Trips in August, Part 3

 Trips in August, Part 3

19^th August – Walking the Cranleigh Line

The idea for today was to avoid central London due to the underground strike, but also to have a nice long walk.  The weather looked nice to walk and my aim was on the “Downslink” path between Christ’s Hospital & Shalford, along the route of the old Cranleigh Line.  The 09:59 service from Grateley took me to Clapham Junction, followed by a pair of 444s for Clapham, which unlike previous trips were lightly loaded.  I grabbed supplies from Sainsburys outside the station and waited for the delayed Portsmouth train to take me towards Christ’s Hospital.

 

This service was around 14 minutes late from Clapham, until it reached Gatwick where a last-minute platform swap from P3 to P2 delayed it by another 5 minutes due to waiting for passengers to cross over, time it never got back.  At least I got a bit of money back as delay repay.  I alighted from Christ’s Hospital, found the signs for the Downs Link path, passing the restored former branch line platforms and onto the path.

 

Disused Platforms at Christ's Hospital Station

 

An enjoyable walk, mostly on the old trackbed, but parts where the path went away from the old track, the worst parts was crossing the A281 on the outskirts of Rudgwick (busy main road) and an unexpected climb on the other side of Rudgwick where the railway went into a tunnel and the path goes over the hill, crossing over from Sussex into Surrey.  Other than those 2 parts the path was mostly traffic free (a couple minor roads but not that busy).

 

 

Two Tier Bridge for the disused Cranleigh line in Rudgwick

 

I swung via the Sainsburys in Cranleigh for some supplies (mainly more water) before continuing with my walk in the rural wilderness.  The former station at Bramley had platforms still in existence with a little history board which was a nice touch, as the path got busier on the approach towards Shalford, before I walked towards the station along the road, with 15 minutes to spare before the next Reading train

 

Remains of Bramley & Wonersh Station on disused Cranleigh line

 

This 165 took me to Guildford, followed by a 444+450 combo for the 6-mile trip to Woking, for a 50-minute wait for the next Exeter train.  I was going to linear hop on a pair of 444s to Basingstoke, but I noticed a 701 rolling in on test, so had to get a photo, before boarding a busy 159+158 combo for the run back to Grateley, followed by a walk home, where I got attacked by the dog who was happy to see me.

 

701048 on test at Woking

 

21^st August – Walking the Thames Path (Shepperton to Windsor)

 

Today I returned to the Thames Path to carry on walking, this time the section was from Shepperton towards Windsor, making use of some extra trains towards Shepperton due to engineering works at Twickenham.  Unusually they ran nonstop from Teddington to Shepperton for a bit of a novelty of skipping those branch-line stations (Ok, this might have been the main reason why I was doing this route today!)

 

A pair of 159s took me to Clapham Junction, followed by a pair of 455s for the run to Shepperton, where I started my walk along the “Alternative” route of the Thames Path (basically an alternative for those not wanting to use the ferry between Weybridge & Shepperton).  Signposts were a bit rubbish in places, but I soon joined the Thames, walking along the towpath towards Chertsey, then towards Staines.

455720 at Shepperton

 

Swapping over to the opposite bank, my walk continued passing a posh looking hotel at Runnymede, following a temporary path due to construction work near Old Windsor, before coming onto the roads at Datchet due to the original towpath being lost to the Windsor Castle grounds (with lots of threatening signs for anybody daring to trespass).  The other side of Datchet and the riverside path resumed, taking me towards the centre of Windsor, the end of my 17-mile walk.

 

River Thames around Staines

 

I headed to Windsor & Eden Riverside for a pair of 458s back towards Clapham Junction, skipping Sunnymeads & Wraysbury but calling at all the other stations on the Hounslow loop, but I was in the former 1^st class area with my phone on charge, so the slow running didn’t bother me.  At Clapham Junction, I popped out to the Sainsburys for dinner before a triply 159 took me back to Grateley, where I spent the remainder of the evening relaxing ready to return to work the next day.

 

458521 arriving at Windsor & Eden Riverside

 

27^th August – Walking the Flitch Way

 

The Flitch Way is the name given to the mixed used path which uses most of the trackbed of the former Bishop Stortford – Braintree line, something which had been on my list for a few trips (and the distance I had been working up towards).  The weather forecast looked good so I decided today was the day I would attempt the walk.

 

The day began with the 06:59 service from Grateley to Waterloo, followed by the Jubilee to Stratford (which skipped Bermondsey, I assume due to the station being closed due to lack of staff), followed by a 720 to Braintree.  After swinging via Tesco for lunch items before joining up with the old railway line.

 

720526 at Braintree

 

Along the railway line I passed the restored former station at Rayne (the building is now a busy café with an old railway coach at the station), next up was the remains of the small Bannister Green Halt, as the route became more rural and treelined.  There was one small detour due to an unsafe road bridge, before the railway route came to an end around the former Felsted with a short section along the road.  The former station building (I presume) is in a sorry state of disrepair and the path is a bit rough (in terms of surface quality) before it joined the old railway route once more.

 

The path continued before it came to another end (well the railway route continued to a dead-end) due to the route being built over by the A120 dual carriageway, so I came down from the railway route to follow a couple byways to reach the outskirts of Great Dunmow.  I followed the roads, using the pavements and a footpath to reach the start of the Dunmow cutting, the B1256 bypass being built where the track & Dunmow station used to be).

 

Remains of Bannister Green Halt on Flitch Way Path

 

Dunmow Cutting was probably the worse part for surface quality, as it was muddy in places, I dread to think how bad it would get during winter months or after heavy rain.  A handy bench allowed me time to sit down to have my lunch in the sunshine before continuing for another detour caused by the A120 dual carriageway removing a bridge.  After returning to the former railway line route towards the area around the former Easton Lodge station, where the mixed used path has another small division due to the station building & I presume old platforms being in private ownership.

 

I continued along the path of the old line, with one more small detour due to an infilled road bridge, before reaching the platform at the old Takeley station, the station building having work done to it.  The route was a lot woodier due to Hatfield Forest being close by, as I passed the remains of Stane Street Halt, and the noise of aircraft became more of a background noise (due to Stansted Airport).  The railway route came to an end at Start Hill, looking at Open Street Map it suggests the path continued (maybe as a permissive path) but was very overgrown.

Remains of Stane Street Station on Flitch Way Path

 

With the old railway line complete, the easiest route would be to head towards Bishops Stortford, either along the roads or by some footpaths, but I decided to head towards Stansted Mountfitchet, following a bike route going over & under the motorway (and the slip roads) to reach the village of Birchanger, following some footpaths (including one across a field) to Forest Hall, before a couple final paths to reach the area of Stansted Mountfitchet station, where I popped via the Co-Op to grab some extra drink & some food.

 

Flitch Way Entrance at Start Hill

 

 

An enjoyable walk, just over 20 miles in total according to my Strava app, so close to beating my record for longest walk, although I was glad to take a seat on a 720 to take me towards Whittlesford Parkway for a short wait before my last required 755 rolled in from Norwich (755406).  I took this to Stansted, followed by a 745 to Bishops Stortford followed by winner 720506 for the run towards Cheshunt, stepping back to another 720 for the run to Liverpool Street.

 

755406 at Stansted Airport, class complete :)

At Liverpool Street, I headed towards the Elizabeth Line platforms for a 345 to Tottenham Court Road, followed by a Northern line to Waterloo and the 21:20 service to take me home to Grateley.

 

28^th August – Dartmoor ‘Round Robin’

 

A trip to sunny Devon with mum, doing something we had hoped to do earlier in the month but got bowled out with cancellations, thankfully today the services hadn’t been cancelled on the Gunnislake branch.  A walk to Grateley station followed by a pair of 159s all the way to Exeter, delayed due to the speed restriction between Tisbury & Gillingham but thankfully only by around 12 minutes (not as bad as some delays, as trains get held at Honiton to allow London services to pass there instead of Pinhoe).  At Exeter St Davids it was a short wait for a busy 9 coach 800 to roll in from London where we got decent seats for the run via Dawlish to reach Plymouth.

 

150266 & 150247 at Plymouth

 

At Plymouth we popped out to visit Sainsburys (I noticed the little Spar shop has been removed to create a wider gate line), before returning to board a 150 for the run to Gunnislake, been a few years since I was last in this area, and I had forgotten how steep the climb is!  We changed over to the waiting bus working a route 118 service to Okehampton via Tavistock (extends to Gunnislake on Sundays only), a lightly loaded Dartline Optare).

 

This bus route gave us around 50 minutes at Tavistock, so we headed towards the old viaduct, a job for another trip for me is to walk the old railway route on top of the viaduct.  We returned to the bus station for the next section of the bus, however due to an accident on the A386, the bus lost time doing a detour via some country roads (came off near Wilminstone to re-join at Mary Tavy), some nice views from the bus window.  The bus continued towards Okehampton, but the extra time taken for the detour meant the connection was missed for the train.

 

 

With 50 minutes to waste before the next train I had a short walk from Okehampton station towards a viaduct (sadly no decent views due to the trees of “Tramlines woods”).  I returned via a bridleway on the opposite side of the main road, returning before the next 150 rolled in.  The line speed has certainly increased since my last visit to this line, a lot faster, although the train got delayed around Crediton due to a late running train from Barnstaple.

East Okement River at Ball Hill Viaduct, Okehampton

 

We transferred to a pair of 150s on an Exmouth service to take us up the hill to Exeter Central (the train from Okehampton terminated into the bay at St Davids), where I made a quick dash to the Co-Op to grab dinner items before the next Waterloo train took us back to Grateley.  Went via Chard loop to a late running Exeter service which I think is the first time I’ve done that loop heading east.

 

An enjoyable day in Devon, the scenery from the bus is quite good, and is only £3 for a single (or a return) at the moment.

 

29^th August – Walking the Thames Path from Culham to Cholsey

The weather forecast looked good for the bank holiday Monday, so a good time to do another section of the Thames Path, this time from Culham towards Cholsey in rural Oxfordshire.  I headed towards Culham via a pair of 159s to Basingstoke (dashing out to Sainsburys for lunch items.  Next was a pair of voyagers to Reading, a pair of 387s to Didcot Parkway on a stopper before finally a 2 coach 165 on a busy Oxford service.  I was the only passenger to alight at Culham (looked like there was one passenger waiting for the Didcot train with a handful at Appleford).  Originally, I was going to turn left from the station, heading along the road to Clifton Hampden to join the river, but decided to have a last-minute change to head towards Culham village to join the river (the idea being to reduce the distance on the next leg towards Oxford).

 

165125 departs Culham station

 

I walked along the main road with a pavement, and I reached Culham village, doing a little loop of an island formed by the river being split by a lock, before joining the towpath for a gentle walk along the path (one not to do during winter as it will probably be muddy).  Although the views of the river itself were hit & miss due to bushes & trees separating the path from the river but it was very peaceful in rural Oxfordshire.  I went underneath the Appleford railway viaduct and continued reaching Clifton Hampden where the path changed banks for a very rural section, featuring some cows (moo) to Day’s Lock near the town of Dorchester on Thames.

 

 

Cows on the Thames Path

The path swapped sides at the lock, where I paused for a lunch break in the shade, before continuing towards Shillingford where the Thames Path went away from the river due to a missing historic ferry, along the road (with a pavement) and along some footpaths towards Shillingford bridge where I decided to head out to do a loop along part of the towpath I missed as there was a loop available involving a permissive footpath.

 

Clifton Hampden Bridge over River Thames

After this loop, I re-joined the Thames Path itself for the next section towards the town of Benson, where I popped to a nearby Co-Op to buy some more drink, before returning once more to the path which swaps banks at Benson lock.  This section of the path had a hard stone surface (compared to the dirt/grass) and was a lot busier.  Sadly, it was also a bit rubbish for views of the river due to bushes & trees.  This path took me past the remains of Wallingford castle and onto the streets for a short section, before returning to the river bank, returning to a more rural setting before going underneath the A4130 bridge (getting a soundtrack of an old WW2 plane flying overhead).

 

My walk continued through a rural area, with the occasional garden (dread to think how much those houses are worth!), before reaching Cholsey Marshes and finally Ferry Lane meeting up where I was in early June.  I headed along Ferry Lane and finally Papist Way to reach Cholsey station, arriving with a couple minutes before the next London train, finishing my 21.5-mile walk, breaking my record for longest walk (and by accident due to those two extra bits I did!).

 

The same pair of 387s I had earlier in the day took me to Reading, as I collapsed into the seat, and throwing my phone on charge.  At Reading I popped out of the station to visit Wendys for dinner before returning to the station with a pair of voyagers to Basingstoke (with the Network Rail ‘950’ train on platform 8 at Reading).   Finally, it was the same pair of 159s I had in the morning to take me back to Grateley for a slow walk back home as my legs had started to ache a bit.

 

387163 arriving at Cholsey Station

More photos from August can be viewed here: Flickr Album

Trips in August Part 2

Trips in August Part 2:

13^th August – Onwards to Manchester

My big trip of August was a 3 day trip to Manchester, although my original idea for today got thrown into the bin due to the driver strikes, however I managed to get a £20 sale return for EMR for London to Sheffield which saved the day.  It was a fair while since my last fast 222 run all the way to Sheffield so I was both looking forward for it, but also dreading it considering Euston was closed & Kings Cross had a heavily reduced service.

 

The day began with the 05:27 service to Waterloo, changing over to a Bakerloo & Victoria line service to reach St Pancras, where I purchased my South Pennies Day Ranger from the ticket office before heading to the annex to wait for the Sheffield train to start boarding.  222017 would be in charge for the fast run to Sheffield (Leicester, Derby, Chesterfield) and my fears of it being overcrowded disappeared as on departure the 4^th coach was barely a third full, it only got busy after Chesterfield.

 

222017 at St Pancras, I know allowed on the platform 20 minutes before departure ;)

At Sheffield, the heat hit me as I made my way across to platform 1 to board the 2 coach 195 on the Leeds semi-fast, amazingly I even got a seat for the run towards West Yorkshire, making a tight connection to a late running TPE 802 for the journey to Manchester Victoria, going via the Calder Valley due to engineering works at Huddersfield.

 

I jumped onto a pair of 195s at Victoria to take me back towards Rochdale where I was going to step back to a Leeds ‘stopper’ to Littleborough to walk the canal towpath towards Todmorden but decided due to the heat it wasn’t worth it (also the early start/lack of sleep the night before had caught up with me).  The canal towpath could wait for another day, so it was back to Manchester Victoria on a busy 195 for Wigan, making a connection onto a late running 769 for Stalybridge to have a look at the progress of the wiring.  The 769 was down on power climbing the hill out of Victoria, I think at one point a snail overtook us!

 

769442 at Stalybridge station

 

The same 769 took me back towards Victoria where I transferred to Metrolink, taking a tram to Queens Road (where it terminated due to wire damage beyond Crumpsall), stepping back to a Crumpsall terminator for the sole reason to tick off the new(ish) bay platform before returning towards Victoria before more of the network fell over due to the heat.

 

Back at Manchester Victoria and a pair of 185s took me to Leeds, again via the Calder Valley.  I was in the rearmost coach and had a private coach (as most passengers boarded the front unit).  At Leeds I had an extended wait as the 68 hauled set from Scarborough had overheated near Micklefield, eventually 68019 rolled in for the run back to Manchester Victoria, fast for the first section but caught up with a stopper after Brighouse, so not the fastest of runs across the hills, nor much noise from the loco in the tunnel.

 

68019 at Manchester Victoria

 

I was originally going to head across to Piccadilly for the novelty of 150s on the Hadfield line, but as it was getting late, I decided to head towards the hotel, a Premier Inn around Altrincham.  First tram towards St Peters Square was my last sub mile tram (3117) which was a nice bonus, a short wait before the next Altrincham bound tram arrived which took me to Navigation Road, for a gentle walk to the hotel, meeting up with my good friend Dan for a catch-up (and a plate of chips), before making myself comfortable in the hotel room.

 

Copley Viaduct

 

14^th August – Carlisle

 

The main idea for today was to head towards the Settle & Carlisle line, revisit Appleby for the northbound platform and better photos, before hopefully doing the “Dalesrail” service on the section of line between Hellifield & Clitheroe, something I’ve attempted to do a few times before, but each time ended up cancelled, so I had my fingers crossed in the morning to see it wasn’t showing as cancelled.

 

Dan & I walked to Altrincham station for a tram to Cornbrook, changing for another tram towards Exchange Square where we went via the Co-Op on the way to Victoria to board a Leeds train.  A pair of 195s which were busy from the start and only got busier along the way, I noticed a large crowd waiting for a Blackpool train at Bradford Interchange, bet that was cosy!

 

91114 at Leeds

 

At Leeds we had roughly an hour before the next Carlisle train (the one which starts from Nottingham), so time to pop out for lunch items for later in the day.  Thankfully the Carlisle train was a pair of 158s which took the passengers, a few alighted along the way to Skipton before leaving the wires and heading along the scenic line towards Appleby.  This was one of those semi-fast services which skips some of the smaller stations along the way so after Settle it was nonstop to Kirkby Stephen.  We alighted at Appleby for a 90-minute break before the next northbound service.

 

158860 departs Appleby

 

I popped into the town centre to do a little walk alongside the riverbank before returning to the station, getting news that the evening Carlisle – Blackpool service was starting from Hellifield instead of Carlisle.  This reduced the time in Carlisle from an hour and a bit to 45 minutes, but at least it was showing as running.  The next Carlisle train rolled in, a 3 coach 158 with failed AC in all the coaches, this took us to Carlisle where I popped out of the station to visit Tesco for some cold drinks, before boarding the same 3 coach unit (attached to a 2 coach 158 which was locked out of use) for the run back along the S&C to Hellifield for a long wait.

 

 

River Eden in Appleby

The good news is that the ECS was on the move from Blackpool, all be it running late, along the way a train to Morecambe came & went, as the 3 coach 158 rolled past Hellifield, heading to reverse at Settle junction before returning, after a Leeds train came & went.  There were 3 passengers, including myself & Dan boarding the 158 when it departed along the line towards Clitheroe, we decided to bail at Blackburn to avoid the Preston crowds.

 

158758 approaching Hellifield from Clitheroe line

 

A wait at Blackburn before a 150 rolled in from Clitheroe to take us towards Bolton and Salford Crescent, where we changed to a Manchester Airport train from Blackpool, swinging via Sainsburys at Piccadilly for some food.  This is where things went a bit wrong after arriving on the Metrolink platforms as services were suspended due to a fire at Cornbrook.  After some thinking on routes, we jumped on a tram to Piccadilly Gardens, transferring for a route 255 bus towards the Warwick Road bus stop on Chester Road, near to Old Trafford kickball ground.

 

A walk along the road passing the cricket stadium to reach Old Trafford tram stop where the trains to Altrincham were starting from, timing it to board a quiet tram for the journey to Altrincham, where Dan ordered an uber back to the hotel.  A successful day in terms of visiting Appleby and doing the Hellifield – Clitheroe section of track on a passenger service (I’ve done it northbound a couple of times on charters, but never southbound).

 

Made it back to Altrincham!

 

15^th August

Checking out of the hotel (a rare Premier Inn with proper keys) and headed to the station with a tram from Altrincham towards Cornrbook (we were originally aiming for the train, but that got cancelled), at Cornbrook we changed onto an Ashton tram (winner 3139) for the run into Piccadilly, where it was breakfast time, before I saw Dan away on a Blackpool train (which I took to Oxford Road).  When I checked RTT in the hotel, my last Northern 769 wasn’t showing as being out, but when I checked after breakfast it was out on the following Southport service, too good of a chance to pass up as I waited at Oxford Road for winner 769431 to roll in.

 

I took this 769 to Westhoughton, for better photos at this station, before returning towards Manchester on the next 769, where I stayed on until Stockport.  At Stockport I set out on a gentle walk, following the River Mersey towards Heaton Mersey before picking up the former railway line path heading towards East Didsbury, where I carried on towards Didsbury Village tram stop, something gentle to get me moving in between the rain which had replaced the hot weather.

 

My last Northern 769, 769431 departs Westhoughton.

 

I boarded the next tram from Didsbury Village towards Cornbrook, where I didn’t have time to break out the chair before winner 3138 rolled in on an Ashton tram.  I took this tram to St Peters Square, waiting around before winner 3142 rolled in on another Ashton tram.  I took this tram to Etihad Campus to walk a path back towards Holt Town tram stop, taking another tram back towards Piccadilly Gardens to grab lunch from Tesco before another tram back to Piccadilly.  I was going to walk but the rain had returned.

 

My booked train to Sheffield was the stopper, sadly I picked the wrong stopper and ended up with a pair of 150s rather than the expected 195.  Never mind, it was only a fiver, as I got a decent seat in the front coach, settled down for the trip across the Vale of Hope (another line I hadn’t done in daylight for a while).  Arrival in Sheffield was on time, giving me around 90 minutes before my booked 222 to London, so I followed the tram tracks to reach the city centre.

 

Sheffield Supertrams 399203 & 123 at Cathedral Stop

 

Sub-mile 399207 was on a yellow route service, that was cleared for a mile by City Hall, with an older tram taking me back towards the station, where 222021 had just arrived and was clear for boarding.  I ignored my reserved seat as it gave a view of plastic, and headed for coach D, grabbing a table seat with a window.  This service called at Belper which was a little unusual, before Derby & Leicester before nonstop to London St Pancras, arriving a few minutes ahead of schedule and having to wait for a platform to become available at the Annex.

 

I headed to the Thameslink platforms to take a 700 to London Bridge, where I was going to wait for a train to Cannon Street as it was a low mileage 376 but there was signalling issues at Charing Cross which meant a few trains were getting diverted into Cannon Street, so I played it safe jumping on a Charing Cross service to Waterloo East and having a wait at Waterloo for my booked train to Grateley.

 

An enjoyable weekend away in Manchester, can’t blame the hotel for the heat (although AC would have made things better), at least they provided sheets for the beds (as well as the usual duvet).

 

159008 at London Waterloo

 

16^th August – Greater Anglia Land, Day 1

 

The idea of this trip was to do the Greater Anglia service to Kings Lynn, solely to tick it from my list, as I wouldn’t be surprised if it doesn’t get axed by the DfT at some point (already been cut down from 3 trains each way to a single train each way).  I did some research and ended up booking a room in the Bridge guest house located close to Ipswich station (the timings of the remaining GA service meant an overnight stay was needed).  The trip would also give me a chance to try and hunt down some of my remaining GA Flirts with a walk thrown in as well.

 

The trip began with the 09:59 service to Basingstoke, where the train from Weymouth was running 10 minutes late allowing me a chance to dash out to Sainsburys for some lunch items before carrying on to Waterloo on a busy pair of 444s.  I headed to Liverpool Street via the Waterloo & City line, followed by the central line, swinging via the ticket office to buy my Anglia Plus ranger, just to save some time for when I got to Ipswich.

 

My next train was a pair of 720s for Clacton with required 720526 on the rear.  I took this pair of Chelmsford for a short wait for winner 745003 (the unit I would have gotten the Thursday before had it not been bumped up) arrived.  This 745 took me to Ipswich where I exited the station to get myself checked into the guest house, very close to the station although the room I had was a bit old.  Even had an old CRT TV with a freeview box on top, the shutters made for a nice touch, rather than the usual blinds or curtains.

 

How close the Bridge Guest House is to the station at Ipswich

 

Back to the station and a 3 coach 755 took me to Stowmarket for a short wait before winner 755418 rolled in from Cambridge to return me to Ipswich, before I headed to Norwich on a 745.  With some time to kill before my next train I headed to the Morrisons close to the station, returning via the riverside path, before low mileage 755408 was taken to Ely, even had 1 passenger boarding at Spooner Row!

 

River Wensum in Norwich

 

A short wait at Ely before busy winner 755411 rolled in, which originally, I was going to take towards Attleborough but decided to bail at Brandon due to how busy it was.  Next up was another 755 which I took to Cambridge where I was following the progress of the ECML which was semi-collapsed due to overhead wire damage (probably a rogue 91 again).  At one point I was going to call it a night owing to the risks of getting back to Ipswich but decided to stay with my idea.

 

755407 at Cambridge

 

The daily Greater Anglia service to Kings Lynn rolled in, formed of 720575, not that busy on departure from Cambridge as it skipped Cambridge North carrying on heading north, a bit of delay around Ely waiting for a freight train before it went onto the branch line and carried on to Kings Lynn, terminating on platform 2.  I was surprised to see the ticket barriers in use at the time of night, however I didn’t go that far due to the rain.  Back to the station and the next Great Northern service rolled in a few minutes late (lost time around Hitchin), and departed back towards London, although it kept on losing time (guess it was the rail head conditions after the rain).  Soon enough it had arrived at Ely, and I had time to spare before the Colchester train would arrive, itself running 15 minutes late due to a late inbound journey.

 

720575 at King's Lynn

 

I took a seat on this quiet 755 near the back, settled down and relaxed for the speedy journey in the darkness to reach Ipswich, where I had a short walk back to the guest house to relax for the remainder of the evening.

 

A Colchester bound 755409 at Ely

 

17^th August

My original idea for today was a nice long walk, either from Ipswich towards Stowmarket along the Gipping Valley River Path, or to head towards Yarmouth to walk towards Reedham along the Wherryman's Way however due to the forecast of wet stormy weather both ideas went into the draw.  I checked out of the guest house (one I will stay in again if the price was right, bit noisy from the station but I suspect most of that noise would have been removed if the window was closed).

 

The first train for me was a 3 coach 755 on a Lowestoft train, so after buying my Anglia Plus for the day, as well as a single to Woodbridge (my gold card discount not being valid until 09:30) I boarded the busy 755 to Melton, where I had a gentle riverside walk towards Woodbridge before winner 755338 rolled in from Lowestoft (my last of the 3 coach 755s).

 

755338 at Woodbridge

 

I took this busy 755 to Ipswich, changing over to board winner 745006 on the next Norwich train (my last Norwich 745, leaving just one more Airport 745 to hunt down).  At Norwich I changed over to board required 755401 on the next London train (attached to 755418 to be my first pair of 755s).  I took this 755 to Diss, changing over to return to Norwich on another 745.

 

Before the next train towards Cambridge, I dashed out to the station Co-Op to grab lunch, returning to board winner 755405 which I took to Brandon.  When I was at this station yesterday, I noticed a walk being promoted along the Little Ouse path towards Thetford, this sounded interesting and looked to have cover had the rain returned (forecast for Thetford was dry with most of the rain staying to the south).

 

And then there was just the 1 needed, 755405 departs Brandon

 

 The Little Ouse path was a mixed bag for the first couple miles, a bit overgrown (but not impassable) with a couple trees down along the way.  I didn’t pass anybody until the Santon Downham area, where the path went a bit sandy in places.  I made a wrong turning to follow the Hereward Way going underneath the railway and along a forest access road.  I soon joined up with the Little Ouse Path near Thetford power station as I headed south along a path which was a bit like a BMX track in terms of bumps. I passed a smelly sewage works before reaching Thetford, making my way towards the station for a late running Norwich EMR service, formed of the hired in XC 170 (638).  Needless to say, I sat in the first-class area with the 2+1 seats, for that bit of extra comfort.

 

Hired in 170638 arriving at Thetford 

 

The 170 took me to Norwich where I made a tight connection onto a London bound 745 to take me to Ipswich, where I stepped back to winner 720501 on the next stopper.  I was originally going to linear hop towards London to see what other 720s I could score however there was some overhead power damage around Chelmsford meaning single track working and delays.  When I got to Colchester to see the next London train from Norwich was cancelled, I returned to the 720 and made myself comfortable before it got busy when the 745 dislodged the passengers onto the stopper.

 

Annoyingly for my micro gricing BLS hat, this service was the first to go normal route, no crossovers to run via platform 2 at Chelmsford.  I looked at bailing at Shenfield but there was a 20-minute wait before the next London train, so I decided to stay, which was a good move due to it losing more time around Brentwood.  I alighted at Stratford, making my way across to Waterloo on the Jubilee, grabbing some food before having a wait for the inbound of the 21:20 service, which was busy from the start, even in the front coach.

 

720501 departs Stratford

 

I got back to Grateley, walked home, and relaxed for the rest of the evening, knowing that the Thursday was a day of rest due to the strikes (well I say day of rest, a day of playing with my brother’s dog who was coming over to stay with us for a few days).