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

Late Summer Holiday Adventuring Part 1 (2nd – 7th September).

 Late Summer Holiday Adventuring Part 1 (2nd – 7th September).

When the holiday roster was announced around this time last year, I looked at the 2 weeks I got allocated for my summer holiday being in the last period (although September is better than having it during school holidays where places are more expensive), using up some additional annual leave to link up some rest days to give myself 3 weeks off work.  Originally, I was planning to have a holiday abroad somewhere but stuff happens and I never actually got around to booking anything, instead I ended up booking 3 nights in Hamilton one week, 3 nights in Whitley Bay the following week, with day trips (and a couple of overnight stays) on a busy couple of weeks.

2nd September – Dodging the Rain on the Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation

My original idea for my first day was to head towards Leicestershire for a stroll from Syston station towards Leicester via the Watermead Country Park but the weather forecast looked quite damp, so instead I looked towards Essex with a navigation I was originally going to push until 2027 owing to time constraints.  The Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation runs for around 14 miles from Heybridge Basin (near Maldon) towards Chelmsford via the Essex countryside.

The trip began with the 06:57 service from Grateley with 158886, 159010 & 159012 taken to Waterloo, where I transferred to a very busy Waterloo & City line (this was prime commuting time after-all) with 65503 & 65504 taken to Bank, followed with a Central line service to Liverpool Street (91191, 92464, 92194 & 91095).  I had time to grab some supplies before boarding 745102 on the 09:00 Norwich train with the nonstop run to Chelmsford, where I made my way to the bus station for the First Essex run route 73B service towards Heybridge Basin.

745102 departs Chelmsford Station

This bus headed via the Chelmsford city centre before heading towards Beaulieu Park, detouring to serve Chelmsford Parkway station before heading towards Hatfield Peveral.  Afterwards it headed towards Heybridge Basin via Heybridge & Langford (where it passed over the route of the old railway line walk from Maldon towards Witham).  I left the bus in the village of Heybridge Basin, making my way towards the coastal path alongside the River Blackwater Estuary.  

I followed the Blackwater River towards the entrance lock to the otherwise isolated Chelmer and Blackwater Navigation.  The first section of the navigation was along a purpose-built canal, a reasonable surface towpath with a fair few boats moored up, with countryside on my right-hand side.  I soon reached Heybridge with the canal skirting the edge of Maldon, the towpath being part of a cycle route on this section.  The cycle route soon departed with the towpath turning more rural as it headed towards Beeleigh Lock with the canal section heading into the river section (River Chelmer).

Sea Lock on the Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation, Heybridge Basin

The river hid away at times along this walk, with the path surface being reasonable this time of year (a few sections it was a bit overgrown) but somewhere I wouldn't want to walk during the winter months due to mud.  However, I continued my stroll in mostly isolation, heading in some pretty countryside, passing a couple more locks with the path swapping sides a couple of times.  The busiest section of the river walk was near Paper Mill Lock to the north of Little Baddow, which featured a little tearoom, an ideal spot for my lunch break.  After my break I continued along the river, weaving its way towards Chelmsford, the road noise increasing as the river headed towards the very busy sounding A12 road.

After running close to the road for around a mile, the river headed underneath and headed west, back into the peace & quiet.  Still quite rural considering the area, as the navigation headed towards Springfield basin.  I did a loop around the basin (as much as I could do as parts weren't accessible), before following the river Chelmer towards the city centre and the station.  An enjoyable countryside stroll in the sunshine (although it did look like it was going to rain a couple of times but nothing came of it).

Springfield Basin on the Chelmer & Blackwater Navigation, Chelmsford

Anyhow it was back to the trains with 720563 & 720581 being the first option to take me towards Stratford, where I switched to the Jubilee line (although I do wonder if using the Lizzy to Tottenham Court Road & Northern line is slightly quicker to Waterloo).  96024 & 96079 took me to Waterloo, where I jumped onto 159010 & 159011 on the 17:53 service back to Grateley to end the little day trip to Essex to begin my holiday.

3rd September – The Golden Sands of North Devon

I decided it would be a good day to head towards Devon to walk the old railway line path from the Ossaborough area towards Illfracombe, also as an excuse to visit Okehampton Interchange.  The day started with a drive to Salisbury for the 06:30 service to Exeter St Davids with 159008 & 159002 on this very busy train (college kids).  I alighted at Exeter Central and after grabbing some supplies from the nearby Co-Op took a seat on 150266 & 150265 on the next Barnstaple train to take me to Barnstaple.

With time to kill before the bus, I had a gentle stroll towards the bus station going via Rock Park before boarding the Stagecoach run route 303 service towards Woolacombe.  This was in the hands of a modern Solo (and a former London bus driver) as it followed the A361 (detouring to serve Braunton Tesco) and the B3343 road.  This bus does a loop via the pretty coastal villages of Mortehoe & Woolacombe with some nice coastal views (although the rain did attempt to spoil the view).  I left the bus outside the Golden Coast Holiday Park where my walk began.

View from Bus near Woolacombe

The first section was via the holiday park, passing The Old Mill Pub, and following the road towards a little car park where the cycle route following the route of the former railway began.  A decent tarmac path as I headed back towards the holiday park (on my left hand side) with a caravan park on the right.  Once I was away from the holiday parks, crossing the B3343 the countryside opened up with the path slowly dropping towards Ilfracombe.  A pleasant walk passing a couple of reservoirs and even a tunnel.

The cycle path came to an end near the site of the former station, now an industrial unit as I made my way down a very steep hill from Cairn Road to St Bramock's Road to a nearby bus stop for a Stagecoach run 21B to take me towards Barnstaple.  A decent visit to Illfracombe will have to wait for another day, for a stroll alongside the coast.  This was a busy double decker which took me towards Barnstaple station where it was a bit on the tight side to make 158798 on the next Exeter bound service, which I took to Crediton.  At Crediton I crossed over to the opposite platform to await 150246 on a busy Okehampton service to visit the recently opened Okehampton Interchange, a station I suspect I will use again in the future to connect with a bus towards Tavistock when I eventually get round to visiting the old railway line path between Tavistock & Plymouth.

150246 at Okehampton Interchange Station 

A short time at Okehampton Interchange and 150246 returned to take me to Crediton, where I had a gentle stroll to the nearby Tesco (not the most direct route access from the station) to grab some supplies for dinner before making my way back to Crediton station to board 150265 & 150266 for the second time that day to take me towards Exeter where the units split with 150265 continuing to Axminster.  Solely for the slight novelty of having a 150 to Axminster, getting very busy on departure from Exeter Central due to the reduced SWR timetable.

This gave me around 20 minutes to kill at Axminster, time spent relaxing on a bench for 159007 & 159004 to arrive with a Waterloo service, to take me back to Salisbury & a drive home.  An enjoyable day in Devon, not the longest of old railway line paths but one of those awkward ones where the bus service is more limited.  I will need to return to Barnstaple again at some point as I’ve still got some unfinished business with the short old railway line path towards Taunton, but that can easily be a job for winter time.

150265 at Axminster Station

4th September – Walking the East Coast

My good friend Stu was walking the route of the East Coast Main Line & towards Inverness (in a walk which sadly got cut short due to injury at Newark), as I missed out on his last long walk in 2024 due to being in training I joined him on a short section of his walk-in outer Thameslink land.  A walk full of ups & downs.

The day began with the 05:55 service to Waterloo with a lightly loaded 159107 & 158880 where I had a gentle stroll to Blackfriars to jump on a Peterborough bound 700149 ahead of my schedule.  This emptied out within the Thameslink core before heading towards Biggleswade where to waste some time before Stu was due to arrive, I headed to a nearby Asda for some supplies.  I got quite lucky as the next train skipped Biggleswade due to a tragic incident around Welwyn with some serious delays with the rest of the day.  The weather was a bit drizzly in Biggleswade with the train passing through a band of heavy rain, but thankfully nothing really came of the rain.

700149 departing Biggleswade Station

I met up with Stu with the walk beginning, as we headed via the suburbs towards Fairfield House, crossing over the ECML on a modern bridge (replacing a flat crossing).  We headed towards Biggleswade Common, crossing over the route of the former railway to Cambridge, skirting round The Lodge Nature Reserve to reach Sandy.  This is when we had a decision to make as originally the route was going to be alongside the A1 towards Tempsford before picking up another path to take us towards St Neots, however Stu looked up on Google Maps which suggested an alternative route on the eastern side of the railway which would avoid walking on a path alongside a busy dual carriageway.

With the massive benefit of hindsight we should have stuck with the original route, for little did we know the massive farce to come near St Neots.  Anyhow leaving Sandy we followed the Greensand Ridge Walk along the route of an old Roman Road, the surface being quite changeable.  This took us past the former Tempsford Airfield, walking along part of the former runway area.  This bridleway eventually took us onto Drewels Lane where the planned footpath we were thinking of taking didn't exist (no evidence where it left the road, so clearly one of those footpaths lost to the history books).  This meant a longer walk on the quiet road, passing a large housing development.

Woodland between Biggleswade Common & Sandy

This is where things started to go wrong as we reached the area where a new road is being constructed with the existing road getting diverted before coming to a dead end, the B1046 was split in two with no access towards St Neots.  Plan B involved walking along this road away from St Neots, passing a closed footpath to reach a restricted Byway, Hail Lane as the map suggested there was some footpaths heading towards St Neots.  All was going well until the footpath simply ended with a sign saying "footpath closed" at the closure point, a few choice swear words were said (which for someone who has no emotions says something).

Plan C time as we headed towards the medieval village of Wintringham to reach the busy A428 where finally we managed to cross over the new road being constructed, nearly 2 hours after reaching the first closure.  We ignored the "pavement closed" signs as by this time we had enough, picking up the B1428 road to reach St Neots, where even Stu had enough as he was originally planning to end his day at Huntingdon.  We said farewell as he headed towards Huntingdon to relax on a peak time 387 service and I boarded a heavily delayed 700151 to take me back towards London Blackfriars, annoyingly the rear First Class area was locked out of use.

An Azuma passing Sandy Station

At Blackfriars I had a gentle walk to Waterloo, where I boarded the 19:20 service with 159019, 159103 & 158880 for the trip home, taking a seat in the partly refurbished 159103 to sample the new seat coverings.  An enjoyable sociable day with a good friend, even if the last couple hours was a massive pain trying to reach St Neots due to the construction site.  What was even more annoying was the complete lack of signage, or even Open Street Maps/Strava not marking the paths as impassable considering from the looks those paths have been closed for at least a year if not longer.

5th September – A couple of Walks in Greater Manchester

I decided it would be a good day to head back towards Greater Manchester to finish the Roe Green Loopline path, as well as several other bits in the North Western corner between Wigan & Manchester.  The day started with the 05:27 from Grateley with 159009 taking me to Waterloo, followed with 51664 & 51663 on a Northern line service to Euston where I had time to grab some breakfast from the Sainsburys before boarding 390141 on a Manchester Piccadilly service for the speedy run via Stoke on Trent.

In Manchester, after grabbing some lunch items I headed to platform 14 and onto a busy 331028 & 331021 to take me to Bolton where I just missed a route 36 bus by seconds (it was pulling out of the bus stop outside the station as I was close by).  I had a gentle stroll towards the bus station to await the next Bee Network route 36 service to Manchester (a slow bus route!)  This busy bus route (most stops called at) took me towards Farnworth where I left the bus near Tennyson Road where my walk began.

66133 at Manchester Piccadilly

The first section of today's walk was along a mixed use path on the north side of the M61 towards Anchor Lane, meeting up with the point I headed north the previous week when walking towards Bolton.  I crossed over the M61 joining the northern section of the Roe Green Loopline towards Amblecote playing fields where the Linnyshaw Loopline path began.  This path took me back towards Buckley Lane, close to where I began!  I headed into Ashtons Field, passing what appeared to be some old locks before the path started to look like an old railway line route as I headed towards Worsley Road.

Crossing this road and I was soon in the Blackleach Country Park, passing a nice-looking reservoir.  This was a path which felt like it had some money thrown at it in recent times with a surface which felt like old rubber had been mixed with the tarmac (it was a bit bouncy if that makes sense).  A busy path with other walkers, joggers, cyclists, certainly a decent little stroll towards Linnyshaw, the path ending alongside the A6.

Linnyshaw Loopline in Ashtons Field, Little Hulton

The next section was via the roads, crossing over the railway near Walkden & the A580 "East Lancashire Road" to reach Roe Green where I headed onto the Roe Green Loopline close to the junction where the Tyldesley path branched off.  I followed the route of the old railway towards Walkden, linking up with where I joined the previous week at Parr Fold Park.  I continued along until the start of the Ellenbrook Loop path, following this path (another decent path) to reach the guided busway near the start, where the first of today's walks ended, as I awaited a V1 service to take me along the busway to the bus stop near Cooling Lane.  I was impressed with the quality of the seating on the new electric buses used for the Leigh Busway, comfy seats with some tables.

The second walk was something I was hoping to do back in July, but bailed from that walk early due to the temperature getting rather toasty.  It was to follow a path (which the OS Map & Google Maps suggest is a cycle path, but is nothing of the sort in my eyes) from the busway towards Howe Bridge.  Some nice woodland along the way, but the surface was a bit muddy in places & also flooded.  A short detour was needed near to Howe Bridge as the original route seems to have been lost to history.  After crossing the A579 road, the path quality did improve a bit as it headed towards Hindley Green but the decent path randomly coming to a sudden end (like I reached a boundary between council areas).

 

Hindsford Brook between Tyldesley & Howe Bridge 

I continued along this path which had its good points, but also negative points, mainly the steep slope near Leigh Road.  The path came away from the route of the old railway line in this area, running along the top of the cutting in some nice woodland, passing close to some industrial units.  I soon reached the ending point where I had a couple of options, either head north towards Hindley or south towards Bickershaw.  The bus connection heading south looked tight, especially with a path of unknown quality, so I played it safe and headed towards Hindley, ending the walk at the bus stop close to the Council Offices, turning down the first Wigan bound bus as that goes round the houses and doesn't serve the station area.

It was onto a route 607 service to take me towards the bus stop near Wallgate (where once more the bus pretty much emptied out).  Quite a lot of police floating around due to the football (Wigan vs Stockport), but thankfully I made it to Wigan North Western for a slightly delayed London train formed of 390137 on a fast service.  I managed to get a seat with a working power socket and settled down for the speedy run to Euston.  51701 & 51501 took me to Waterloo on the Northern Line, where I had a 55-minute wait for the next Salisbury train, formed of a very busy 158883 & 159017 to take me home.  A day of two different walks, I would recommend the Linnyshaw & Roe-Green paths as all year-round walks, but the old railway towards Hindley was best done when I did it, as I suspect the winter months it might even become impassable with flooding.

 6th September – Welsh Coastal Path & the Neath Canal

I had an overnight stay booked in the Travelodge close to Cardiff Central station on a random booking, the idea for today was a late notice change from what I was originally planning to do.  The day began with 159103 & 158888 to Andover, followed with 159022 to Reading where I had time to head to Wendy’s for some breakfast items before boarding 800017 on a Swansea service to Port Talbot Parkway, arriving around 20 minutes late due to awaiting a member of staff at Reading who had been delayed heading towards Reading from elsewhere.

Leaving the station at Port Talbot, I headed towards Tesco close to the River Afan to grab some lunch items, cutting via the shopping centre to reach the bus station (which looked all closed up and at first glance disused).  I picked up a cycle path underneath the A4241 before walking alongside the river towards a roundabout, following the A4241 towards Victoria Road & Newbridge Road, picking up cycle route 4 (I think it was) alongside the river once more.  This walk gave some nice views of the docks at Port Talbot, which must have been alive in the olden times with ships.  I passed an fenced off bridge which gave the impression of something railway related.

I reached Aberavon Beach which was very beautiful, walking along the path alongside the beach towards the Baglan Moor area, where I had an option of taking the cycle route via an industrial park or carrying on with the Welsh coastal path.  I decided to stick with the Welsh coastal path, as I crossed over some dunes to walk on the actual beach at Baglan Bay.  I followed the route of the coastal path across the sand dunes towards some industrial wasteland, quite a strange sensation, going underneath an old pipe before reaching what I can only presume was an emergency access road to the power station when it existed.

Aberavon Beach

This former access road took me towards the side of the River Neath, and in typical Welsh fashion a blocked path with some large blocks.  Thankfully there was a route alongside the block (although I did catch my hand as it started to bleed).  After this block in the road, I continued along the Welsh coastal path passing the Armstong's Hydraulic Accumulator, part of the former Briton Ferry docks.  I headed underneath the M4 & A48 into Briton Ferry itself, leaving behind cycle route 4 as that headed to run alongside the A48 (and A483) towards Swansea as I picked up cycle route 47 at the entrance to the Neath Canal, seeing where it would have once joined up with the River Neath.

The towpath of this canal was decent tarmac, although a couple parts it was a bit overgrown & narrow (with a very low bridge underneath the Swansea District Line).  Quite a pleasant stroll for views as it headed towards Neath, where originally, I was considering carrying on towards Aberdulais to finish the Tennant Canal but when I reached Neath I decided to call it a day, swinging via Morrisons to grab some more liquid before making my way to the station and onto 800034 & 800028 to take me to Cardiff Central.

Swansea District Line railway bridge over the Neath Canal between Briton Ferry & Neath (Duck!)

In Cardiff I had around half an hour before the next train to Treherbert as I had some unfinished business with visiting the rebuilt Ynyswen station (after ditching my visit back in December last year with multiple delays & cancellations).  I decided it would be a good excuse to get checked into the Travelodge, just to save a job and get rid of some weight from my rucksack, getting a so-so room overlooking the bus station (not as bad as a room overlooking the main street, but the best rooms in that hotel are those which overlook the central core).

I returned to Cardiff, randomly bumping into my good friend Jules who was in Cardiff with family visiting Barry Island (one of those completely chance meetings) before I took 756007 to the rebuilt Ynyswen station.  A station which has 2 platforms rather than a single platform like it used to have and similar to Dinas Rhondda which is another rebuilt station on the line with the improvements to allow 4 trains per hour.  I took 756007 towards Pontypridd where I headed out of the station to visit the nearby Spoons for dinner, mainly to waste some time but also because I was hungry.  I returned to the station, turning down the next 756 to Cardiff Central for the Cardiff Bay train from platform 1, formed of a shiny 398031 for my first taste of the new Tram Trains.

398031 at Pontypridd Station

Seats were comfortable but quite narrow, they felt reasonable for the job they were designed for (other than for the lack of a toilet).  Certainly, felt fast accelerating although I suspect the driver wasn’t giving it the full power owing to the timings being based on a 150 (not much point speeding to the station only to sit there for a couple of minutes for right time departure).  I took this 398 to Cardiff Queen Street, stepping back onto 231006 to take me down the hill to Cardiff Central, where I had a gentle stroll to the hotel to relax for the remainder of the evening.

7th September - Ogmore Valley Railway

South Wales has quite a few old railway lines which have been turned into mixed used paths, the Ogmore Valley Railway is one of such paths running from the former mining community of Nant-y-Moel to the north of Bridgend.  After leaving the Travelodge and grabbing breakfast related products I headed to Cardiff Central to board 153333 & 153909 on a Swansea stopper to take me to Bridgend.  This was the first time I’ve had 153333 since 2015 (when it was a Great Western unit).  Anyhow in Bridgend I had a gentle stroll to the bus station to await the next First bus operated route 74 to Nant-Y-Moel heading via Sarn and following the A4061 with various detours on his hilly route.  I left the bus at the terminus at Nant-Y-Moel with the old railway line path easy to access.

Surface quality was good, some beautiful views of the countryside  as I headed south, mostly downhill, towards Wyndham & Ogmore Vale passing the remains of the stations.  After Ogmore Vale the scenery changed to more woodland as it headed towards Blackmill and Brynmenyn.  A very nice former railway line path I would easily recommend.  The old railway line path itself ends in the Brynmenyn area as there is some massively overgrown track (which would head towards Tondu junction).

Remains of Ogmore Vale Station

The next part of today's walk was alongside the Ogmore River heading towards the Sarn & Aberkenfig area, going underneath the railway near Sarn station, joining up with part of the path I walked many years ago when visiting the stations (as Tondu & Sarn are easily walkable in the time between stations).  After crossing the busy A4063 I headed onto a section of the path which was a boardwalk heading towards a bridge carrying the M4.  A minor road followed before I resumed the walk alongside the Ogmore River towards the Wildmill area of Bridgend, the riverside path ending in Wildmill itself with the remainder involving walking along a pavement alongside Quarella Road, detouring into the Tesco at Bridgend before a fast walk to the station to jump onto a busy 800004 on a London Paddington service.

This took me to Reading, where I made a connection onto a late running 221138 to take me to Basingstoke, and onto 159012 to Grateley where my Welsh trip ended, but Scottish trip began.  After sorting out my rucksack and other general bits & bobs, I left the house to catch the 17:59 service from Grateley with 159007 & 158885 to Waterloo, where with time to kill before the sleeper I took winner 701049 to Kingston, intercepting 701015 back to Clapham Junction (clearing it for 10 miles).  At Clapham Junction it was a change onto 701050 to Stoneleigh for a short wait for winner 701003 back to Waterloo.

701003 at London Waterloo

I had a gentle stroll towards Euston, arriving with plenty of time to spare before boarding the sleeper to Glasgow with 92010 providing the power this evening.  This trip I managed to get a berth towards the centre of the coach which was far nicer than a berth over the wheels, just ruined somewhat by someone in the next room listening to an art history documentary without headphones (“what was the artist thinking when he painted such a painting back in the 17th century?”.  And that feels like a good time to end part 1 of my Late Summer Holiday blog post, as always thanks for reading, a lot more photos can be found on my Flickr *here*.  Part 2 will follow at some point which involves Scotland.