongside the A759 before following Kilmarnock Road, leaving cycle route 7 near the station (as it headed towards the beach to run towards Troon), and onto another unnumbered cycle path which ran alongside the Barassie freight yard, leading towards the route of the former Troon avoider.  I re-joined cycle route 7 to the south of Troon with the old railway path ending and cycle path running alongside the Ayshire coast line with some good views of countryside.

The countryside section ended with the cycle path joining the A79 at the north western corner of Prestwick Airport, with the last section involving walking alongside this busy dual carriageway towards Prestwick Airport station, the access being at the southern side of the platforms of this station which has seen better days.  I took 380017 & 380009 back to Irvine, detouring via the local Spoons (located next to the shopping centre), returning to my accommodation via Asda for some supplies (picking up some bottles of flavoured Highland Spring water as it was very cheap).  The accommodation was decent enough, and I had been warned in advance that it would be noisy until the pub closed.  Once the pub did close, it was quite quiet outside.  I spent the time relaxing looking up a crazy idea for the Friday to have a day off from walking.

380016 alongside the Cycle Route 7 path between Troon & Prestwick

12th June – A trip to the Highlands

I left the pub in the morning, heading towards the station to catch a reasonably busy 380109 into Glasgow Central, giving me a bit of time within Glasgow to head to Queen Street where I relaxed on the benches people watching (and the Euston style surge when an Edinburgh ‘Express’ was announced).  Soon enough the Inverness train was announced and I took a seat on a 5 coach HST set with 43133 leading 43015, the train only getting busy in the front coach at Perth.  It’s been a while since I’ve done the Highland Main Line in daylight and it’s a case of forgetting how pretty it is in places.  The train paused on platform 2 at Dunkeld & Birnam for a southbound service to pass, a station which has changed a lot since my last visit with new platforms located to the south of the footbridge (with the existing low platforms disused to the north of the foot bridge, similar to Culham).

This service was reasonably fast on the Highland Main Line in terms of stops (Pitlochry, Kingussie & Aviemore), giving me around an hour at Inverness.  I had a little stroll towards the River Ness & Inverness Castle before heading to the station to take a busy 158724 on an Aberdeen bound service towards Inverurie.  This is another line that I hadn’t done for a while and whilst it’s not as pretty as the Highland Main line, it is still rural and scenic.  Although I was glad to leave the 158 at Inverurie as it was getting a bit warm.

Inverness Castle

Inverurie is one of those places which I had previously never left the station, I’m pretty sure when I visited it back in 2017 I only had a short wait before a Inverurie terminator & an Inverness train, so today I had a little stroll towards the Ury Riverside Park, doing a loop within this park before heading back to the station to board 158704 on a Montrose train which started from platform 1 (and hence using the crossover to the Aberdeen end of the station).  This 158 took me to Aberdeen where I popped out of the station to visit Sainsburys for some supplies before taking a seat on a busy 4 coach HST set with 43147 leading 43131.

This HST took me towards Glasgow Queen Street, making use of the short loop alongside platform 1 at Dundee to pass another train.  This arrived near enough on time into Queen Street and a miracle happened as I made an 8-minute platform to platform fast walk to Glasgow Central (especially when the main entrance is still closed after the great fire of Glasgow).  I jumped onto 380112 with less than a minute before it departed for Ayr, taking me to Irvine to end the day.  Not the sort of day I was expecting to do on this trip, but nice to have a day exploring parts of Scotland I hadn’t visited for ages.

158704 at Inverurie Station

13th June – Ayrshire & Inverclyde

The idea for the Saturday was either to head towards Glengarnock to walk to Johnstone, or head to Johnstone to walk towards the Greenock area via Bridge of Weir however due to damage to the overhead power lines near Prestwick (the wind was quite strong the previous night as I ditched a plan walk towards Irvine beach) forced a change of plan to something I was planning to do on the Sunday. 

After leaving my accommodation, I headed towards Asda to grab something to eat for breakfast before picking up the path along the bank of the River Irvine, part of which was closed last year when I walked from Kilmarnock.  Crossing the river, I headed back towards the shopping centre via the Powder House and St Inan's Well, my path blocked by a fence on the opposite side of the shopping centre (which spans the river).  I crossed back over the river via the shopping centre and walked towards cycle route 7 and the Waterside Bridge.  Back across the river into the Low Green area and I followed the cycle path.  This path took me north underneath the A737 passing a monument to Robert Burns before going into a more rural area with views of the railway viaduct.

Railway Bridge over the River Irvine to the north of Irvine

The next section of my walk was close to the railway in some nice countryside before heading inland to follow the B779 towards a bridge over the River Garnock.  I went underneath the busy sounding A78 into Kilwinning, following the river towards a crossroads where the path splits to head into Kilwinning itself as cycle route 7 and route 73 heads towards Saltcoats (with a 4th path which heads towards Dreghorn.  I decided to follow route 73 as it went via an industrial estate area before following Byrehill Road (these days a dead-end road so traffic was minimal).  I did have one small detour following the link path towards Kilwinning town centre before continuing along the road, going underneath the railway (where it changes to Dubbs Road).

I reached Stevenston and followed the path into the Ardeer Quarry Local Nature Reserve before picking up the route of the long-closed Lanarkshire and Ayrshire Railway route, which did require a small detour via the streets of Sandylands Holiday Park due to part of the route being closed for works relating to waterpipes.  This old railway line path took me into Saltcoats, ending near Ardrossan.  I went via Holm Plantation to cross over the railway at Ardrossan South Beach station where I did have an option to finish the walk, but I decided to continue as I headed towards the water-front, picking up cycle route 73 once more.  Following the path alongside the seaside I reached Saltcoats again, following the coastal path (getting covered in sand a couple of times due to the wind blowing sand inland).  The highlight of this section was walking alongside the railway on the sea wall, a bit like Dawlish but with overhead wires.

Saltcoats Sea Wall

The last section of the walk took me towards Stevenston Beach (complete with sand dunes) before a walk to the station at Stevenston, clocking nearly 15 miles and I was getting hungry.  An enjoyable walk, longer than expected (the part on Sunday would have involved following route 7 into Kilwinning station, maybe with a detour to the Garnock viaduct on the old railway line route from Neilston.  Time to play with some trains and it was onto 380001 & 380005 on the stopping service (one thing I’ve noticed when in this area is the train lengths being somewhat variable between 3, 4, 6 & 7 coaches).  I took the stopper to Paisley Gilmour Street making a fast cross platform change onto 380008 on a Wemyss Bay stopping service to Port Glasgow in order to visit Tesco (for the first time since May 2014, which must be some sort of record for longest time being visiting a particular branch of a supermarket!).

After grabbing a late lunch, I returned to Port Glasgow station and onto 385009 on the next train to Wemyss Bay for the novelty of doing a 385 on this branch and to enjoy the scenery as once it departs Branchton, it goes into some nice countryside, passing the former IBM station, and a Glasgow bound service at Dunrod loop before reaching the coast near Inverkip.  After a couple of photographs at Wemyss Bay I returned to Port Glasgow to step back onto 385036 from Gourock to take me to Glasgow Central, getting some speed up on the non-stop section alongside the Clyde.  At Glasgow Central and downstairs to a scene of chaos with multiple cancelations, including a service terminating at Glasgow Central to go ECS towards Dalmuir, part of me was tempted to call it quits but decided to stay to board a busy 320302 to Partick for some classic 320 motor noise.

385009 at Wemyss Bay Station

I didn’t hang around Partick for long before returning to Glasgow Central on 320301 & 320315, giving me time to board 156508 on a Kilmarnock service (running nonstop to Barrhead.  At Kilmarnock this unit turns into an Ayr bound service for it had been a good few years since I last did the mostly single-track line linking Kilmarnock with Troon, with this service running nonstop to Ayr after Troon.  At Ayr I headed towards platform 1 to board 380115 to take me to Irvine where for lack of a better idea I ended up in the nearby Spoons again for dinner.

After dinner, I headed towards Irvine Beach, passing an open bridge which gave access to the Big Idea Science Centre near Ardeer (it just looked odd).  The beach was delightfully peaceful this time of night, I dread to think what it would have been like during a summer’s day.  I did a loop via the Beach Park to my accommodation, being thankful that when midnight struck the pub closed (for when I was booking this trip I failed to take into account the football and Scotland having a 2am kick-off).

Irvine Beach Sand Dunes 

14th June – An unexpected visit to Glengarnock & old railways

After checking out of the accommodation, which other than the noise (of being above a pub which I was told about when booking), the biggest negative being the window blinds being a bit hopeless (like most window blinds are).  Certainly, a place I would consider using again if the price was right, I’ve still got some walks on my oversized list for this general area.  Due to the events of the Saturday, I came up with a revised plan for Sunday.  After grabbing breakfast at Asda (always a strange feeling walking into a large supermarket at 8am on a Sunday morning in Scotland) it was onto 380021 & 380009 on the first Glasgow bound service of the day, which got as far as the loops north of Dalry before coming to a stop.  Eventually the train got going again, but was terminated at Glengarnock (I dare say the busiest that station had been in ages!).  I presume the driver had to isolate one of the on-board safety systems which requires the train to be taken out of service ASAP.

Thankfully ScotRail were a bit sensible in having a special stop order for the following train from Ayr, a busy 380115 which I took to Johnstone where my walk began, although being 45 minutes late meant it was revised once more.  My original idea was to follow the High Street of Johnstone to pick up the cycle path near Morrisons, but instead I followed signs for a link path heading towards the Linwood Cyclepath to pick up the route of the former Dalry and North Johnstone Line.  Some nice sunshine this morning and the path was busy with other walkers & cyclists as I followed the route towards Elderslie, going underneath the railway line.

380114 passing Glengarnock Station

The next section was mostly alongside the main road before it followed the route of the former Paisley Canal line, skirting around suburban Paisley to reach the current Paisley Canal station, nice enough but not a route I would be rushing back for (I presume countryside rather than urban).  I followed cycle route 7 past the station into Saucelhill Park, leaving the cycle route as it seems to follow the roads towards Glasgow and I headed towards a Morrisons for lunch & Paisley Gilmour Street via the beautiful Paisley Abbey & Town Hall.  Paisley is one of those places where I've used the station a lot of times (especially when chasing units) but hardly ever ventured outside.

My last ScotRail service of this trip was a busy 380001 which took me to Glasgow Central, where I had time to grab some supplies before boarding 390125, getting a decent seat in Coach U for the speedy run to London Euston, arriving a couple of minutes late due to following a LNR service it was meant to pass between Nuneaton & Rugby (but this was at the time the WCML was reduced to 2 tracks following the bridge bash).  In London I headed towards Paddington via the Northern line (51567 & 51552) and Elizabeth line (345054), making a swift connection onto 387157 & 387166 on a Swindon service to speed towards Reading (as a Staines avoidance move).

Paisley Abbey

I was ahead of schedule in Reading as I was planning to catch the following train, so I relaxed turning down a busy looking 3 coach 165 for a lightly loaded 220012 leading 221116 to Basingstoke, for another fester before 158885 & 158888 rolled in on a Basingstoke terminator to form a Salisbury stopping service, watching a pair of 444s arrive from Waterloo I probably wouldn’t have caught looking very busy.  The 158s took me to Grateley, where the trip ended with a gentle stroll home where I sorted out my rucksack and did other admin work before the return to work.  An enjoyable trip to Scotland, mostly decent weather.

20th June- Exploring Tiverton & the Grand Western Canal

My original idea for today was to head towards Suffolk to walk the old railway line with others from Lavenham to Sudbury via Long Melford, but due to a later than expected finish on the Friday night I decided to put that walk on ice (owing to feeling like I needed more than 4 and a bit hours sleep), instead I looked west for potential ideas in Devon (before the return of the 2 hourly dry ground timetable comes back in).  Deciding on a trip towards Tiverton for a short old railway line path and the start of the short isolated Grand Western canal.

The trip began with the 08:30 service from Grateley with 159005 which ran into the back of 159018 at Salisbury to head towards Exeter, I alighted at Exeter Central deciding to get the bus trip done first (and that the timetable from St Davids to Tiverton Parkway gave a 45-minute wait).  A gentle walk to the bus station (via the little Sainsburys Local) and onto the Stagecoach run route 55 bus to Tiverton.  A detour from the usual route via the city centre was needed due to closed roads before a reasonably fast run to Tiverton via Stoke Canon & Bickleigh Bridge.  At the bus station my walk began heading towards the river Exe for a short stroll alongside the river (detouring via the local Spoons to make use of the toilet).

River Exe in Tiverton 

After my stroll alongside the Exe, it was via several roads to pick up cycle route 3 which ran along the road of the former railway branch line linking the town with the great western railway route between Exeter & Taunton.  The surface quality was reasonable, probably not one to do during winter months as I suspect it would be muddy in places.  The first section was in the suburbs with various paths dashing off left & right before leaving behind the town to head towards Manley Lane where the cycle path leaves the route of the railway, the rest of the route lost to history.

I doubled back along the railway line path towards Tiverton, cutting via the housing area to reach the Grand Western Canal, a canal which at one time ran between Tiverton & Taunton but now only runs for around 11 miles between Tiverton & Lowdwells.  A decent solid towpath on the part I walked, certainly a walk for the winter months as well.  After grabbing a couple of photographs at a busy canal basin (high above the town centre), I followed the towpath of the twisty canal via the suburbs.  At times it was hard to see the canal itself due to tall vegetation.  The towpath was reasonably busy with other walkers, cyclists, joggers with the canal busy with canoes & wakeboards.

Grand Western Canal Basin in Tiverton

Leaving Tiverton behind I entered some beautiful Devon countryside, the towpath flipping near Halberton before it doing a large loop to avoid hills.  I continued the walk along the canal as the sunshine returned reaching the village of Sampford Peverell, the walk along the canal ending near the A361 road bridge, where I used an access path & minor road to reach Tiverton Parkway station.  Certainly, a very nice canal to walk along, and the section from Sampford Peverell towards Lowdwells (and continuing along the footpath on the route of the old canal towards Wellington will be done at some point this year with any luck.

Back to the trains and it was onto a late running 802105 to take me towards Exeter St Davids where annoyingly the next SWR service was starting from Exeter Central and the Penzance bound 802 had just missed an Exmouth train which would have connected with the 159s, so with an hour to waste I walked up the hill into the city centre to buy some stuff before taking 150216 & 150261 back down the hill from Exeter Central in order to board 159106 & 159108 at the start for a decent seat for the trip back to Grateley, spending the journey relaxing and catching up with various stuff online.

21st June – Oxfordshire Way & Warwick

I was planning to meet up with my good friend Jules in Worcester, but due to multiple cancellations from Hereford we put that plan on hold for the Monday, leaving me with looking for a new plan for a walk based on engineering works, flipping from Kidderminster towards Stourbridge for a rural walk in Oxfordshire, making use of the long-distance Oxfordshire Way path.  The day began with a busy 159005 & 159018 to Andover followed with 159107 to Reading where after grabbing some supplies I decided to take 221119 to Oxford as the following GWR service was running late and my theory was that it would probably empty out at Oxford.  My theory was correct as 800301 rolled into Oxford looking quite busy, emptying out a bit but remained busy as I took it to Charlbury where my walk began.

The first section was along the road towards Charlbury, picking up the Oxfordshire Way near a byway, this area was nice woodland, leaving to open countryside with the footpath running across fields and woodland.  This path ran to the north of the railway line which mirrored a similar walk I did back in 2020 from Ascott to Charlbury via footpaths to the south of the railway.  I soon reached Ascott Under Wychwood, a large village served by a station with a rubbish service level (in my eyes I reckon even a 2 hourly service flipped with nearby Shipton would generate extra revenue for the railway.  Certainly more around those two limited served stations than Kingham!

800302 passing Ascott Under Wychwood Station

After lunch (making use of a handy bench on the station) I continued via the village of Ascott, heading towards Shipton where I made the decision to come away from the Oxfordshire Way path at a foot crossing owing to the footpath looking a bit overgrown and the south section being in woodland.  This footpath took me towards the A361 in Shipton (Under Wychwood), before resuming along the Oxfordshire Way as it made its way north west close to the railway across fields & in woodland.  The worse section of the path was near the end where it was a bit overgrown in places, but nothing that major as I reached Bledington and a half mile stroll along the B4450 to reach the isolated Kingham station, the pavement randomly changing sides a few times.

At Kingham station it was a short wait before 800034 rolled in to take me to Worcester Foregate Street, grabbing some extra supplies from the little Tesco outside the station before boarding 172340 & 172217 for the long run towards Birmingham Moor Street, switching to 168328 & 168106 on a Chiltern service for Maylebone.  The rear coach of 328 was lightly loaded, easy to grab a table seat to relax as it headed to Warwick Parkway where my second walk began.

168106 departing Warwick Parkway

Leaving the station at Warwick Parkway, I headed towards the Grand Union Canal, but stayed on the south side as I followed a cycle route towards an industrial estate before picking up the short Saltisford arm (now used for moorings), although sadly I couldn't do the entire length of the path as part of it was closed.  It was then onto roads towards Warwick town centre detouring via St Mary's Church & Eastgate to reach the River Avon at St Nicholas' Park.  I followed a busy path alongside the Avon going underneath the railway and canal, ending alongside the A445 where after doing a little loop (including a dead-end path) I returned towards the canal, climbing the stairs to reach the towpath.

A short section along the Grand Union towards the railway aqueduct before I branched off towards the River Leam, along a narrow path.  This footpath took me towards a weir on the river and a bridge underneath the railway to Coventry and into Victoria Park.  I followed the riverside path towards Leamington Spa town centre, going into the Spoons for dinner (for the lack of a better idea owing to it being a Sunday night).  After dinner I headed to the station for winner 68031 to take me to Birmingham Snow Hill, making use of the first-class area being declassified for a slightly more comfortable ride.  At Birmingham Snow Hill I headed towards the Travelodge on Newhall Street to get checked in and relax for the rest of the evening.

68031 at Birmingham Snow Hill

22nd June – River Severn & Droitwich Barge Canal

It was an early start (I came to an agreement with Jules that it would be better to start early before the temperatures got too high) as I left the hotel and headed to New Street via a couple of shops and onto 172344 on a Great Malvern service.  Busy until University where it emptied out, before filling up again with school kids at Barnt Green & Bromsgrove, I alighted at Worcester Foregate Street where my final big walk of June began, meeting up with Jules outside the station.

After swinging via Tesco for some supplies, we headed via the city centre to reach the River Severn near the road bridge at North Parade.  We joined the path alongside the river, underneath the railway bridge and towards a rowing club, heading inland onto a path running alongside the western edge of the race course.  We made use of the shade of the trees before heading via a modern path (featuring a modern footbridge across the river (Kepax).  The next section was via roads & a couple of footpaths leading towards the Northwick area of the city, picking up the Northwick Manor Heritage Trail with a road leading to an open space called "The Slip".  Needless to say the litter bins were overflowing as I dare say this area would have been busy at the weekend.

Path alongside Worcester Racecourse

Now away from the tarmac path onto more rural walking, with the occasional glimpse of the Severn as we headed north in the peace & quiet.  We passed a large weir on the river near Bevere Island as well as a Fish Pass.  The walk continued climbing up a steep hill moving in-land and onto a narrower section between a fence & hedge, the footpath ending near Hawford Junction where the Droitwich Barge Canal begins.  Passing a couple of locks, with the towpath starting at the top of one of the locks, flipping onto the north bank.  Once underneath the busy A449 road (via a lengthy tunnel), the countryside returned with the sound of birds.

This canal was similar with the Grand Western on Saturday in terms of having a decent solid towpath (certainly one you could do during the winter months) and also with the canal being sheltered from view with vegetation.  We passed some nice Worcestershire countryside, not passing any major settlements until Salwarpe (and that was only minor), reaching Droitwich Spa.  The countryside changed to slightly more urban, but as the canal skirted on the edge of the built-up area with the towpath getting busier (thankfully we only saw one idiot taking a poor dog out for a walk in the high temperatures).

Bevere Weir Fish Pass

The walk ended at Vines Park, near to where the Barge Canal ends and the Droitwich Junction Canal begins (a walk I did last October time when walking from Droitwich into Worcester via the Worcester & Birmingham canal).  We made our way to the station and onto 172216 & 172004 on a Foregate Street terminating service which went via Shrub Hill, the AC on the 172 felt ever so nice.  After grabbing a late lunch from Tesco, we jumped onto 158767 towards Shrub Hill, saying farewell as I took a seat on 800022 which started at Shrub Hill.  All was going well with the service until Didcot Parkway, where I presume due to the hot weather timetable reducing moving of points, the service was put on the relief lines, following a stopping service losing 10 minutes.  As a result, the Basingstoke stopper was pulling out just as the IET eventually reached Reading, thankfully there was a late running XC pulling in at the same time, so I dashed across to board 221114 to head towards Basingstoke.

Annoyingly it was held outside Basingstoke for around 8 minutes, meaning the connection with the Salisbury stopper was missed, giving me an hour to kill before the next stopping service.  I popped out of the station to get some bits & pieces, before taking a late running 159015 & 159005 on an Exeter service to Andover, stepping back to 158883 & 159011 to Grateley, being thankful at getting home before the chaos started with further heat related delays.  Anyhow as always, thanks for reading this very long blog post, I never meant to do a monthly post, but things started slipping away.  Various photos can be found on my Flickr *here*, where will July take me, I wonder.  I will leave you with a photo of the Droitwich Canal.  Hopefully next month I will try and keep on top of my writing a bit better!

Droitwich Barge Canal in Droitwich Spa 

Trips 25th & 26th May (Macclesfield & Ashby Canals)

 Trips 25th & 26th May

I also had the Sunday off work, but with a late finish on the Saturday and multiple cancellations I decided to have a more local day to walk the Test Way path between Redbridge & Romsey, something I’ve been wanting to do for a while.  The bank holiday Monday I had a cheap Travelodge in Birmingham city centre giving me quite a few options for the Monday itself, making use of the lack of peak restrictions on the bank holiday.  Even if the weather was set to be Scorchio!

25th May – Exploring the Macclesfield Canal (Part 2)

After exploring the section of the canal from Macclesfield to Marple the previous week, I decided to visit the section between Congleton & Macclesfield.  The day started with the 05:27 service from Grateley with 159018 to Waterloo, with a gentle stroll towards Euston to catch the 07:53 Avanti service to Stoke on Trent giving me a nice 25-minute connection to the stopping service to Manchester.  390001 was lightly loaded in coach C as it called at Milton Keynes & Rugby along the way, an uneventful trip to Staffordshire.

I made use of the toilets at Stoke station before boarding former West Midlands 323206 from the bay platform for the speedy run towards Congleton, although the heat was already starting to rise (even with the majority of windows opened).  At Congleton I left the train to begin my walk, heading towards the Queens Head pub, finding a slightly overgrown path down some steps leading to the canal, where I turned left to go underneath the railway on the towpath.

323206 departing Congleton Station

The towpath in this area was quite decent, although a bit narrow in places (to the degree when I met someone coming the opposite direction one of us had to pull over in a wider spot to allow the other to pass without the risk of getting too close to the canal side).  Thankfully the towpath did open up a bit more after leaving the built-up area of Congleton.  I crossed over the Dane-in-Shaw Brook and the route of the old railway line (which headed towards Biddulph).  After pausing for a photo of a 323 crossing the Congleton Viaduct, I continued my walk with the canal changing direction to head north west (rather than north east), going underneath the railway to skirt round the edge of the Havannah area of the town.

After changing of direction to go back heading north east, I left Congleton behind and headed into the countryside, the towpath quality changing a few times, similar to most rural canals.  After crossing underneath both the A54 road and the railway for the last time, the canal crossed over the River Dane to approach the Bosley Lock Flight, the only set of locks on the entire canal, raising the level by 118 feet.  The route of the long closed Churnet Valley line crosses the canal in this area with evidence of the old railway embankment crossing the fields.  The lock flight ended, going underneath the A54 once again with the canal running close to the railway, giving a nice view over the North Rode Viaduct, somewhere I stopped for a photograph and to have my lunch. (Although my memory might be poor and the viaduct was before the lock flight).

A voyager crossing North Rode Viaduct

My lunch consumed, I resumed my walk, heading towards Oakgrove and a noisy section with the canal running close to the A523 road, although the woodland did give me some nice shade from the sunshine.  Another change of direction of the canal took it close to the railway near Danes Moss nature reserve before heading back east, underneath the A523 near Lyme Green, skirting close to Gurnett in Sutton with some lovely views of the hills to the east of Macclesfield.  Soon the countryside was replaced with the urban area of Macclesfield with the towpath switching sides for the first time.  My walk along the canal ended when I reached the A537 Buxton Road, the point where I joined the canal the previous week.

Before heading down the hill towards the station, I visited a nearby Co-Op for some cold drink, for the water I had in my rucksack had gotten warm.  After visiting the shop I headed along Buxton Road, detouring via Victoria Park before reaching the station, with quite a few delays due to various issues.  The first northbound train was 323230 on the stopping service, for it must be a good few years since I last called at the likes of Adlington & Poynton.  Due to overcrowding (I presume due to a Man City parade based on the number of Man City shirts) I couldn’t get off the train at Stockport, so stayed on to Manchester Piccadilly.

Victoria Park Bandstand, Macclesfield

I decided it would probably be better to head towards Birmingham sooner rather than later, as I wanted to do the 18:30-odd Chiltern service from Moor Street towards Stourbridge Junction for the novelty of Mk5 coaches on that area of the network (as the one later in the day has rubbish connections back towards Birmingham).  The next service was a refurbished voyager in the shape of 220028 as I managed to grab one of the unreserved seats in coach D.  First impression was good; the new seats were comfortable with USB sockets located in the front between the seats (makes it easier for someone sitting in the aisle seat to access them).  As expected of a 4-coach voyager, it departed Manchester very busy, remaining busy (in terms of standees in the aisle) until Stoke on Trent where it did empty out a bit, although didn’t help this service running in front of an Avanti 11 coach Pendo).

Due to signalling issues around Wolverhampton, the train was diverted to run via Bescot Stadium & Aston to reach Birmingham New Street (Darlaston having a massive 5 vehicles in the large car park).  I left the voyager at New Street, heading outside into the afternoon heat.  After visiting Poundland for some more liquid supplies I was going to head towards the hotel, to get myself checked into the hotel (losing some weight from my rucksack and to make sure the room wasn’t roasting).  When I was passing Bull Street, I noticed a tram for Millennium Point so I decided to jump on for the one stop journey to Albert Street on tram 50, waiting for it to return to take me to Corporation Street.  I walked back towards Bull Street but the platform display was suggesting a 30-minute gap before the next tram so decided Millenium Point would have to wait for another day.

West Midland Metro Tram 50 at Albert Street

After getting checked into the hotel, getting a room on the 3rd floor (again!), finding the room to be reasonably cool (window open with curtains closed), I relaxed.  Sadly, my plans changed as the Stourbridge Junction train had been cancelled at Banbury due to a train fault, but not wanting to spend the rest of the evening I decided to take a spin to Dorridge to intercept the 2nd Stourbridge Junction service.  Leaving the hotel, I headed towards Moor Street and onto 168002 which was delayed, the stopping service went first, but this service passed it at Tyseley (the 172s using platform 3 and the connecting line).  At Dorridge, I dodged the many youths whom had alighted from a train from Stratford Upon Avon (complete with loud speakers and various drug related smells) to pop to Sainsburys to waste some time.

When I returned to Dorridge station (which was quite humid), the ID of the 2nd Stourbridge train had been updated to be a pair of 165s, so I cut my losses and boarded a late running Birmingham bound 168328 & 168003.  Part of me would have loved to have done the 165s to Stourbridge for the novelty factor, but the more sensible part looked at RTT to highlight a 45-minute wait for something back to Birmingham, assuming that was actually running.  Anyhow back at Moor Street, I headed back to the hotel on Newhall Street to have a shower & to relax, with an early start planned for the Tuesday with a return to Leicestershire.  An enjoyable (if a bit hot) day in Cheshire, just the 6-mile section between Kidsgrove & Congleton left to explore of the Macclesfield Canal, so hopefully another canal can be ticked from my list by the end of July.

70811 passing Dorridge

26th May – Reaching Moira and the End of the Ashby Canal

It was an early start (although I was already awake before the alarm went off due to the warmth in the room) to stroll towards Birmingham New Street to catch the 06:52 service for Leicester, featuring my first refurbished XC 170 (similar to the EMR sets, just different colours inside).  We weren’t allowed on board until the 2-coach unit on a Nottingham service departed first as both were sharing the platform.  170101 took me to Hinckley where after detouring via the large Tesco next to the station I made my way to the slightly poorly designed bus station (the road isn’t quite wide enough for 2 buses to pass comfortably).  I took the Centrebus run route LC6 service (bound for Coalville) with a little Solo to Market Bosworth, alighting at the oddly named “Terminus” bus stop, close to the canal (saved walking the mile from the town centre to the wharf!)

After a short walk via the car park of a Sports Club, I dropped down onto the Ashby (De La Zouch) canal at the point where I left it a couple weeks ago, turning north underneath the road bridge, passing a large marina.  The countryside arrived with the towpath being quite changeable for quality, no big hazards which was good.  The canal weaved towards Congerstone skirting round the edge of this little village before weaving towards Shackerstone, where I decided to make a little detour to pay a visit to Shackerstone station on the Battlefield Line, grabbing a few photos of various locos before making my way back towards the canal.

Shackerstone Station (Battlefield Line Railway)

The towpath had swapped sides so the canal was now on my left, as I entered a nice woodland cutting, the shade being nice as well as the peace & quiet of rural Leicestershire.  Soon I arrived at Snarestone where there was a small tunnel requiring a detour over the top on a well signposted path.  I re-joined the canal the northern side of the tunnel for the last section of the canal, reaching Sharestone Wharf where the current canal ends.  I switched from walking alongside the canal to walking on the base of the old canal, then onto the "Ashby Canal Trail" path, passing the site of Ilott Wharf and heading towards Measham.  On the outskirts of Measham I joined the route of the former Ashby & Nuneaton Joint Railway, passing the site of the former station before reaching the road.  I did have an option to end the walk but decided to carry on as the buses are only hourly and I had missed one by around 10 minutes.

After Measham I followed cycle route 63 which ran along the route of the old railway with one small detour near the bridge underneath the A42.  The railway path skirted close to Oakthorpe before reaching Donisthorpe.  At Donisthorpe I headed towards the Donisthorpe Woodland Park before picking up the route of the old railway as it headed towards Moira Junction where in the olden days it connected with the Burton - Leicester railway line (now effectively mothballed at the northern end, slowly being reclaimed by nature).  I joined another path which ran alongside the railway before heading towards the original canal terminus (complete with a 30-0 milepost marker), now part of a small nature reserve near Overseal.

Ashby Canal at Snarestone

The next section was via the roads, passing the National Forest YHA and reaching the Conkers Waterside Centre, as part of the canal has been restored.  I headed towards Moira, detouring towards a handy Co-Op for some more liquids and some food, before carrying on.  I passed the Moira Furnace Museum heading back towards Donisthorpe, the restored section of canal ending near a woodland centre.  The last section was a walk towards a bus stop near the Donisthorpe Memorial Park, relaxing leaning against the wall (thankfully in the shade).  I had around 20 minutes left before the bus to Burton, which was running around 10 minutes late.

Annoyingly I had left my power bank in my work bag, so my phone was down to single digit percentage battery (which after a 4-and-a-half-hour walk was good going considering I started at 90%), so I needed to be careful.  Sadly, the Diamond run route 19 bus didn't have USB sockets, but I was surprised at it being a double decker.  An interesting route which headed towards Burton Upon Trent via Overseal, Albert Village, Swadlincote & Newhall, featuring some steep hills as it crossed into Derbyshire & then Staffordshire. 

Moira Furnace Museum alongside the Ashby Canal

In Burton Upon Trent town centre, I headed towards the station via a couple of shops.  I had a couple of options, either take the next service into Birmingham for a voyager towards Basingstoke or take the next service which called at Tamworth to change for something towards London.  I decided on the voyager option due to issues on SWR (where most of the West of England trains were only getting as far as Basingstoke due to late running).  First option was a 2-coach refurbished 170117, where I got a seat and put my phone on charge, relaxing with the trip to Birmingham New Street where I had around 30 minutes to wait before the next Bournemouth train (the Reading train I was hoping to catch was running hopelessly late with issues on the ECML).  220020 rolled in, annoyingly the wrong way round to what RTT was suggesting (RTT was suggesting 1st class was at the front, whereas it was at the rear, as I was aiming for one of those seats in coach D which can’t be reserved).

The train departed New Street very busy, but as usual for XC it emptied out at Coventry & Leamington Spa, however it was running around 30 minutes late due to congestion between Wolverhampton & Birmingham so it gave me extra time at Basingstoke before taking a busy 159009 & 159004 to Grateley.  An enjoyable, if hot, day in Leicestershire, certainly for rural charm the Ashby Canal is a good rival for the Leicester arm of the Grand Union canal.  Anyhow as always thanks for reading, more photos can be found on my Flickr *here*.  May is nearly at an end, scary that.