Trips in July 2023 (Part 1)
July was a busy month with a couple long weekends away in Wales & Scotland
1st July – Buses in Oxfordshire (& Gloucestershire)
The idea for today was a trip towards Oxford to do some bus routes, doing a couple of loops making use of a Stagecoach West Gold Day ticket. I was with mum for an adventure as we left Grateley on the 05:59 service taking us to Basingstoke changing to a XC service to Oxford where we exited the station heading towards a nearby Spoons for breakfast (mainly to waste time). After breakfast we headed towards the Gloucester Green bus station to take a Stagecoach run route S2 (with double decker bus 11251) on the 2 hourly Cheltenham service.
A bit slow heading out of Oxford but eventually it picked up the A40 for a fast run towards Witney, afterwards it picked up the A40 once more heading towards Cheltenham, going via Andoversford before terminating in the Royal Well bus station, an enjoyable route of scenery. Next up was a route 51 for Swindon with bus 15970 from the bus stops on the promenade. A fast run at first due to having to go back towards Andoversford (this time bypassing the village) on the A40 to pick up the A436 towards Seven Springs due to the A435 being closed.
Stagecoach Bus 10757 (SN66 VYB) at Cheltenham (Promenade) on a 94X
The bus picked up the A435 to head towards Cirencester doing a loop of this market town before continuing heading towards Swindon with a detour via Cricklade. It approached Swindon from the north (Penhill) direction, passing a closed park & ride site, with the next section being a bit stop-start due to traffic eventually reaching the bus station where we headed out for some lunch from a nearby Tesco before the next bus journey. This time it was an Oxford bound S6 with bus 15967.
The S6 headed away from Swindon heading towards the A420 towards Shrivenham then via Faringdon & Southmoor but mostly following the A420 most of the way into Oxford where the bus terminated at the temporary terminus at Osney Island (due to roadworks on the bridge underneath the railway at Botley Road). This is where I changed my plan and instead of hanging around, we headed towards the railway station to board a S7 service for Witney (with Stagecoach bus 10674).
This bus headed out of the city centre (again quite slowly due to traffic and local passengers), going towards Kidlington and Oxford Airport before heading towards Woodstock (and Blenheim Palace which was hosting the Battle Proms, so traffic was building up). After Woodstock the bus continued towards Hanborough crossing the railway line then via North Leigh before arriving at Witney near enough on time.
Witney Buttercross
We had a short wait in Witney before a Pulhams Coaches operated route X9 rolled up (little Optare Solo YJ65 EUY), this being the first day they are taking part in the £2 bus fare scheme for more routes (as they were taken over by Go-Ahead). This bus headed away from Witney heading north towards Charlbury going via Finstock village (and Finstock station). A loop within Charlbury before the bus continued towards Spelsbury & Chadlington, passing Clarkson’s Diddly Squat Farm Shop.
The bus terminated in Chipping Norton where things went a tad wrong, the next Oxford service was running something like 45 minutes late due to heavy traffic, so after a visit to Sainsburys for dinner items we had a longer wait before bus 10667 arrived. Chipping Norton is on my list to revisit at some-point, only to sample the buses from Stratford on Avon & also Banbury but like many times it’s trying to find time.
Pulhams Bus YJ65 EUY in Chipping Norton on a X9
Back to the late running S3 for Oxford, this particular service took longer than the other S3 services from Chipping Norton as it went via Charlbury rather than on the A44 towards Woodstock, bit extra scenery as the driver did his best at making up for lost time going via Charlbury & villages such as Combe, then via Woodstock & Yarnton to reach Oxford where I think due to the late running the driver was instructed to run set-down only on the A4444 section via Summertown to reach Oxford station where we said farewell to the buses and headed to the station.
The next train towards Reading was formed of a reasonably busy 221, easy enough to grab a seat but it was one against a pillar, this was meant to continue towards Bournemouth but was terminating short at Reading due to staffing issues. Not ideal as it gave a 55-minute connection into the hourly Basingstoke service (as GWR had robbed the unit to boost the boat racing at Henley) which was a 2 coach 165. However, XC had randomly put on a replacement coach (Brit Coaches BU18 WMP) which after confirming it was going via Basingstoke we boarded (just to avoid the potential crush loaded 165 as the following XC was also cancelled).
Not a Voyager ;)
The coach headed towards Basingstoke via the A33, and we had a tight connection to a Salisbury bound train which was rolling into Basingstoke as we arrived (ironically the same train we would have caught had the XC run). It might have been a busy single 159 but we got home earlier than expected, and from reports that 2 coach 165 left Reading looking like something from Tokyo during rush hour.
An enjoyable day (other than the unexpected coach from Reading, but for me it ticked off Reading – Basingstoke for Rail Replacement), a lot of lovely countryside from both loops. Lucky, we did that Pulhams service as the S3 we would have taken from Oxford to Chipping Norton (one which went via Chadlington) looked like it got cancelled north of the city.
2nd July – Walking the Nickey Line & Grand Union Canal
The Nickey Line was an old Midland railway branch line from Harpenden to Hemel Hempstead which since closure has been turned into a mixed-use path, so I decided today was the day I would get round to ticking it off. The day started with the 07:39 service from Grateley into Waterloo, where I had a gentle walk across to Blackfriars which was in a bit of chaos due to overrunning engineering works (knew I should have just taken the Jubilee to West Hampstead). Eventually trains started running and it was into the rear first class area of 700135 for the run to Harpenden where I exited the station heading north to pick up the start of the Nickey Line path at Hollybrush Lane (featuring some steep steps).
The busy path took me away from Harpenden and into the countryside before reaching Redbourn, where the path skirts around the edge of the road on a path alongside the ring road reaching Church End, where the path once more goes more rural as it goes underneath the A1. Soon the path reached the outskirts of Hemel Hempstead at Maylands for a short section of road walking picking up the route of the old railway line once more as it headed towards Keen Field where the mixed used path came to an end, the remainder of the railway line lost under developments.
Remains of the platform at Roundwood Halt railway station on the Nickey Line
I headed towards the old town area of Hemel Hempstead, picking up a path alongside the River Gade which headed towards the new town centre where I swung towards a Tesco for some lunch and a brief break. After lunch I headed back to the Gade path, following it to reach the canal and Harding’s Moor. I crossed the moor land (which was quite scenic) eventually reaching the station, but I wasn’t going to head by train as I did a turn towards the Grand Union Canal.
Picking up the Grand Union canal heading back towards the town centre area and then towards Apsley. The surface was reasonable, and canal was busy, however a large spanner got thrown into my way when the towpath swaps sides at Red Lion Lane near Nash Mills as the towpath was closed for improvement works. With no real alternative route, I called it a day (originally, I was planning to reach Croxley Park in Watford to link up with the section I walked in December).
Nash Mills Lock on the Grand Union Canal, Nash Mills, Hemel Hempstead
I headed along the road to reach Apsley station, boarding the next London train (thankfully these days Apsley is half hourly, although there was an hourly Arriva run bus as a backup). I took this busy 350/2+350/1 combo (no prize at which unit I sat in) to Harrow & Wealdstone, changing to an Overground 710(258) which I took to Kilburn High Road where it terminated due to engineering works (I presume). I remained on board as it headed back towards Watford via the crossover to the Watford end of the station, changing at Kensal Green.
I had a gentle walk via the suburbs to Kensal Rise, changing to an Overground 378 to Brondesbury where after a quick walk towards Kilburn on the Jubilee Line I headed towards Kilburn Park via Kilburn High Road, taking a Bakerloo line service to Waterloo, reaching the Salisbury train with a few minutes to spare to take me back to Grateley, where I relaxed for the rest of the day. An enjoyable old railway line path walked, along with part of the canal, not sure when I will return to Apsley to carry on walking towards Watford.
710258 at Kilburn High Road
7th July – Explore South Wales Day 1
I had a 4-day weekend planned in South (and West) Wales making use of the 4 day Explore South Wales rover, a plan which sadly needed to get changed due to no GWR service to Pembroke on Saturday and due to the forecasted weather being a tad indifferent. The trip began with a drive to the village of Shipton Bellinger to board a Salisbury Reds operated route 66 service (with bus 1600). This was solely because I wanted to tick this bus route off for a while (as I regularly pass the daily northbound bus heading home).
The bus was very quiet as it headed towards Salisbury via the villages near the A338 (Newton Tony, Boscombe, Porton) picking up more passengers the closer it got to Salisbury, going via Laverstock (for the school) before going into the city centre. I alighted at the bus stop near the Tesco Metro, sorry Tesco Express as the bus would continue to serve a couple of schools based in the north of the city. It was an interesting route to do, only to see part of the countryside I’ve driven through countless times from a different angle.
Stagecoach (South) Bus 18512 (GX06 DXK) in Laverstock on a route 68
Anyhow it was to the trains, as I headed towards the station (via Sainsburys for some supplies) to board 166208 on the 08:42-odd Cardiff train. The original plan was to take this all the way to Cardiff, but it got put into platform 1 at Newport allowing a tight connection to a late running 175116 on a Carmarthen train, which I took to Pyle for no reason other than wanting some better photos. I had a rough plan to intercept my last 153/9 as it was on a Fishguard – Cardiff service, so after a short wait at Pyle I was back on my original plan with a pair of 153s (woof!) to Swansea as a Swanline stopper. A short wait at Swansea (popping out of the station for some bus photos) before 800002 rolled in from London to carry on towards Carmarthen as one of the improvements GWR made to the May timetable was a marked increase in London – Carmarthen services.
I do love the line between Gowerton & Carmarthen, it is one of my favourite lines for scenery as it runs alongside the water. At Carmarthen I spotted a 197 on the non-public “platform 3” (which I presume was for training) before 153906 rolled in along with 153327 for the non-stop run to Llanelli. Llanelli is where my accommodation was for the next few nights, a private room at the World Horizons building, around a 15-minute walk from the station, near North Dock.
153906 at Carmarthen Station
To be honest I wasn’t sure what to expect, I only booked it because of the price being massively cheaper than anything else in the general South Wales area (which was close to a station). First impression is that access felt like you were trespassing as the entrance is around the rear of the building (giving a good view of the railway), certainly at first, I had to double check to see if I went the right way. The room I had was basic but functional (a double bed & single bed) but I didn’t hang around for long as I headed out back towards the station to just about make a 150 for Shrewsbury which I took to Bynea.
As the weather was beautiful, I decided to go for a walk, walking along the road to reach the Wales Coastal Path to head back towards Llanelli going via a mostly tarmacked path near the river Loughor before heading inland to skirt around the outside of the WWT Llanelli Wetland Centre, then alongside a golf course before reaching the waterfront once more. I reached the picturesque Machynys Bay, meeting up with the point I started from on a walk in 2021 (from Llanelli towards Burry Port).
Llanelli Rocks
In Llanelli again, I walked a path alongside the Delta Lake, before following a cycle path crossing over the railway near the former Penyfan Quarry, then towards the station, taking my time as the next train towards Swansea was running late. This was a busy 150257 which I took to Swansea, popping out of the station to the Tesco Express before boarding a busy 153367 on the last Shrewsbury via Heart of Wales train of the day, which did empty out along the way, and I think when I left it at Llandovery was near enough empty.
I had around 45 minutes at Llandovery so I headed into the town centre via the remains of the castle, reaching a Co-Op to get a couple of bits before heading back to the station for 150217 to take me to Llandeilo to tick off both southbound platforms at these Heart of Wales stations (which cleared my list of Welsh platform wants, well until the 2nd platform opens on the stations north of Cross Keys on the Ebbw Vale line).
150217 at Llandeilo Station
With an hour (or there abouts) until the next northbound train (a short working to Llandovery which I was worried would get cancelled when it was delayed at Swansea, but thankfully it was just delayed). So, I had another gentle walk, firstly towards the Towy then via Castle Woods to Ffairfach station. I flagged down a quiet 150256 on the Llandovery service back to Llandovery, remaining on board for the southbound run (which was a private 150) to Llanelli, walking to the hostel building where I discovered one of the key drawbacks of the accommodation.
I suspect at one point the room I was in was an office (based solely on a floor plan layout next to the fire alarm box), as the window blind was a tad useless at blocking out light from a nearby lamppost (the other drawback was the shared toilet area being very smelly). But I was comfy and slept with my back against the window to block out the light. A successful first day of my Welsh trip, one of my goals was done (to do those southbound platforms, something I was hoping to have done in October 2021, but TfW collapsed).
8th July – Explore South Wales, Day 2
I had a few ideas what to do today, the weather was a bit unpredictable, originally, I was going to take the morning GWR service to Pembroke Dock, then walk the old Neyland railway line towards Johnston (then maybe onto Haverfordwest via a cycle path), but Pembroke Dock line looked like it was hard hit with planned cancellations, so I decided to park that idea for another trip. I was looking at catching a bus towards Cross Hands to walk back towards Llanelli via the former Llanelly & Mynydd Mawr Railway route (The Swiss Valley Cycle Path) but changed my mind when on route towards the town centre (going on a loop via Sandy Water Path).
A good thing I didn’t head out earlier in the day as the railway was in a state of chaos due to an incident at Swansea as I reached the station to catch a late running 175116 to Gowerton where I headed to pick up the mixed used path which made use of the former Llanelly Railway line towards Swansea Bay (the original Heart of Wales line). Once away from Gowerton itself, the path soon became quite tree lined and was very peaceful at times, passing the remains of Dunvant & Killay stations.
Remains of Killay Station
The path came to an end in Black Pill on the edge of Swansea Bay, where I ended the first part of todays walk to catch a First Bus route 3A operated service to Bracelet Bay near Mumbles Pier (with bus 44645). The 2nd part of todays walk was to follow the path which runs alongside Swansea Bay towards Swansea, following the route the Swansea and Mumbles Railway would have taken had it not been closed in 1960.
Mumbles Pier was part closed which was a bit of a disappointment, but the path was quite good, busy (with other walkers & cyclists) with a couple small detours inland due to sea erosion protection works. In the Brynmill area the path headed away from the water to run along a road before picking up the waterfront once more as I headed towards the Marina Park in Swansea. I headed towards Swansea station, swinging via a large Sainsburys for more supplies (always useful) ending the enjoyable walk. The Swansea waterfront is an area I had never really explored before this trip, and I do have many ideas for future exploring walks.
Mumbles Pier
The weather had thankfully behaved itself, a few light short showers but nothing major or long lasting, as it was time to say “To the Trains” with a pair of 800s being up first (I was originally aiming for a TfW service but that was hopelessly delayed), these 800 took me to Cardiff where I crossed the platform to board winner 158748 leading 158749. I had 748 countless times when it was split up to make up a couple of 3 coach 158/9 sets, so it was required for renumbering. I took this 158 to Newport where I stepped back to board 170619 (also needed for renumbering) for the long run to Gloucester (it did call at Chepstow, but it hit a large gap in Cardiff bound services).
At Gloucester I headed towards platform 1 to board a voyager back towards Newport (which was diverted due to engineering works on the normal route). I was surprised to get a decent seat, but the front coach did get busy (as this was in front of a late running TfW stopper so picked up passengers for Newport wanting that stopper). An enjoyable run back towards Newport (and unusual being on a voyager along this route) where thanks to arriving early (no stopper in front) I made a connection to 67025 hauling some Mk4 coaches on the Cardiff bound.
220011 at Newport Station
Once I reached Cardiff Central, options were a bit limited as I wanted to be on the GWR Carmarthen service (as TfW had cancelled quite a few services this evening leaving some gaps in service levels). So, for the lack of a better plan, I jumped onto a 150 for Radyr, but due to late running jumped out at Llandaf, spotting all the lovely overhead wires ready to take the bogless trams in a few years’ time. Another 150 took me back towards Cardiff where I had a short wait before 800013 & 800019 rolled in from London and I took a seat in 019 for the run towards Swansea where it split up before heading towards Llanelli, the end of my day. Before heading back towards the hostel, I went via a pizza place I used back in August 2017 (when staying in this area for the Heart of Wales line stations). It was a reasonable pizza which I munched on sitting in a quiet lounge area of the hostel.
800019 at Llanelli
9th July – Explore South Wales, Day 3
A later start compared to the Saturday (mainly due to the Sunday timetable) so I popped to a nearby Spoons for breakfast in the Llanelli town centre area before making my way to the station for the first Swansea bound train of the day, a pair of busy 153s. At Swansea I turned down the London train for the Manchester train, as 67014 was sitting on the buffers with some Mk4 coaches and DVT 82226 up front. 2nd aim for this trip was going to be complete for the novelty of a 67 hauled train from Swansea (was hoping to have done this on the Saturday but the set got replaced by a pair of 153s).
67014 at Swansea
As it was a Sunday, 1st class is oddly declassified, so I sat in the posh seats for the run across to Cardiff, staying on to alight at Pontypool & New Inn station. A station which has changed a lot since my last visit with a new car park being under construction giving direct access from the dual carriageway (A4042) with step free access to the next car park (not sure if the step free access will be available for the existing car park & pedestrian entrance). Anyhow the weather was decent enough, so I had a gentle walk towards Cwmbran station following an old railway path following the old Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company route.
At Pontrhydyrun the old railway path comes to an end (it’s been built over by a road), so I crossed a sports ground, picking up a path which runs alongside the river Lwyd continuing towards the station at Cwmbran with a little detour via Morrisons for some lunch items (solely to waste some time). The next northbound train was 175113 which I took to Abergavenny, intercepting a 150 on a train from Manchester. I just about managed to squeeze onto this extremely busy 150, the lack of luggage racks forcing luggage into the aisleway. Anyhow the train did empty out at Newport and again at Cardiff where I alighted.
175113 departs Abergavenny Station
I headed towards platform 6 at Cardiff Central, with no real plan in mind other than wanting to sample a Welsh Flirt, with 231009 being the first into my book with the run towards Llanbradach, just over the ten-mile mark. Interior is roughly the same as the Greater Anglia Flirts and a large upgrade for this line (even on a temporary basis). 231002 took me back south towards Cardiff, where I decided to remain on board to Grangetown, stepping back to a 150 for Barry Island.
231009 departs Llanbradach
This 150 took me to Barry Island, where I remained on board for the short run back to Barry, where due to a track fault it was using platform 3 (whereas in the past it would have crossed over to use platform 1). The fault looked long term as part of the crossing was missing. Anyhow a short wait at Barry before 150270 rolled in, one of the units on long term loan from Northern featuring the 3+2 seating. Better on a Bridgend service than heading to Manchester as it was quite quiet, a few off at the Airport station heading for the connecting bus but the train was lightly loaded.
Into Bridgend and I turned down a Swansea bound 150 as it was wedged out, instead waited a few minutes for a late running 800/3 behind, which was nice and quiet. This 800 took me to Swansea where I popped out of the station to visit Tesco Express for dinner items before jumping back on the same 800 for the run to Neath for a time-wasting move. Next up was a 150+153+153 combo on a Milford Haven + Pembroke Dock service, as I sat in the 150 for the run towards Whitland where the 153s detached and carried on to Milford Haven for no real reason other than a little revisit to this part of Pembrokeshire.
150282 at Milford Haven Station
Unlike during the week where the turnaround time is something idiotic like 10 minutes, this service had a 30-odd minute turnaround allowing a quick walk towards the waterfront before heading back to board a private 150 for the run back towards Llanelli and a gentle walk back to the hostel (which was very quiet, felt like I was alone). An enjoyable run towards Milford Haven and the 150 made a good racket on the fast-running sections.
10th July – Explore South Wales, Day 4
My crazy idea the night before was to catch the 06:08 to Shrewsbury service via the Heart of Wales line, due to that line having no time restrictions when using an Explore South Wales rover (otherwise it will be waiting until 09:30). I left the hostel building (which other than the window blind being useless, and the smelly bogs was reasonable enough for the price I paid), headed towards Llanelli station and waited for 153318 to roll in from Swansea.
A very quiet train, throughout, which was good because it was one of the former GWR examples where the Richmond seats give hardly any legroom. I settled down for the run towards Shrewsbury, skipping most of the request stops, looking out of the window (as it’s been a few years since I last did the complete run in one sitting). At Shrewsbury, I managed to catch a late running 197019 from Holyhead which had all the stops to Hereford ripped out (the back-up was a loco hauled set from Manchester).
153318 at Llanelli Station
This 197 took me towards Cardiff (so nice to have legroom, even if part was restricted due to a bar holding up the seat in front, the seats suffering from the negative of having pointless fixed armrests by the window side. Anyhow once in Cardiff Central I came up with a rough plan for the rest of the day because my last couple of reformed XC 170s were gettable which was a nice bonus (sadly my last couple of GWR 158s weren’t available, one wasn’t out & the other was on Swindon – Westbury services).
It was over to the Valley line platforms with 231001 taken to Llanbradach, for 231004 back towards Grangetown. 231007 took me back towards Caerphilly to Ystrad Mynach where I took 231008 to Dingle Road. 4 more of the 231s into my book, as I had a gentle walk via Dingle Park towards Cogan station, taking a 150 to Cardiff Central, and over to a waiting 197016 on a Holyhead service which I took to Newport, stepping back to 170623 (along with 170111) for the run to Chepstow.
231008 departs Dingle Road Station
I was going to have a little explore of Chepstow, but the rain which had been threatening for the last few hours decided to show up, so it was a short walk to Tesco for dinner items before 170618 rolled in to take me back towards Newport. I was glad to get my last couple of reformed XC 170s (formally 2 coach units with centre coaches from the old WMT 3 coach 170s) as they are a bit free rooming. At Newport I made a quick cross platform change onto a baby HST to take me under the water (potentially the last time I will be on a HST via the Severn tunnel).
At Bristol Temple Meads, I jumped onto a Weymouth bound 166 to Trowbridge for a time-wasting move before another 166 took me to Salisbury, both trains being lightly loaded. At Salisbury it was a short wait before the next Basingstoke stopper rolled in to take me to Grateley, the end of an enjoyable long weekend away in South Wales. I know it required multiple replanning due to the late notice timetable changes on TfW (on Sunday there was a near 4-hour gap for services from Swansea towards the west). I managed to get a couple of the items from my list of things, sadly sampling an IET to Pembroke Dock will have to wait until next year.
166214 departs Trowbridge
12th July – An unplanned evening spin to Southampton
I’ve been keeping my eyes on RTT to see allocations of a couple of GWR services which are booked 158 over the last couple of weeks, and when I saw that both my remaining required reformed 158s were out on Cardiff – Portsmouth services with a 7-minute connection at Southampton (or a safer +30 at Romsey) I felt like I couldn’t turn it down. So, after getting home after work, I headed to Grateley for the 18:07 service to Salisbury (a 159+159+158 combo) for a short wait before 158771 rolled in (along with 158862) for the run towards Southampton Central, changing platforms for 158768 to roll in from Portsmouth (along with 158769) to take me back towards Salisbury, where thankfully they were on time but it was still a tight official connection to board a Basingstoke stopper for the short run back home.
A short but sweet evening spin, at least I no longer had the need to keep my eyes out for any of the GWR 158s (until they disband the remaining 3 coach hybrid units). Lucky that both happened to fall on those services allowing me to grab both for the price of one.
165131 alongside 158771 at Southampton Central
More photos taken throughout July can be found here: Flickr Album
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