Trips in April 2023, Part 2
The second part of April was just as busy as the first part, with trips to Berkshire, Dorset plus a couple of rail tours
14th April – A bus day in Hampshire & Berkshire
The weather this morning was a bit rubbish (and that was putting it nicely) but the main aim for today was to cover a slight novelty with a ‘one service each way’ a week bus route run by Salisbury Reds between Marlborough & Newbury, the X20. Something I had spotted on the Bus Times website when looking for ideas in Marlborough. The day began with walking from my house towards the railway station, but not down the stairs into the P1 car park but waiting at the exposed bus stop where 4 buses a day call (and one of those buses only runs during term time).
I can remember the days when I was a kid, where Grateley had a rough hourly bus service to/from Andover, when it was the route 1. That dropped to 2 buses every 3 hours (where the route 1 got split up with route 1, route 1a & route 1b, each doing something different in terms of villages they served) until a few years ago the bus route changed to be route 5 and changed the route it took. So doing my local bus route was on my wish-list for a while, just one thing I never got round to doing as it’s weekdays only.
Stagecoach Bus 47539 (GX57 DKF) at Grateley Station
Anyhow a Stagecoach Optare Solo (47537) rolled up with one other passenger on board. One more passenger boarded in Quarley (both remaining on until Andover bus station), no other takers in the other villages of Thruxton or Kimpton. The bus went via Weyhill before going towards the Army HQ near Red Post Bridge before doing a small trip via one of the housing areas in Andover (Gallaghers Mead/Crescent) before running towards the bus station via the railway station. An interesting route, certainly good for me to cover for it is my local bus service.
Into Andover bus station and I had roughly an hour to wait before the next Newbury bus, so I popped into the shopping centre to get lunch and a couple other bits (including new insoles for my walking boots as the pair I had was split due to overuse). It is always a bit sad to see all the empty units within the shopping centre & outside on the main high street. Bringing back memories of what used to be there in my youth, but I returned to the bus station for an Enviro200 (36431) on a route 7 for Newbury, a bit busy on departing Andover but it did empty out along the way out of the town.
This bus route roughly follows the A343 road towards Newbury, including some steep hills and tight curves. Looking at the timetable 2 of the route 7 services goes via some villages after Penwood (East End, Ball Hill) but this service (the 11:45 from Andover) goes the main road after Penwood (which is a shame as I enjoy looking out of the window at some of the smaller villages as it’s areas either I’ve never been to before or haven’t been to in years). Anyhow the bus soon arrived in Newbury and went towards the bus station via some of the suburbs with no takers. I had around 25 minutes at Newbury before my next bus service and the rain had returned so I didn’t go that far.
The next bus route was the main event for the day with the once-a-week X20 service run by Salisbury Reds between Marlborough & Newbury, it was on an Optare Solo 3817 and there were around a dozen passengers on board when it departed Newbury. I think I was the only passenger buying a ticket for the rest were on bus passes, as the bus departed Newbury bus station, heading towards the A4 to the north of the town centre, following the A4 for the run towards Hungerford, where half a dozen of the passengers alighted (I suspect using this bus route as it’s a bit quicker than the other buses between Hungerford & Newbury), nobody else boarded as the bus did a little loop in Hungerford before continuing back to the A4 where one more passenger got dropped in the village of Froxfield but other than that the rest remained on board to Marlborough after some fast running. Certainly, it was interesting to do the route, I presume put on to allow OAPs to visit Newbury for shopping once a week.
Salisbury Reds 3817 (HW62 CNO) outside Newbury Bus Station on the X20
At Marlborough I had another 25–30-minute break before my next bus, so I went for a little walk (laughing to myself that I hadn’t visited Marlborough in many years only to end up visiting 3 times within a week). I went via Waitrose to make use of the free toilets before grabbing some biscuits and heading back to the Lloyds Bank bus stop on the High Street as a route 20 service operated by “Swindon’s Bus Company” (Bus 105) rolled up to form the next service for Hungerford. Lightly loaded on departure of Marlborough (4 others excluding myself, 1 alighted on the outskirts of Marlborough. This bus went via Great Bedwyn (where the other 3 passengers alighted in an area in the south of the village, no takers at the railway station [although the timetable between train & bus is a bit rubbish from memory].
After Bedwyn it was a private bus as it went via the villages of Shalbourne & Ham before taking the A338 into Hungerford itself. I gambled on a very tight connection (2 minutes!) and bailed at a bus stop near Atherton Crescent in an area in the south of the town. I managed to get across the road and thankfully the next bus was a couple of minutes late departing with a Newbury & District operated route 3A (which I believe is a once-a-day route, not like that was part of my plan). This was another private bus (An Enviro200, fleet 656]. Normally the route 3 services go via Inkpen but this service went via Hungerford Common direct to Kintbury (where one other passenger boarded) before heading towards Newbury via some other villages (Hamstead Marshall, Enborne) before going via an housing estate in Newbury itself.
Swindon Bus Company Bus 105 (MX13 AZV) in Marlborough
Had I not made that 2-minute connection, my backup plan was either to spend 2 hours in Hungerford for the next route 3 service or fork out for the cost of the train to Newbury. Anyhow once the bus arrived at the Newbury Bus Station, I had another short wait before the next Stagecoach “Link” bus (26309) rolled in from Basingstoke to form the next service to Basingstoke (Link is the route name). This was a busy bus (provide a decent bus service and passengers will use them?) Anyhow this bus route goes towards Basingstoke heading south and did have a few of the passengers on board alighting within the general Newbury area with a good changeover along the way in Kingsclere (which seemed to be a good-looking village). The bus went towards Basingstoke, going via the suburbs to the north of the town, via the hospital and terminated in the bus station.
The first point of call for me was a trip to the toilets within the shopping centre, before making my slow way towards the railway station passing a sad sight of many closed up stores within Festival Place, a sign of the times with retail on the high street being a very tough environment. At the bus stop near the railway station, I waited a few minutes before a double decker (which was surprising as I was expecting the route 76 to be mostly single decker buses) rolled in. Stagecoach 19053 also known as the Pink Lady 2 for it carries advertising for cancer research. I got a prime seat on the top deck for the trip back to Andover as the bus made it to the bus station.
The bus never departed Basingstoke bus station; I think a mirror fell off. At one point it was due to run express to Andover before that changed to getting cancelled, and everybody onto the next Andover route 76 (thankfully this time of the day it is half hourly to Andover, during the day half the buses terminate at Whitchurch). This was onto a busy 10700 (the Hampshire Bus double decker) for the trip towards Andover. A couple of annoying youths (who had spent the time vaping away before getting told off) decided to leave their mark by knocking over a drink (think it was a milkshake) as they got off at one of the first stops outside of the bus station (near the Leisure Park, barely over a mile from the town centre).
Anyhow the bus did empty out as it went along, interesting to see the road from high up, especially with some trips via housing estates along the way towards Overton, then pretty much the main road all the way towards Andover. At Andover bus station my day with the buses was at an end as I walked towards the railway station to take a triple 159 for the 6 and a bit mile trip to Grateley, followed by a walk home. I didn’t want to be too late due to having an early start on the Saturday, but it was an enjoyable day looking out of the window of various bus routes, even with the mild farce at Basingstoke but it was handed professionally by the driver of the 1st bus.
Stagecoach South Bus 10700 (SN66 VVL) (Hampshire Bus) at Andover Bus Station
15th April – Baker’s Dozen Railtour
When I saw this slightly unusual railtour pop up which took the Hastings Diesel unit (201001) on a tour of London visiting various London termini. The day began with the 05:27 service from Grateley, which felt like a good idea at the time to avoid the cost of a hotel in the London area on a Friday night but still was rough walking to the station in the morning. A single 159 took me into Waterloo where I headed across the street to Waterloo East jumping on the first available service towards London Bridge (a pair of 465s). At London Bridge I headed towards platform 3 to jump on the next departure towards Cannon Street, a pair of 376s, and exited the station for a gentle walk towards Liverpool Street via a quiet City of London, just to save the cost of the underground.
I arrived at Liverpool Street in good time, located the Hastings Diesel unit, took a couple of photos before taking my seat on the narrow bench seats. Bench seats which were find when built but are a tad narrow for modern life, not much in the way of space between two people sitting side by side. I said morning to the gentlemen in my bay and the train set off from Liverpool Street, with the first reversal outside Stratford to take the Gas Factory curve towards Limehouse & Fenchurch Street where the turnaround time was shorter than planned due late running.
201001 at London Fenchurch Street
Back on board and the train set off towards Stratford again, but this time taking the Carpenters Road curve (I think that is the name) which gives access to the North London Line (required track for me). A trip along the North London Line before taking the Canonbury curve which gives access to the ECML just south of Finsbury Park. A trip via Ferne Park carriage sidings before reversing to take the Harringay flyover to cross over to the opposite side of the ECML before heading into Kings Cross for terminal number 3.
The tour departed from Kings Cross, back towards Hornsey, reversing once more to take the Harringay flyover then back south to take the connection leading towards the North London Line (more commonly used by the sleeper when it gets diverted via the ECML). A short run along the North London line before going via Primrose Hill to join the WCML, reversing in a loop near Kilburn Park. After this reversal the train headed into Euston where it had a longer break (around 35 minutes from memory)
201001 at London Euston
I don’t think I was alone in heading towards the Sainsburys Local for lunch, before heading back to platform 16 to reboard the train for the next leg towards St Pancras. From Euston it went along the WCML to join the Willesden dive-under lines (the ones used by the Southern services between Clapham & Watford), another reversal on the Dudding Hill line after using the connection near Acton Canal Wharf Junction. The train headed along the Dudding Hill line to join the Midland Main Line with a pathing stop in the Kentish Town area due to platform space in the St Pancras annex being limited. The train arrived at St Pancras and departed back along the Midland Main Line, going onto the freight lines before West Hampstead then along the Dudding Hill line back towards Acton.
The tour briefly joined the North London line before taking the connection to the Great Western, joining the relief lines before Acton Main Line. A short run along the GWML before taking the Greenford branch line, carrying on past Greenford onto the line formally used by the Chiltern service from West Ealing before that got replaced by a bus. Another short break at South Ruislip for pathing allowed time for some fresh air and some photos, followed by another short break at West Ruislip where the train reversed and waited as a 168 passed on a fast to London train.
168004 approaching West Ruislip Station
The tour train followed the 168 towards Marylebone to visit terminal number 6 of the day. Another short turnaround due to limited platform space and it departed back towards South Ruislip reversing on the platform to take the Acton – Northolt Line back towards Greenford, then onto the Greenford branch towards West Ealing then into Paddington (using the Acton Dive-under). After Paddington the tour train went back out towards West Ealing direction to reverse in the loop near Hanwell to pass Ealing Broadway a 4th time, this time going into the goods yard at Acton to take the chord towards the North London Line.
After briefly joining the North London line the train followed the track to reach the West London line (all the unusual track being covered on this tour!) The train ran along the West London line and onto 3rd rail land for the first time of the day. It took the connection formally used by Eurostar to access the North Pole Depot back in the day before HS1 got built to London, and into Waterloo. I made use of a longer break here to pop out to the new(ish) Sainsburys local located in the shopping centre underneath the former international platforms (The Sidings) to grab items for dinner.
River Thames from Battersea Railway Bridge
The next destination for the tour was Blackfriars, so after departing Waterloo it took the Linford curve to access South Eastern land for a short time before taking the curve near Loughborough Junction to run towards Elephant & Castle and into platform 4 at Blackfriars. After Blackfriars the tour departed back towards Loughborough Junction before taking the curve to head towards the Brixton area then into London Victoria, terminal 10 of the day. After Victoria the tour headed on a little tour of South London (Herne Hill – Tulse Hill – Crystal Palace – Forest Hill) to head towards the Thameslink platforms at London Bridge, then towards Charing Cross, stopping short on the platform outside the enclosed area (I presume due to the fire alarm system).
After Charing Cross the train departed back towards Waterloo East before taking the very lightly used metropolitan curve giving access to Cannon Street for the final reversal of the day. The last section of the tour was the short run from Cannon Street to London Bridge, terminal number 13 of the day. I said my farewells to the people I was sat with and headed towards platforms 8+9 to catch the first service towards Waterloo East (a pair of 376s), for a leisurely connection with the 22:20 service (a pair of 159s). An enjoyable and slightly unusual rail-tour, scoring a few bits of new track, but I was glad to get home to sleep as that early start had caught up with me.
377510, 465176 & 201001 at London Victoria
16th April – A trip to Swanage
After a busy week, it was time for a lazier day with a trip to Swanage, something I was considering doing on the Tuesday but decided to ditch it due to the bad weather. It was also a little day trip with mum as she had a busy week looking after my brother’s dog. The day started with the 08:30 service from Grateley to Salisbury with a pair of 159s for a short wait before 158887 on the busy stopper to Southampton, where we changed for a 444+450 combo on the Weymouth train. I noticed the crowd waiting for the first Cardiff bound GWR service was quite large, would dread to think how cosy that 166 would have been departing Southampton, yet alone further along the line (sadly I didn’t see it depart due to the Weymouth train using P3 at Southampton and blocking the view).
We took a seat near the front of the 444 where it was quieter on the fast run towards Poole (the 450 detaching at Bournemouth), where we made our slow way towards the bus station, swinging via a Sainsburys for lunch items (as I couldn’t remember what was available in Swanage). The first bus of the day was the Morebus route 40, operated with Purbeck Breezer branded bus 1710, this was quite busy on departure but soon emptied out along the way towards Wareham, with more passengers boarding at the station stop as the bus headed towards Purbeck with some beautiful countryside (and steep hills). The bus passed Corfe Castle and carried on towards Swanage, terminating in the bus area outside the heritage railway station.
SR U class 31806 at Swanage Station
Sadly, timings didn’t quite work out for a spin behind the steam engine, but that can be a job for another day (the Swanage line is one of the few heritage lines I’ve actually done). So, we headed towards the beach to sit & have lunch sitting on a wall watching the various movements on the beach before making our way back towards the station for the route 50 for Bournemouth, hoping for one of the open top buses which run this service when the weather is decent. But alas it was an older Scania Optare Visionaire (1406) (rather than a Volvo MCV EvoSeti which is the branded Purbeck Breezers)
Morebus Bus 1704 (HJ16 HSZ) at Swanage
Anyhow we got decent seats (sadly not at the front) for the run away from Swanage, along the beach before heading towards Studland and onto the Sandbanks chain ferry across Poole Harbour to reach Sandbanks (famous for being one of the most expensive places to buy houses). After running alongside the water front (giving me ideas for a future explore) the bus headed inland via the suburbs of Bournemouth, terminating at Bournemouth Interchange (after a tour of the town centre). After a trip to the Asda for dinner items it was to the station which was in a bit of chaos due to a sad incident around St Denys.
View towards Studland from the Sandbanks Ferry
The next train from Weymouth rolled in, to continue as a single 5 coach unit which was quite cosy, we got off at Southampton where it went from quite cosy to very very cosy with standing down the aisles (Southampton to London was only hourly today going via Havant due to Basingstoke being closed yet again). With some time to kill, we headed for a gentle walk out of the station towards Millbrook boarding a very busy 158 to Salisbury on the stopper (the GWR service which would have run in front was behind), getting a free upgrade to 1st class from the guard.
Railway Tracks from a footbridge near Southampton Central
This 158 took us to Salisbury, where we had a short wait before the next Andover train arrived (after watching another very busy single 166 picking up passengers at Salisbury). Needless to say, the Andover train was very quiet, only 1 other passenger in the rear coach on departure from Salisbury for the short run up the hill to Grateley, followed by a gentle walk home. An enjoyable day trip to Swanage covering two different bus routes, but scenic in their own right. Shame the bus to Bournemouth wasn’t an open top bus but you can’t have everything.
20th April – A stressful trip to Crewe
I had another long weekend booked in the shared house in Crewe, heading up on the Thursday night, aiming for the 20:46 Crewe service as that was a 350/4+350/1 combo (whereas the 19:46 was showing as a pair of 350/2s) when I asked earlier in the day. However, when I got to the station, things started to fall apart due to an incident at Basingstoke, the 17:59 service was showing as delayed before getting cancelled, so I jumped on a late running Exeter service, taking it to Salisbury (the theory being that there was more hope of staff at Salisbury than at Grateley).
At Salisbury, there was no staff in sight nor any manual announcements to try and explain what was going on, only endless automatic announcements that the XX: YY to Exeter/Yeovil etc was delayed or cancelled. A GWR service to Portsmouth rolled in with several announcements from that guard that tickets for London weren’t being accepted on that service (which is quite poor customer service from GWR, at not allowing passengers to bypass Basingstoke by going via Southampton/Portsmouth). I was following the trackmap knowing that the lines had reopened with trains moving but it wasn’t until the 19:27 rolled in from Exeter we got moving (the 18:27 which was starting at Salisbury due to an earlier delay remained locked on platform 2. But I was on the move, expecting this train to call at the villages due to being the first eastbound train for a few hours, but it carried on calling only at Andover (seems the first train to call at the likes of Grateley, Whitchurch & Overton wasn’t until half nine).
Anyhow thankfully the train didn’t loss anymore time in the Basingstoke area and arrived at Waterloo a few minutes late. Not enough time to do anything other than heading to the underground for the Northern line to Euston, swinging via Sainsburys for food before catching the 21:46 LNR service to Crewe, a single 350/2 (which was busy in the front coach until Rugby, emptying out along the way). At Crewe it was a short walk to the shared house to pick up my room-key and get myself comfortable for the next few days. A quite stressful trip, I only could relax once on the 350 and it was moving.
350262 at Crewe
21st April – A little trip to Glasgow
This is an idea I had a few weeks ago on my last trip to Crewe and noticing the cost of tickets for a quick spin to Glasgow weren’t that expensive (cheaper than my original idea of doing a North Wales Rover at least). Today was the last day, I believe, that Avanti was diverting via Shotts due to the Carstairs remodelling project. The day began with 390135, with some student type sat in my reserved seat (claiming it was hers without any proof, probably didn’t even have a ticket), however I located a better seat for the scenic run north. I made use of a 20-minute dwell at Carlisle for some fresh air before the train continued towards Mid Calder Junction (near Kirknewton), with some delay due to the London bound train being late (caught behind a late running Scotrail stopper). I will say the new south facing curve at Carstairs is a lot faster compared to the slow crawl it used to be.
At Mid Calder Junction, the train reversed for a slow trip towards Glasgow, the driver taking their time as there was a stopper in front. I enjoyed the scenery as it had been a few years since going via Shotts, eventually the train reached Glasgow Central and I headed out to grab lunch before a walk, as the sun was shining on a beautiful day. My walk took me along the Clyde Walkway, a path along the north bank of the river Clyde, going via Glasgow Green, Dalmarnock, a smelly waste water treatment works (I was glad when I passed that area). Underneath the railway bridge where I got lucky with a passing train before continuing around Cuningar Loop (the park on the south side of the river looked like a nice place to explore on a future trip)
A Scotrail unit crossing the River Clyde on the Dalmarnock Railway Bridge
I continued along my walk as the path turned quite rural with woodland (with the soundtrack of traffic from the motorway in the background at times). I carried on going underneath the M74 as the urban landscape returned with industrial area of the Clydesmill Industrial Estate and the path climbed away from the river with views being more limited due to trees. I crossed over the river on the Cambuslang footbridge giving views of the Cambuslang Orion bridge which looked very much railway related (steel lattice girder) and is also a footbridge (used to be a road bridge before it got replaced by a newer bridge).
I carried along the path with the river below (a couple times I went down the hill for some better photos), eventually coming across the disused Westburn railway viaduct, going underneath it before following the track bed of the old Glasgow Central Railway line leading towards Newton, which was a good place to finish my walk as I needed to get back towards the city centre to grab dinner before my booked train back to Crewe.
Westburn Viaduct over River Clyde (former Glasgow Central Railway)
Newton to Glasgow has multiple trains per hour, so I decided to jump on the first available service, a single 320 going via Maxwell Park. It got quite busy with school kids along the way, most only going one or two stops and most were behaved. The train reached Glasgow Central where it was due to attach to another unit to return towards Newton (I presume, I haven’t checked RTT to see if they interwork with other services these days). I had around an hour so had a gentle potter around the city centre, noticing that the Co-Op outside Glasgow Central is now a Tesco Express with a Tesco Express which used to be on Renfield Lane/Renfield Street is a Spar.
I returned to the station to take a seat on 390130, another un-refurbished Pendo (my luck with getting a refurbished unit for a decent run is crap), however it was lightly loaded in my coach, and I had no issues getting my reserved seat, even sitting on the opposite side for more looking out of the window for the trip via Shotts, reversing just beyond Mid Calder Junction to go towards Carlisle and the usual WCML. The train took me to Crewe, where I had a gentle walk back towards the shared house, swinging via the big Tesco for some supplies for the morning. It was an enjoyable leisurely riverside walk along a decent path with some nice views.
22nd April –
Shropshire Union Canal Walk
The idea for today was to make use of the £2 bus fare scheme to plug a gap in my coverage of the Shropshire Union canal, in March I walked from Middlewich towards Nantwich turning left at the junction in Wardle, so today was to walk from Wardle towards Chester. Thankfully there was a bus stop close to the entry point which made my life a bit easier. I headed towards the bus station, to take some photos on the last day of Arriva within Crewe before boarding the route 84 service for Chester. Unusually this was a double decker (bus 4409) as the last few times I’ve seen buses on this route they had been single deck buses.
Anyhow this bus took me towards Nantwich and onto the A51 where I alighted near Wardle Avenue, gaining access to the canal doing a little trip south to where the junction of the Middlewich branch before returning to where I started and carrying on along the towpath. It was a mix of grass (long in places) with some muddy patches and some areas of stones, very much variable. The first section the canal runs close to the A51 road, so it was a bit noisy with traffic passing before breaking away from that road in the area close to the former Calveley station and went into a more rural and quieter section.
Shropshire Union Canal between Wardle & Calveley
I carried on along the canal, passing underneath the railway (getting lucky with timing of a passing 197) as the canal loosely follows the railway via some nice countryside mixed up with some woodland. My walk took me along the canal where I had a short break near the former Tattenhall Road station (only the station building remains). A few miles later the canal reached Waverton where the towpath changed from being variable grass/dirt/mud/stones to a smoother tarmac as a cycle route joined the towpath. The towpath remained smooth as it headed towards Chester passing Christleton, then Boughton (suburbs of Chester) then finally into Chester city centre itself.
At the end of the walk (nearly 17 miles) I swung via Tesco for some supplies (mainly more drink as it was quite warm and I had nearly drunk all 2 litres of water I had with me) before I headed towards the Chester Bus Interchange (and the toilets) before an Arriva route X30 service (bus 3045) took me towards Warrington, going via Helsby, Frodsham & Runcorn (featuring some running on the Runcorn Expressway which was quite fun (dedicated roads for buses).
197021 near the former Tattenhall Road railway station on Crewe - Chester line
The bus arrived at Warrington near enough on time, giving me time for a tight connection into the hourly Go North West operated route 100 service to Manchester, with bus 3238 being my home for the next couple of hours (yep this was a slow bus route!) The bus departed Warrington bus station, going via the suburbs with a section of countryside after the M6 before reaching Cadishead, then Irlam. After a loop in Irlam it carried on towards The Trafford Centre before heading towards Eccles and Salford. Interesting to see parts of the area I’ve never been to before (other than via the trams or trains). Eventually the bus arrived at Shudehill bus interchange, and I had a few hours to play with as I wanted to be on the 20:30 TfW service back to Crewe (as it was showing as loco hauled).
For lack of a better plan, I decided to jump on a route 17 bus service for Rochdale (Go North West operated with bus 3065), it was a very busy bus on departure heading via the suburbs of Manchester (Collyhurst, Harpurhey) before going via Middleton bus station then towards Castleton before reaching Rochdale. Another bus route offering a different point of view from the window (although I did spot parts I remember from my canal walk last October). At Rochdale bus station I decided to head towards the railway station with a £3 ‘advance on the day’ ticket for Manchester Oxford Road.
Go North West Bus 3065 (BV66 VHC) at Rochdale Interchange
My first train of the day felt to a pair of 150s on a stopper from the bay platform, as I made myself comfortable (plugging my phone into the USB sockets for a quick boost of energy) for the trip towards Salford Crescent, changing to a pair of 331s for the slow run towards Piccadilly. The inbound for the 20:30 was running late but thankfully it was running (I had visions of it being spun at Wilmslow), and in rolled DVT 82226 with required 67010 on the rear, a nice surprise as it was my last of the TfW modified 67s I needed for haulage.
67010 at Manchester Piccadilly
I took a seat at the front for the run back to Crewe, allowing me tick off Manchester Piccadilly – Wilmslow for 67+Mk4 coverage, a more relaxing way to travel than a single 150 which was on the 21:30 service. At Crewe my usual place for dinner was closed (according to the website) so after some research I picked out Pizza Haven on Edleston Road, close to the shared house. It was a very nice pizza, certainly I will use them again. I was glad though to get to the house to take my boots off to allow my feet some fresh air after that long walk earlier.
An enjoyable day walking along the canal, I do like a canal-side walk as it’s a different pace of life. Afterwards some nice bus routes to make use of the £2 fares, topped off with a required 67.
23rd April – Back home via Hanley
The weather had turned in Cheshire so any plans for a walk was off the table (walking in the rain isn’t much fun), so I came up with plan B and so after leaving the shared house I headed towards Crewe station to board 350250 for the trip to Stafford via Stoke. At Stafford I had a gentle walk into the garden area outside the station before catching the First Potteries run route 101 (with bus 63096) on the service for Hanley Bus Station.
This bus headed out of Stafford, following the A34, detouring via Walton before going via Stone. After Stone it followed the A34 again towards Newcastle Under Lyme before heading across to Hanley bus station in Stoke on Trent. I had a short connection so like with the Saturday it was a case of getting off one bus and locating the next bus, which was Mainline branded 63173 on a route 3 for Crewe, which went towards Kidsgrove then Alsager along with some other smaller villages to reach Crewe bus station.
First Potteries Bus 63173 (SN64 CGG) at Crewe Bus Station
Two different but enjoyable bus journeys, but it was time for me to walk towards the railway station, swinging via Tesco for lunch. I had my fingers crossed and thankfully the next London Euston service was 350119 leading a 350/2 (no prizes at which unit I sat in). An uneventful journey until after Atherstone where it lost some time before joining the fast line to call at Nuneaton platform 4. It lost some more time after Rugby due to signalling issues, only around 13 minutes or so, so it was a bit unexpected when it was announced that due to late running the train would terminate at Milton Keynes due to a short turnaround at the London end.
Passengers were told to transfer to a pair of 350/2s on the next all station stopper, even though the guard was encouraging people not to board that train for London due to getting overtaken by the next train from Birmingham. I decided to gamble on the train from Birmingham (had the stopper not been a pair of 2s I would have got on board). Thankfully this gamble paid off as the train from Birmingham was 350234 leading 350406, and I even got a seat in the /4 part of the train (always a bonus on a Sunday afternoon).
350249 at Milton Keynes Central
Arrival into Euston was around 45 minutes later than planned (but at least the return to Crewe would have departed on time, all be without any passengers from London on it unless they arrived at Euston 25 minutes early to catch the Birmingham LNR to connect). As the weather had turned out to be glorious sunshine, I decided to walk towards Waterloo on an Underground avoidance move (those small cost savings do add up over time, going via Gower Street, Endell & Bow Street to reach Waterloo Bridge, with the marathon going on underneath. I reached Waterloo with a few minutes to spare to board a pair of 450s on an earlier Portsmouth train (which was quite busy). These 450s took me to Woking where I joined the chaotic queue outside for replacement buses (everybody in one queue rather than separate queues for the various services).
A new(ish) coach (72 plated Olympia Transport) rolled up for the Andover service, and quite sensibly passengers for Andover got given priority over those passengers for Basingstoke. I was lucky to get on board as only 2 others were allowed on afterwards as the coach was full. Due to being full the stop at Basingstoke got ripped out (no point going via Basingstoke when everybody on board was meant to be for Andover so it wouldn’t have been able to pick up any extra passengers). I did feel sorry for passengers for Basingstoke having to hang around for the next bus hoping that there would be spare on board [at least in theory the buses for Winchester will be quieter as passengers for Southampton would be using the diverted trains].
Olympia Transport Coach YN72 ZPO outside Andover station on a rail replacement service
The coach arrived at Andover a good 20 minutes early after a fast run along the motorway & A303, giving me a leisurely connection into a pair of 159s for a trip to Grateley for a gentle walk home, the end of a good long weekend, other than the farce with London Northwestern cancelling the train at Milton Keynes forcing a delay due to a fragile timetable.
28th April – The trip to Eastbourne
The 29th was the day of the Southern 313 farewell tour starting at Brighton, originally when I booked it the start time would have allowed for a day trip from home to save on the cost of accommodation (which in Brighton is eye wateringly expensive, I got quoted £65 for a bed in a 16-bed dorm room when I looked). However due to engineering works at Basingstoke I needed to come up with an alternative plan [sadly starting from Romsey would have been too tight with the timings] and found a £22 room in a hotel on the Eastbourne sea front. Although a downside that the reception opening times was more restrictive (must check in before 8pm or pay extra) which forced me to take a half day holiday from work.
The trip began with the 13:59 service to Basingstoke, followed by a pair of 444s to Clapham (a late running single 444 from Portsmouth soaked up a lot of the waiting passengers for Waterloo). At Clapham Junction (better make sure I put in junction, just in case someone thinks it’s Clapham in North Yorkshire) I changed to a busy 377316+377151 on a Littlehampton train to take me to Gatwick Airport, using the rebuilt platform 6 where the train did empty out. Next up was a Gatwick Express to take me to Brighton, allowing me to cover the line south of Gatwick on a 387 and I had plenty of seat options as it ran in near enough empty.
An EasyJet Plane comes in to land at Gatwick Airport
At Brighton, I took a 313 for the short distance to London Road (Brighton) as I needed some better photos of the station, before heading back towards Brighton station taking in the short “Brighton Greenway”. After grabbing dinner, it was to the next route 12X bus for Eastbourne (bus 944). Buses between the two towns are very frequent with the 12X being semi-fast (and needless to say quite busy at times). The route goes along the coast towards Saltdean & Peacehaven to reach Newhaven. After Newhaven the bus carried on to Seaford before going into the South Downs with East Dean and a lot of steep hills before dropping down into Eastbourne. Normally these buses finish in Eastbourne Town Centre but there are a few which continues to Birch Road in Roselands, near the Stagecoach bus depot.
After the bus journey (seats could have been a bit more suitable for longer distance mind) it was a walk along the Horsey Sewer path before an industrial area. After the industrial area I arrived at the hotel, getting checked in. I didn’t spend much time in the room (it had a wonderful view of the waterfront) as I headed back out for a gentle walk along the waterfront before heading to the station as I had word that 2 of the 3 units on Ashford trains were required today.
Brighton & Hove Bus 944 (BK15 ONW, Eric Slater) on Birch Road, Roselands, Eastbourne
Winner 171811 was up first which I took to Bexhill for a short wait for the next Eastbourne train, but that wasn’t needed (think it was 804) so I headed towards Collington by foot, going via Egerton Park before a pair of 377s took me to St Leonards Warrior Square before winner 171807 rolled in from Ashford to take me back to Eastbourne. Afterwards I had a walk back towards the hotel via the seafront for some photos of the pier at night, before going to the room to rest up for the evening.
As for the hotel, it was Marina Parade hotel, great location on the seafront, however it was very tired inside (carpets & paint). It had a disused bar area near the reception, with a comfy bed. One drawback for me was the slash window in my room didn’t stay open without using a toilet roll, however the location was also a downside with the sound of waves hitting a breakwater and idiotic boy racer types racing along the sea front road. The biggest downside was the lack of curtain on the bathroom window as there was a small internal window between bedroom area & the bathroom so when the sun rose light floated the room via that internal window. So yes, when I paid £23 for the room, it was probably worth that sort of money (although I suspect if you get a room on the back of the building it would be different in terms of noise, but with the loss of the view. On a positive the member of staff was very friendly.
View from bedroom at the Marine Parade Hotel, Eastbourne
29th April – 313 Farewell
Due to my hotel location, it was far more sensible (and cheaper with the £2 fares) to use the bus than walk to the station for a train. I was up earlier than expected (due to the light issues) so had an early morning stroll along the seafront towards the Fisherman's Club bus stop in Roselands for a Brighton & Hove route 12 bus (925), one of the few which start in Roselands (I can only assume they share use of the Stagecoach depot or have a separate depot area). Needless to say, it was empty until it reached the town centre before following a similar route to the 12X I used the night before, going via Newhaven Town station & a little shopping centre near Denton (in Newhaven).
I can see why this bus route is highly regarded for scenic views, some good views on the climb between Eastbourne & Newhaven in the South Downs before some sea views along the coastal road, certainly given me ideas for a walk from Newhaven towards Brighton at some point in the future. Anyhow arrival into the town centre and I grabbed breakfast from a Sainsburys before heading into the station to board the 313 Farewell tour. 313201 attached with 313213 and I was in a motor coach of 213, sitting opposite Trackist (sorry can’t remember your name) whom I had met a couple times before on rail tours.
313201 at Brighton Station
The tour departed Brighton, heading to Preston Park for a reversal to head towards the West Coastway line, with a good run towards Portsmouth Harbour. A photo stop at Portsmouth Harbour and it was back towards Barnham, the pause for photos at Chichester cut short due to a late running train which was meant to be in front being behind the tour train. Into platform 1 at Barnham to reverse into Bognor Regis where it used a non-platformed centre siding before going to Littlehampton for a lunch break. I made use of the time to pop to Sainsburys for lunch before heading to Littlehampton beach & pier, walking back via a path alongside the river.
Beach at Littlehampton
Back on board the tour train, the next stop was Three Bridges (via Hove), going via platform 1 at Worthing. The trains worked hard on the fast (ish) run on the Brighton Main Line before catching up with a stopper. A reversal at Three Bridges and it was a trip towards Eastbourne with a photo stop at Lewes, another reversal and it was to the Ore reversing siding before another break at Hastings where the train used the little used bay platform. I popped out of the station to a nearby Sainsburys for dinner items thinking it was easier to get something now than to gamble in Brighton. The next leg of the tour was ECS as it shunted from the bay platform to platform 2 before heading back towards Eastbourne, with a photo stop at Bexhill.
A quick reversal at Eastbourne and it was back towards Lewes for a reversal on platform 2 without the doors getting released due to the large crowd on the platform due to the kickball. Next up was the trip towards the former Newhaven Marine station, only the platform remains with a large security fence for the port. Another reversal and it was back towards Newhaven Town and Lewes going to Haywards Heath to reverse in a siding just beyond the station. This was the final reversal of the tour as it headed back towards Brighton, going via the carriage road after Preston Park (which was dropped in the morning).
313213 at Bexhill
Arrival into Brighton was a few minutes late (which annoyed someone close as they were hoping to make a tight connection to a London bound train and had a 15-minute wait for the next train). Sadly, this is where things went a bit wrong for me as I wanted to go via Southampton & Salisbury to get home to avoid using the replacement bus from Basingstoke to Andover. Southern strengthened services out on the East Coastway line for the kickball (8 coaches for Ore/Hastings, 7-8 coaches for Seaford with a 6-coach shuttle) but for the West Coastway line it will still the half hourly 4 coach 377. Needless to say, after being held in a crowd control pen the train departed extremely full, don’t think you could have gotten any more on board.
It stayed bad for overcrowding until after Worthing, and even then, it was still quite busy all the way to Chichester where my coach lost the last stander. I alighted at Portsmouth & Southsea to change over to a pair of 158s (such luxury) on a Cardiff bound service to take me to Salisbury where I had a 45-odd minute fester before the final train for Andover (the later trains were all ECS to Andover) departed to take me to Grateley, arriving pretty much the same time as the train from Andover I would have been on had I gone via Clapham Junction and the replacement bus from Basingstoke.
159021 at Grateley Station
Overall, an excellent day, a fitting farewell to the 313s on Southern, but all things must come to an end.
30th April – Chichester Canal & Harbour Walk
For the last day in April, I decided to head towards Chichester this morning to walk the Chichester Ship Canal, the day starting with a drive to Romsey followed by a 158 to Eastleigh for a 444 to Portsmouth Harbour. I walked to the Hard bus interchange and boarded Stagecoach bus 15987 on a route 700 to Chichester, just for different views. At Chichester I headed towards a nearby Tesco Express for lunch, and also found some toilets near a car park before heading towards the canal basin.
The Chichester canal is part navigable and has a decent towpath which was quite busy with other people out for a walk/jog/cycle. The canal itself was busy with canoes, wakeboarders & even a couple smaller powered craft. I guess the fine weather on a bank holiday Sunday helps out. Anyhow soon I left Chichester behind, heading into Hunston where the canal does a sharp 90 bend due to a former junction (Portsmouth & Arundel canal) and goes less busy nearer to the end of the navigable section. I had a little detour along the track bed of the former “Hundred of Manhood and Selsey Tramway” to the site of the former Hunston station before returning to the canal towpath.
Chichester Canal between Chichester & Hunston
The non-navigable section of the canal was a bit overgrown with weeds & fallen trees and was very peaceful as it headed through the countryside. Hardest part was crossing the A286 road near the entrance to Chichester marina, as the canal got very overgrown for the next section, passing an old lock, before it goes into moorings of fixed houseboats and an old sea-lock which is partly collapsed. My walk along the canal at an end, I headed along a path passing the expensive looking boats in the main marina before a mix of permissive footpath & other rights of way along the side of the Chichester Harbour which was very beautiful. The path did get quite muddy in places, with one point I ended up walking along the beach towards Dell Quay to avoid a particularly bad bit of mud.
Chichester Harbour between Chichester Marina & Dell Quay
After Dell Quay I continued along the path near to the harbour, one part was closed off due to erosion with an alternative path going across a field to reach Fishbourne Meadows. I reached the road and after a little detour via a foot crossing near Fishbourne station, I ended up at Fishbourne station. A very basic station with an out of order Permit to travel machine with a couple of late running 377s passing before a Portsmouth Harbour train rolled in (377208). I took this 377 to Portsmouth & Southsea, changing to a 3 coach 166 for the run back to Romsey, before driving home.
377116 passes Fishbourne Station
Chichester is on my list to revisit, to look at the cathedral, also to walk the remains of the Midhurst line (which is walkable to West Dean with an hourly bus at the other end). But that can wait for another day when I can do some bus route exploring at the same time. April had been a busy month in terms of adventures. More photos can be found here: Flickr Link
