19th – 22nd April – Long weekend in Scotland

 19th – 22nd April – Long weekend in Scotland

It was a return to Scotland and my first visit of the year to Glasgow, making use of the reasonably priced guest house in Hamilton for accommodation with several ideas floating in my head at what to do on both the Saturday and also Sunday (I had booked this before I found out the WCML was closed on the Sunday which was a close call due to how much LNER want for trains these days).

19th April – Sleeper to Dalmuir

When I was booking tickets on the sleeper, the cost was the same to Glasgow as it was to Dalmuir on the highlander (even with the hassle of changing coaches at Edinburgh), so I decided to book on the Highlander for the chance of scoring a diesel loco for haulage.  The trip began like many of my trips did with the 17:59 from Grateley formed of a reasonably busy 159005 for the trip to London Waterloo, nothing unusual happening along the way other than arriving a good 7 minutes early (I presume a train this service was booked to follow, after Woking was either delayed or not running).

As I had a couple of hours to kill, I decided on my usual time-wasting stroll towards Euston via Holborn (it might not be the shortest, but I find it’s the easiest to follow without fear of missing a junction etc).  At Euston I found myself a seat and relaxed ready for the sleeper to get announced as boarding from platform 1.  92018 was up front (which seems to be my stalker as I’ve had this loco for the past couple of sleeper trips) and I found my seat in the rearmost coach.

My sleep was the usual mixed bag of light sleep, not helped by a couple of drinkers (bottle of wine each) deciding to have a catch-up talking quite loudly, it’s a sleeper coach not a nightclub.  Didn’t help that at the start the temperature was reasonable if not a touch too warm before the seated coach did it’s usual and go into “Height of Spanish Summer” mode making it a wee bit chilly.

159005 at London Waterloo

20th April – Canal Walking in Falkirk

I noticed something was up when I woke up on the outskirts of Edinburgh with the train running around an hour late, lost time in the Lockerbie area according to RTT.  A bit chaotic at Edinburgh where I would guess 75% of the passengers in the Aberdeen seats were due to change (thankfully not the pair of loud people).  We were eventually allowed off and told to head towards platform 2 and I hung back for a couple of photos.  Eventually 92018 returned pushing the Fort William seated coach & lounge car with winner 66304 & 73970 attaching to the front (annoyingly my last Sleeper 73 was on the Inverness portion, close but no cigar).

Anyhow the Fort William portion departed Edinburgh 56 minutes late, so I was expecting it to run direct towards Dalmuir via Falkirk & Maryhill to recover some lost time and to save it getting stuck behind a stopping service on the 2-track route via Bathgate.  I was surprised when it turned left at Newbridge Junction to go via Bathgate recovering no time and losing time as it got caught up behind a Balloch stopper in the Coatbridge area.  I was even more surprised when it didn’t stop at Glasgow Queen Street.  Originally, I was due to stay on to Dumbarton Central but decided to bail at Dalmuir (where the train stops for a crew change) for a better connection to the city centre.  Arrival was 71 minutes late so I would receive a 100% refund for the journey (email received before midday to automatically claim the money back).

66304 alongside 73967 at Edinburgh Waverley

At Dalmuir I crossed over to board 334015 & 334002 on an Edinburgh service for the nonstop run to Hyndland via Yoker, alighting at Partick where I headed to the Subway (via the ticket office to get a day ticket which is included in the price of a Roundabout).  Lady luck must have been shining a light as the first train I saw was winner subway unit 304, one of the new (3rd Generation) subway units built by Stadler.  Seats were a bit harder compared to the 2nd Generation units, but acceleration was quite good.  One thing I did notice was a short delay between the door release buzzer sounding and the doors opening, all be a couple of seconds.

I took 304 to Cowcaddens keeping my eyes on the inner circle but they were all 2nd Gen sets.  124, 205 & 125 took me to Buchanan Street followed by 120, 207 & 106 to St Enoch where I exited the Subway swinging via Tesco for some supplies (breakfast) and headed to Glasgow Queen Street, narrowly missing an Alloa train.  I was in two minds at what part of the canal to walk, either starting from Polmont or Larbert to walk towards Croy or start at Croy to walk towards the Falkirk Wheel where I had two options.  In the end I decided to start at Polmont catching 385123 & 385121 on the next Edinburgh service to begin my walk in the sunshine.

Glasgow Subway Set 304 departs Cowcaddens

From Polmont station I headed south towards Brightons to pick up the Union canal and headed west towards the various villages which made up Falkirk.  A decent towpath surface (nice tarmac) with some nice views once away from the built-up area and into countryside where the only sound was the passing trains on the Falkirk High line.  In the Glen Village area, I reached Falkirk tunnel which is 630 metres long taking the canal underneath Prospect Hill, coming out near Falkirk High station.  An interesting tunnel for the rocks not being covered over, although a bit wet.

After the tunnel the canal runs close to the railway line heading towards the Tamfourhill area of Falkirk before turning right underneath the railway at Rough Castle Tunnel and towards the Falkirk Wheel.  This wheel drops the canal 24 metres towards the Forth & Clyde canal via a rotating boat lift which was built in the late 90s when the canals were linked together once more.  A wonderful piece of engineering and something which had been on my list to visit for years.  I was lucky to catch the wheel turning twice, positioning myself on the hill to the rear of the wheel and then for the usual tourist location at the front of the wheel near the visitors’ centre.

Falkirk Wheel turning (from visitor centre)

This is where the Union canal flows meets the Forth & Clyde canal as I turned left to cross over the railway (Croy/Cumbernauld - Camelon/Larbert) and headed along the tarmac path towards Bonnybridge.  Then via some smaller settlements in a mostly rural setting (with some beautiful scenery).  I decided to break for lunch on an aqueduct over the Bonny Water near the M80 bridge (as this canal does lack benches).  After lunch I continued along a long section where the canal was quite wide (reminded me a bit like a river) with countryside both sides turning into woodlands.  My walk along the canal came to an end when I reached Auchinstarry near Kilsyth (which is the point I started my rather long walk last September towards Bowling).

An enjoyable walk along the canal in beautiful sunshine, as I made my way up a long hill towards Croy village then Croy station itself, and onto a stopper to Glasgow formed of 385039 & 385032 which I took to Glasgow Queen Street.  I crossed via the city centre (via a shop for a bottle of drink as my bottle of water was nearly finished).  At Glasgow Central I took a seat on 380102 working the Barrhead stopper to sample an electric train over this recently wired-up route (with East Kilbride to follow, why can't the English be as good with overhead wiring as the Scottish?).

380102 at Barrhead Station

I returned to Glasgow Central on 156503 & 156510 on a nonstop service, switching over to 380002 on a Newton via Shawlands service to take me to Newton.  A random time-wasting spin back to Cambuslang on 318260 & 318250 before 320316 & 320315 took me to Hamilton Central where after a little trip via the Cadzow Glen Park (which was quite peaceful & pretty with woodland) I ended up at the guest house to check myself in and to drop off some weight from my rucksack.

Exiting the guest house, I decided against a little stroll via the Clyde Walkway path towards Blantyre and instead do a little random trip to Hamilton West... via Glasgow city centre.  This is where things went wrong as there was nothing showing as unusual at Hamilton Central other than a Larkhall train being cancelled as I took 320401 to Motherwell followed by 385107 to Glasgow Central nonstop via Bellshill, a station in a bit of chaos underneath due to an attempted murder at Hyndland.

Cadzow Glen, Hamilton

I headed to the low-level platform, unusually the gateline was wide open with no staff to be seen with a train on the northbound platform.  I noticed on the signal diagram there was 2 trains in front as empty so was presuming one of those would be put in service after reversing at Exhibition Centre.  One of those trains stopped on the platform with a rush of passengers but departed empty much to the annoyance of the passengers with a second service going through nonstop.  All the meanwhile there was no announcements, and the only member of staff I saw was a cleaner picking up rubbish.

Eventually the train on the northbound platform departed and I noticed the 3rd train changing head code from a 5XYY to a 2XYY at Anderston station and eventually rocked up at a platform which was dangerously overcrowded. 320318 & 320309 was the very overcrowded train to take me to Hamilton West where I headed to a large Sainsburys (and Morrisons) for a late dinner and to grab some supplies for the weekend (big bottles of flavoured water).  I understand things might happen, but it seemed like ScotRail simply put up the white flag when it came to running services south of the river when the line was blocked north.

320309 at Hamilton West Station

Back to the guest house and after sorting out my bag ready for the Sunday I did some bits on the tablet before heading to sleep having checked the weather beforehand.

21st April – An unexpected trip to Oban

My original ideas for the Sunday walk was either the disused railway line from the Glengarnock area towards Paisley [along the former Lochwinnoch Loop Line & the disused path of the Paisley Canal line] or the walk from Balloch towards Dumbarton along the path next to the river Leven before following a disused railway path towards Kilpatrick.  However, both ideas got put back on the burner when I woke up on Sunday to find heavy rain forecasted (which wasn’t there on the Saturday night), so for the lack of a better idea I headed to Hamilton Central station, swinging via the town centre area and taking 320401 on the first train to Glasgow Central.

Along the way I was looking at a couple of ideas and picked up a little trip to Oban, the fare wasn’t that bad for a day return, and it had been a few years since I last adventured onto the Oban branch, plus I would get to sample a 153 on the return (so woof!).  But first after arriving at Glasgow Queen Street it was onto a busy Aberdeen bound HST with 43136 leading 43147 for the trip to Lenzie because randomly this train calls at Lenzie before running nonstop towards Larbert), so a bit of a novelty to alight from a HST at little old Lenzie, a place I will need to return to one of these days as there are a couple disused railway line paths on my radar (towards Strathblane & Glenboig).

43147 at Lenzie Station

Back to Glasgow Queen Street with 385032 walking to Central to take 320413 & 318259 to Partick where I visited the Morrisons outside the station before heading to the Subway, just to waste some time and to get out of the rain.  I jumped on the first outer service to Kelvinhall (formed of units 128, 107 & 111) where I got lucky with the first inner service being winner 306 which I took to Kinning Park, taking the same trio back to Cessnock.  As I saw another winner set out on the outer loop, I took sets 121, 206 & 133 to Shields Road, but before 307 rocked up winner 302 unexpectedly popped up on the next inner service which I took to Hillhead.  Finally taking winner 307 to Buchanan Street to get another one of the new Glasgow Subway units into my book.  Not bad for a Sunday morning.

I exited the subway at Buchanan Street, making my slow way towards Queen Street picking up my tickets for Oban and making my way across to the train.  156450 was leading 156493 & 156500 which would split at Crianlarich with the rear 4 coaches carrying on to Fort William (and Mallaig).  I took a seat in the front coach which was rather cold and relaxed for the enjoyable little trip on the West Highlands Line towards Oban, looking out of the window at the amazing scenery along the way.  The rain had been replaced with some beautiful sunshine and was nice and warm when the train arrived at Oban going into platform ‘3’ (the one next to the Premier Inn).  This was a bit surprising because for some reason I had in my head that Oban was one of those stations like Paignton where you could arrive at one platform (4) but not depart from it due to the signalling with the unit shunting across to platform 3 once the other service had gone.  I have no idea why I had that in my head.

Oban Bay

After a brief explore of Oban, I joined the queue to board the next Glasgow train which was departing from the rarer platform 4 (Oban is a bit like Bridlington in having platform numbers a bit messed up from olden days where it had more platforms).  156476 was leading 153380 and because the premium fare to sit in the 153 “Active Travel” unit has been suspended I decided to sit in the 153.  Sitting on the opposite side to enjoy looking out of the window on the way back towards Glasgow.  I alighted from the train at Dalmuir to change platforms to board a Larkhall bound service which surprisingly was 334023 & 334010, I did this to avoid having a fast walk between the two Glasgow stations, I saw at the rear of 010 not really knowing how busy it would get after Glasgow Central.

156476 at Oban

I took these 334s to Hamilton Central (part of me was tempted to stay on to Larkhall for the novelty of the Larkhall branch on a 334) but I headed back to the guest house, dropping off my rucksack before heading out to visit a pizza takeaway I used last year, munching on said pizza near an old water fountain before making my way back to the guest house to sort my bag out ready for an early start on the Monday.  An enjoyable day looking out of the window on the Oban service, the bonus of platform ‘4’, shame the weather in the morning was a bit rubbish but it is what it is.

334010 at Hamilton Central Station

22nd April – Back to the Union Canal & heading home.

I checked out of the guest house early morning making my way to Hamilton Central to pick up my ticket, jumping onto a Cumbernauld bound 320320 & 320412 to take me to Motherwell where I had a 29-minute fester for the morning Cross Country service, the time spent relaxing on a bench watching commuters.  220001 rolled in from Glasgow to take me to Haymarket, where it was easy to grab a seat in coach F.  The main reason I wanted to do this service is that it uses the platform avoiding line at Carstairs when heading towards Edinburgh (with my little BLS hat on, although that is probably the wrong name for that line).

At Haymarket I changed trains to 385005 & 385029 to take me to Linlithgow to begin my latest walk, doing another section of the Union Canal.  Easy to access the canal from the station.  As it headed via the town of Linlithgow before going into the countryside crossing over the river Avon on the 2nd longest aqueduct in Britain (although the towpath in this area wasn't the nicest to walk compared to the smooth tarmac leading up to it).  A place I want to revisit as there seems to be a path running alongside the river back towards Linlithgow.

Top of the Avon Aqueduct on Union Canal

My walk along the canal continued with some lovely countryside views mixed with some views of industry at Grangemouth.  The canal ran close to the railway as it headed towards Polmont, reaching the point where I joined the towpath on the Saturday.  I headed down the hill to reach Polmont station with a few minutes to spare to take 385105 & 385109 to Glasgow Queen Street.  An enjoyable short walk, another section of the Union canal covered leaving just the long section between Linlithgow & Edinburgh Park to do (which hopefully I can do in June when I'm in Scotland for a few days on a Central Scotland Ranger).

Anyhow to the trains, as the pair of 385s took me to Glasgow, where I headed downstairs to jump on 320317 & 318270 to take me to Partick where I visited the Morrisons close to the station for lunch & also to grab supplies for dinner before heading to the subway.  I took set 132, 118 & 130 to Kelvinhall (for the island platform, making it easier to monitor both sides at once).  Sadly, my luck wasn’t with me as everything was all the older gen 2 sets with only 302 out of the newer units.  Once 302 did a complete circuit I jumped on it to Ibrox before taking 106, 207 & 120 to St Enoch, exiting the system with just over an hour before my booked train to London.

Glasgow Subway Set 120 at St Enoch

To waste time, I just pottered about the city, visiting a couple of shops without buying anything (other than a bottle of pop from Poundland).  The inbound for my booked train home was running late due to earlier signalling issues around Milton Keynes so it was a bit chaotic when it came to board 390121 as I ignored my reserved seat and headed towards coach G, changing to coach U as the socket at my chosen table wasn’t working.  I settled down with music playing as the Pendo headed south, departing around 19 minutes late, time it never regained (it got down to 15 minutes after Warrington but lost time around Crewe due to following a voyager until Stafford.

Arrival into Euston was around 20 minutes late (so a little bit of money back from delay repay) and I had a stroll towards Waterloo as my legs needed moving.  I arrived with time to spare for the 20:20 service formed of 159106 & 159103 to take me to Grateley, to have a gentle walk home to relax and sort out my rucksack.  I always forget how scenic the northern section of the WCML is when it runs via the Scottish borders & Lake District.  More photos are on my Flickr but I will leave you with this photo of the countryside near Polmont with hills in the background and Grangemouth.  Thanks for reading

View from the Union Canal in the Polmont area

13th April – Harbourmaster Tour to Milford Haven

 13th April – Harbourmaster Tour to Milford Haven

My first tour with UK Railtours of the year heading towards Milford Haven via the Robeston oil termina freight line.  Appealed to me due to wanting to head back out to West Wales and that it could be done without the expense of accommodation.  I was joined on the day with my good friend Dan who was staying for a few days in the Andover Travelodge.  It was a very early start (04:30 alarm) with a drive to the hotel in Andover to pick Dan up around 5am before heading to the Andover station area, parking up on a side street which has free parking at weekends.

159009 rolled in to take us to Basingstoke on the first train of the day followed by 165117 to Reading on the stopper.  At Reading we headed towards a Sainsburys to grab supplies for lunch before swinging via Wendys for breakfast and headed back towards the station ready for the charter train to roll in.  57303 was leading the charter for the section between London & Newport (the Alexandra Dock Siding), a loco I haven’t had since April 2015 when it popped up on a Great Western sleeper service, and first 57 I’ve had since October 2018 (another trip on the GWR sleeper is very much overdue).

57303 arriving at Reading Station

We boarded the Mk2 coach, finding out seats and thankfully this tour featured a couple of others at the table who were talkative as the tour headed out west, a bit unusual for a railtour not to call at Didcot Parkway with a pathing stop in the loop near the former Wantage Road station before carrying on towards Swindon to pick up more passengers.  After Swindon the train continued to pick up the last passengers at Bristol Parkway before heading into South Wales, the 57 putting on a good performance in terms of speed.  The train headed into the sidings near Alexandra Dock in Newport with the 57 being changed for 66718 on the front and 66730 onto the rear, both winners for me which is always a bonus on these sort of tours.

After the loco change, the train continued towards Cardiff, Bridgend & Port Talbot (where the train had a pause for a crew change), then onto the Swansea District Line to bypass Swansea with the lower speed limit compared to the mainline, but nice to cover this line again (probably a good few years since the last time I was on this line).  At Llanelli the train paused to allow passengers off who were going to visit some gardens via a coach transfer (causing a bit of chaos due to overhanging the level crossing).  After Llanelli the train continued towards Carmarthen bypassing the station using the direct line then nonstop towards Clarbeston Road where it had a pause for a train from Fishguard to clear the single-track section beyond the signal box giving access to the Milford Haven line.  The train paused on platform 2 at Haverfordwest (bit of required track for me) to allow passengers an hour break, which was nice just to have a gentle stroll.

66718 at Haverfordwest Station

I headed towards the town centre going towards Morrisons to grab supplies for dinner before returning to the station and returning to the charter as it headed south towards Milford Haven.  Before visiting Milford, the train had a little detour along the short branch line towards the Robeston Oil Terminal reaching the gates of the terminal before reversing towards Herbrandston Junction and then onward to Milford Haven where we had around a 30 minutes break, time used for a couple of photos and a visit to a supermarket for a bottle of drink to try and give me some energy as that early start was slowly catching up on me.

Back on the train as it departed Milford Haven, passing the next passenger service (a 197) at Haverfordwest (where it paused to pick up passengers who wanted a longer lunch break).  After Haverfordwest it joined the double track section and had a 20 minute photo stop/fresh air break at Whitland (which was a nice touch to allow passengers to photograph 66730 as it was off the platform at both Haverfordwest & Milford Haven).  After Whitland the train continued east, bypassing Carmarthen once more and pausing at Llanelli to pick up passengers from the gardens, picking up some delays as it caught up with a late running passenger service.  Unlike the morning the train headed towards Swansea via Gowerton but bypassing the station by using the curve at Landore (passing various 175s in storage on the former HST depot).

66730 at Whitland Station

The time which was lost following the late running train was made up by not pausing at the junction and going straight onto the line towards Neath.  Another brief pause at Port Talbot to change crew before the train carried on towards Cardiff where the train went from around 10 minutes early to 15 minutes late due to congestion.  By the time the train reached the outskirts of Newport it was around 20 minutes late for the loco change with the 66s getting replaced by 57303.  The train continued along the relief lines towards Severn Tunnel Junction before going back into England for the first set down at Bristol Parkway.  A late running IET was on the charter’s tail, but the charter went first heading towards Swindon for the 2nd set down (where the train emptied out).  The 57 was on fine form as it headed towards Reading, arriving a minute or so late giving myself & Dan a 29-minute wait for the next Basingstoke train.

This was an extra busy 165113 (didn’t help that the previous stopper had been cancelled and the XC which would have run before that not running), we got seats in declassified first class for the trip to Basingstoke where thankfully we had an extra few minutes to reach platform 1 for 159020 & 159015 on the 22:20 from Waterloo.  This took us back to Andover and after dropping Dan off at the hotel I drove home, getting back just after midnight.  Needless to say, I wasn’t up for long before crashing out to sleep after a long day.  An enjoyable railtour to a lovely part of West Wales, bit of new track in my book (both the freight line and the loop at Haverfordwest) and I think Mini Miles enjoyed it as well (lol).

A quiet week with the Sunday spent doing gardening getting ready for a busy few weeks with trips to Scotland & Cheshire coming up

Easter Holiday Trips, 3rd April – 7th April

 Easter Holiday Trips, 3rd April – 7th April

With part of the week off work with my first railtour of the year on the Thursday, it was time to do some exploring.

3rd April – Exploring the North Dorset Trailway

The North Dorset Trailway is the name given to a mixed used path which makes use of the former Somerset & Dorset Joint Railway route, running from the town of Sturminster Newton towards Blandford Forum then onwards to the village of Spetisbury with a short gap in the middle of Blandford due to modern developments and the viaduct over the river Stour.  It is a walk which can only be done on a weekday due to the buses which serve Sturminster Newton being weekday only (served by both an infrequent ‘CR3’ route from Gillingham (ran with South West Coaches) and a rough 2 hourly ‘CR4’ run by First between Yeovil & Blandford Forum.  It is also a lot easier for me to get to Blandford Forum on a weekday as the infrequent direct Salisbury – Blandford bus only runs on weekdays.

Anyhow the weather forecast was looking promising after a couple days of horrible wet weather, so the trip began with a drive to Salisbury, parking in the London Road Park & Ride site and having a gentle walk into the city centre, swinging via the toilets in the shopping centre before heading to board the route 20 bus to Blandford Forum. I was a bit surprised to see a Damory Scania OmniDekka (1013) considering when I did this route last year this service was an Enviro200.  Anyhow I got a seat at the front of the bus for views of the countryside as it made its way towards Blandford Forum mostly following the A354.  One passenger alighted at what appeared to be a farm (who boarded there in the evening, so I suspect someone who works there).  Only detour away from the A354 was to visit Sixpenny Handley.  The bus got busier on the outskirts of Blandford (in the Pimperne area), and at Blandford it formed a CR8 (renumbered X12) for Weymouth.

Damory Bus 1013 in Salisbury on a route 20 for Blandford Forum

I alighted in Blandford Forum, having a little trip towards Morrisons to have a little look (I got lunch from Boots in Salisbury) before making my way to the bus stop outside the Crown Hotel to board the next First Somerset run CR4 service for Yeovil (with bus 44534).  This bus headed away from Blandford Forum going towards the villages of Durweston, Shillingstone, Okeford Fitzpaine, Child Okeford & Manston before reaching the car park at Sturminster Newton where it had a booked wait, which is where I alighted to begin my walk (after popping to the toilets alongside the car park as my theory is better to make use of the toilets when you can as you don't know when the next time would be).  An interesting bus route via the Dorset countryside.

Before picking up the North Dorset Trailway I headed towards the Railway Gardens, built where the station used to stand before heading via the car park to reach the starting point of the mixed used path. The first section was quite busy with dog walkers (and some joggers), although after the crossing of the river Stour the path turned quiet.  A couple areas of mild flooding & mud along the path but nothing that major (and to be honest something to be expected after all the recent rain).  The path headed into the countryside before requiring a detour via a road due to the route of the railway going into a nature reserve (near Bere Marsh Farm).  The route of the old railway was joined near Shillingstone station, home of the North Dorset Railway which have a small collection of railway memorabilia including some old coaches & wagons (plus a couple old locos).

Hudswell Shunter at Shillingstone Station (North Dorset Railway)

The walk continued after the station with the village on the right and some nice scenery on the left.  I continued towards the village of Stourpaine with another crossing of the river and onto another section where the original route of the railway has been lost resulting in a detour via the village, passing the church before joining up with the railway route once more as it went underneath the A350, passing a tree with many old tyres around its trunk (which had been there for a while based on how tall the tree was).  I'm not sure how much of the next section was along the route of the old railway or how much had been lost to the A350 as the path went across fields (on a decent surface with fences both sides).

I continued, going underneath another bridge below the A350 road and back onto what seemed to be the route of the old railway due to being in a cutting.  A good time to pause for some lunch before continuing towards Blandford Forum with the path coming to an end at the site of the former station (complete with old footbridge).  The next section was via the roads to reach the Stour Meadows where the railway crossed on a viaduct with only a small section remain.

Remains of the Somerset & Dorset Railway viaduct over River Stour in Blandford Forum

Crossing over the river Stour to Blandford St Mary, I headed south via a large Tesco before a short section alongside the A350 to pick up a footpath along "Ward's Drove" which took me towards the southern section of the North Dorset Trailway.  This was a quieter path (in terms of other path users) but still very pretty.  I carried on passing the remains of Charlton Marshall station (with tiny platforms) enjoying the sunshine.  Eventually I reached the platforms at the former Spetisbury station with the end of the path reached a short distance later as it came down onto the road near Crawford Bridge, the end of my little stroll along the North Dorset Trailway.

I had around a 20-minute wait before the next bus for Blandford Forum would arrive so after a quick visit to the river bridge, I took a seat and relaxed.  The Damory route X8 service rolled in with a MoreBus branded 1611 (both parts of Go-Ahead South) to take me back towards Blandford Forum, remaining on board as the bus did a loop of the town (just to waste some time).

After alighting from the bus, I popped to Morrisons for some dinner items and relaxed in the town centre before the last route 20 service for Salisbury rolled in (with hired-in Salisbury Reds Enviro200 2709).  A reasonably busy service heading away from Blandford Forum, but after Pimperne the next time the bus stopped was to pick up the worker at the farm as the remaining passengers were for Salisbury.

Remains of platforms at Charlton Marshall Station (Somerset & Dorset Railway)

In Salisbury it was a short walk along Endless Street to board a R2 service (formed of 2714) for the trip towards Bishopdown area of the city and I alighted at the bus stop near Jewell Close, also known as the unofficial bus stop for the park & Ride site (saved waiting round for the next PR7 service).  Salisbury Park & Ride is the sort which has free parking where you buy the ticket on the bus, rather than like Winchester where you pay for parking and get free bus travel.  Anyhow back to my car, changing from my boots to shoes I drove home to get changed into fresh clothing, packing my rucksack with clothes and drink before making my way towards the station, having purchased my ticket for Reading on the bus between Blandford & Salisbury.  I was aiming for the 18:59 service which was direct to Reading (how handy), however typical of the railways that service had been cancelled.

Had I noticed it was cancelled before leaving home, I would have stayed at home a little longer to have my dinner, ah well.  Next up was the 19:36 service from Exeter formed of a busy 159022 & 159108 to take me towards Basingstoke, the next SWR to Reading also being cancelled so it was a 25-minute fester at Basingstoke before 165104 took me to Reading, arriving a mere 80 minutes later than expected (at least my single ticket got a full refund).  Originally, I had booked the Travelodge in Reading, near Oxford Road, however I randomly decided a couple of weeks ago to have a little look at alternative hotels just in case I found something cheaper (Had paid £95 for 2 nights flexible rate).  Easy Hotel wanted £88 for both nights (which for Reading was quite reasonable as Reading suffers from being used by visitors to both Oxford & London).  I randomly looked up the Premier Inn website expecting it to return a stupidly high amount but was surprised when they wanted £70 for the 2 nights (or £80 for the semi-flex rate with free cancellation up-to 3 days beforehand, which was a bit of insurance at the time due to the landslip near Telford)

165104 at Reading Station

So, I switched my booking to the Premier Inn at Caversham Bridge (deciding that one over the ‘central’ one near the Kennet based on recommendations.  Also, I had previously used this Premier Inn back in August 2020 (when I had an early start from Reading to tick off the Oxford bound platform at Ascott Under Wychwood).  It was a 12-minute walk from the station, checking in, and getting a refurbished room.  A quick sort out of my bag and clothes for the morning followed by a shower before I headed to sleep with alarms set on both my phone and my tablet to act as insurance.  It had been an enjoyable walk in Dorset with some beautiful scenery, and good to remove another disused railway line walk from my list when the £2 bus fares are still happening.

4th April – Pathfinder to Cambrian Coast

My first railtour of the year was the Pathfinder tour to the Cambrian Coast, towards Pwllheli. They run several of these tours a year each with different starting locations & pick-up points, so I was happy they were running one from Reading, even if it did mean the expense of a hotel room for 2 nights.  The day started with a 05:30 alarm and a gentle walk towards the Tesco Express near the former Post Office in Reading town centre as that opened at 6am allowing me to grab some supplies for both breakfast & also something for lunch (to save the lottery of what would have been available on the train).

After my supply run, I headed to the station at Reading to find my seat with 67005 up front for the section towards Shrewsbury and knew it would be a long day when both the other passengers at my table didn’t even respond to a “morning” (and one of them remained near enough silent throughout the day, the other coming to life after Birmingham where his friend joined).  Anyhow the train departed on time, calling at Didcot Parkway, Oxford, Banbury, Leamington & Dorridge (where I scored a tiny bit of new track as the train went into platform 3 from the south to get overtaken by a couple of service trains).  After departing Dorridge is headed towards Birmingham New Street where it did get quite busy in the other coaches (as Pathfinder tends to do the seating plan by coach so one coach could be empty where the coach next to it was empty).

67005 at Reading Station

The charter departed Birmingham New Street, calling at Wolverhampton before losing some time due to signalling issues towards Telford with a final pick-up at Shrewsbury where the 67 detached and winners 97304 & 97302 attached to the rear (the 97s being 37s modified with the signalling equipment to run on the Cambrian line).  It had been a few years since my last trip on this line (think it was 2021 when I visited Bow Street staying in Wolverhampton and getting messed around with the Premier Inn).  It was nice to do the line again as I always forget how rural it gets as well as some speed, the delay being recovered due to a shorter pathing stop on the double track section near Welshpool.

The next stop was at Machynlleth for a pathing stop and a much-needed bit of fresh air (also a chance to move my legs as legroom on the Mk2 coaches is rubbish).  After the 158s had arrived the charter continued onto the coastline where speed was much reduced (all the better for some stunning views), the first stop was at Barmouth where some passengers alighted before continuing to pause at Minffordd and Porthmadog [for another pathing stop to allow the next Birmingham train to pass].  The charter was a few minutes late by this point but regained the time when it arrived at Pwllheli where I think a good portion of the train headed to the Wetherspoons.

97304 at Pwllheli Station

Meanwhile as the sun was shining, I decided on a little explore of Pwllheli, and after checking cost of tickets decided on a little stroll along the Wales Coastal Path route, along the beach to Abererch station where I flagged down 158836 for the run to Porthmadog.  I was planning on another little explore but the rain arrived, so I detoured into the large Tesco to grab some supplies for dinner before making my way back to the station, trying to dodge the smokers polluting the air underneath the canopy.  The 97s arrived and I returned to my seat and relaxed for the trip back south and back towards Shrewsbury with darkness falling around Newtown.

Beach between Pwllheli & Abererch

At Shrewsbury the 97s were replaced with 67005 for the trip back towards Reading, emptying out at Birmingham New Street (where I relocated to a half empty coach to a private table so I could watch something on my tablet and spread out).  Not the fastest of runs after Banbury due to following an Oxford stopper (I forgot there was a couple of random late night Chiltern services which go Marylebone – Oxford – Banbury to get them back to the depot).  I was glad when the train arrived at Reading for a walk back to the hotel where I crashed out (after putting some things on charge).  It was an enjoyable railtour but one long day.

387135 at Reading

5th April – Grand Union Canal Walk

My original idea for today sadly went into the bin with the latest overtime ban (and strikes) as I was originally going to try and sample a 701 and have a short 730 hunt with walking the Grand Union between Tring & Leighton Buzzard.  After looking at maps and measuring distances I came up with a plan for a walk along the canal which didn’t make use of London Northwestern.  But first I wanted to do a little random novelty of Reading town centre with the limited served “Southwest” Interchange bus stop which seems to be mainly used for football buses and a handful of regular bus services a day.

After checking out of the Premier Inn I made my way into the town centre, swinging via Sainsburys for some breakfast (sadly it seems the Sainsburys Bacon with tomato sauce sandwiches are being rarer and rarer which is a shame considering the other breakfast related sandwiches they offer include a product which comes out of a chicken’s rear end).  I was a bit surprised when the next route 23 towards Caversham Park (doing a loop to the north of Reading returning via Caversham itself) was a little Optare Solo (fleet 186) rather than a double decker.  Anyhow I boarded and took a seat for the little trip round Caversham the bus emptying out at the Southwest interchange stop before carrying on to the termination point near Sainsburys on Friar Street.

Reading Buses Bus 186 (RG55 BUS) in Reading

Random bus route in Reading complete, I headed towards the bus stop used by Arriva for the next route 800 service towards High Wycombe (with a Merc Citaro, 3025).  Reasonably busy on departure as it headed towards High Wycombe going via Lower Shiplake, Henley on Thames, Medmenham & Marlow to reach the bus station in High Wycombe.  At High Wycombe I headed towards the next Aylesbury bound bus, the next departure being a Redline operated route 130 (rather than an Arriva operated X9 service.  The only difference at a glance seems to be a different route taken between High Wycombe & Princes Risborough.  Redline is a new operator for me, and this is one of the trio of routes they are taking part in the £2 fare scheme (where they have competition).  Anyhow it was onto YX12 AXU (an Enviro200).  This route headed towards Aylesbury via Bradenham, Princes Risborough, Little Kimble & Stoke Mandeville.  Aylesbury bus station isn't the nicest of places due to being located underneath buildings, so I was glad to exit the bus station and towards the Morrisons located close to the railway station to grab some lunch (and make use of the toilet before my walk).

My walk today was to take in two branches of the Grand Union canal, the Aylesbury Arm & Wendover arm with a short section along the main canal, and after grabbing supplies I picked up the Aylesbury Arm at the basin (overlooked by a Travelodge) and set forth along the towpath.  The towpath was decent quality, all be with a few areas where it was flooded due to the recent rain as I headed away from Aylesbury and into a very rural area.  Very peaceful and relaxing, until I reached lock 13 (Red House Lock) where the decent towpath surface just ended, and the towpath turned quite muddy and slippery.

Grand Union Canal (Aylesbury Arm) between Aylesbury & Wilstone

 

Weather wise the day was lovely sunshine mixed with some strong wind gusts.  Back to the towpath as my average speed dropped from 3.9mph to 3.4mph due to having to go slowly in places to avoid making a big splash.  I reached Wilstone and carried on to the end of the canal arm at Marsworth, the towpath in the last few miles was quite variable with some parts worse than others.  Shame as otherwise it was a lovely canal arm with countryside views.  Anyhow at Marsworth I joined the main line of the Grand Union canal heading towards London passing the Tring reservoirs.  I reached Bulbourne Junction where the Wendover arm branched away, a canal which is part in use by boats, part dry & part restored as it was originally closed in 1904 (quite a history with the arm being built to provide water for the summit of the canal but was found not to be enough hence the reservoirs were built).

The current limit of navigation is near Tringford pumping station with a changeable towpath.  The canal currently finishes in a small basin just beyond Little Tring Road where parts of it is being restored but for the time being it was a short walk along a footpath alongside Little Tring Road to reach an access path to the route of the canal which is in various stages of being restored.  I carried on reaching the section which has been restored and holds water, reaching Buckland Wharf where the towpath swaps sides once more.

Grand Union Canal (Wendover Arm) under restoration between Tring & Buckland

Housing was to my right and lovely countryside on my left (Chiltern hills I believe) as I continued along the canal heading into some lovely woodland, bringing with it some more mud.  Very peaceful in this area as I carried on reaching Halton and onwards towards Wendover where the canal ends on Wharf End (it used to continue further on, but that section has no walkable towpath).  Along the way I passed the remains of an old railway path towards RAF Halton which I didn't explore due to being muddy (and having one eye on the time).  I had time to swing via a little Tesco Express before making my way to Wendover railway station buying a ticket from the TVM and rolled onto a busy 165008 & 165028.  I don't think 165028 was that healthy as the engine kept cutting out when it stopped at stations.  The train only got busier as it reached Amersham and I continued to Harrow on the Hill, switching to the Metropolitan line with a sub mile 21009/21010 set being first up (it was already on the platform when I came up the stairs, so I just jumped on).  This took me to Finchley Road where I doubled back to West Hampstead with 96028 & 96023 exiting the station (I wasn't sure if the short walk between Finchley Road LU and Finchley Road & Frognal Overground was a valid OSI).

I walked the tiny distance to West Hampstead Overground station to take a reasonably busy 378223 to Clapham Junction with some time to kill before the 19:27 Exeter service rolled in.  A very busy 159006 leading 159016 & 158880, very busy even in coach 2 of 9 where I was lucky to get a seat (didn't help that two people sitting on the table opposite decided their oversized suitcases needed their own seats).  This service took me to Grateley where I had a gentle walk home to sort out my bag and relax for the rest of the day.  Other than the mud it was a good day, two interesting canals for views with some lovely weather to boot (which unlike my boots which were filthy and one job when I got home was to try and wash off some of the mud).

Metropolitan line 21088 passing West Hampstead

6th April – Exploring the Meon Valley Trail

The Meon Valley Trail is a mixed used path which makes use of the former Meon Valley railway route which ran between Fareham to Alton, starting from the village of West Meon running towards the town of Wickham.  The day started with a drive towards Winchester, parking on some street parking on Chilbolton Avenue to the north of the city as it was free and walked towards a bus stop on Stockbridge Road near Bereweeke Road to catch a route 3 service (formed of Stagecoach’s 27775) doing a round trip in the Weeke area of the city before heading towards the bus station (I purchased a £8 gold ticket valid on Stagecoach South services giving me some flexibility at what to do).

After arriving at the bus station, I had a gentle stroll towards Sainsburys to grab some lunch items returning to the bus station to board the infrequent (3 times a day) route 67 service for Petersfield.  Formed of an Enviro200 (26048).  The bus headed away from Winchester following the rough route of the river Itchen going via Kings Worthy, Itchen Abbas, New Alresford, Cheriton before reaching West Meon.  I decided to stay on for the section towards East Meon and onto Petersfield going via some Hampshire countryside.  The bus terminated at the Tesco in Petersfield giving me a chance to pop into the store to make use of the toilet before returning on the same bus (probably confusing the driver) to alight in West Meon near the Thomas Lord pub, close to the starting point of the old railway line path.

Stagecoach (South) Bus 26048 (SN16 OPB) at Petersfield Tesco on a route 67 to Winchester

Unusually this old railway line path doesn’t show on Google Maps, so it was a case of using my OS Map app to find the footpath across the river Meon and up a steep hill to reach the track bed of the old railway line, reaching the remains of West Meon station where there is a small car park.  The first section was reasonably busy with other walkers with a few runners and cyclists as the path was reasonable, a bit muddy in places but more surface mud on a hard surface.  I left West Meon on the path heading towards Wickham as the path turned very rural with some lovely countryside and bird song.

The next settlement I reached was the village of Meonstoke before carrying on towards Droxford with a couple small detours down onto little country lanes due to the bridges being removed (including one which was a bit flooded).  At the sight of the former Droxford station the route of the old railway has been taken up as private land forcing a short detour round the edge before joining the route of the old railway to carry on towards Wickham returning to some lovely countryside and some woodland.  The path quality was a bit rough in places due to flooding & mud, but this section was quite quiet in terms of other path users.

Remains of Droxford Station (Meon Valley Line)

I reached Wickham passing the site of the former station where there was a busy car park and continued along the path with an uncertainly because there was reports the final dead-end section had been closed by the council but either it has been reopened or the reports were wrong as I managed to carry on reaching the end of the Bridleway where the Meon Valley line met with the Eastleigh – Fareham line is.  As it’s a dead-end I simply did a U-turn and headed back towards Wickham, leaving the route of the old railway line path and headed to the town centre swinging via a couple of shops to have a look if they had anything of interest.

An enjoyable walk in the South Hampshire countryside, although the section of the old Funtley deviation line avoiding the tunnels from Knowle will have to wait for another day.  I boarded the route 69 service from Winchester towards Fareham (with Stagecoach’s 19158) where I remained on board for the return service towards Winchester back towards Wickham then going towards Swanmore, Bishop's Waltham & Fair Oak before heading towards Winchester via Colden Common & Twyford.  An interesting journey, not the easiest for the bus driver due to some narrow urban roads.

Stagecoach (South) Bus 18512 (GX06 DXK) at Wickham on a route 69 for Winchester

At Winchester I had some time to kill before boarding a route 7 service towards Sparshot with Stagecoach’s 27556.  I was surprised when it departed Winchester city centre with only myself on board as it headed away from the city centre towards Harestock and Littleton Deane going via Sparsholt College (farming college).  After the college it went via some very narrow roads to serve Sparsholt village itself before heading back towards Winchester.  I alighted at the bus stop near Bereweeke Way leaving just the driver on board, nobody wanted that bus today.

I walked back to the car, changing out of my slightly wet & dirty boots, changing socks and drove home to relax for the rest of the evening after an enjoyable day in South Hampshire followed by a couple of bus routes in the Winchester area.  I got home, gave my boots another wash and broke out my backup boots ready for the Sunday.  My original idea to head towards Exeter for the old railway line path from Okehampton was put on the shelf due to the forecast weather being both wet & windy, so I spent a short while looking at ideas for something in the London area.

7th April – A trip to (North) London

Due to engineering works, it was a later start than normal for me, no point catching the first train from Andover (which was being served as a shuttle service between Andover & Basingstoke due to engineering works between Andover & Salisbury) as that connected with a stopper from Basingstoke which took so long that the service an hour later connecting with a fast train only cost me around 20 minutes.  I drove to Andover (always a wise decision based on the history SWR have with replacement buses which don’t turn up) and boarded a busy 159007 on the shuttle to Basingstoke, making my way from platform 4 to platform 3 and heading to the rear of the train as 450113 & 450102 rolled in from Southampton.  My reward for heading towards the rear was a nearly empty coach compared to what seemed standing room only at the front coaches.

These 450s took me to Waterloo where I headed to the underground for the first time in what felt like ages (at Waterloo that is) with a Bakerloo line service formed of 3562 & 3246 to Oxford Circus changing to the Victoria line for sets 11084 & 11083 to Finsbury Park.  Faced with a 20-minute wait for the next train to call at Alexandra Palace I popped out of the station to visit Tesco to grab some items for lunch before returning to take 717020 to Alexandra Palace to start my first walk of the day.

159007 at Basingstoke Station

When I attempted to do the northern section of the Parkland walk last November time I was hit with the Alexandra Park being closed post fireworks, thankfully this time the park was open as I followed the path via the park towards Muswell Hill where I picked up the route of the old Muswell Hill branch of the Edgware, Highgate and London Railway route also known as the northern section of the Parkland walk (the main section being from Finsbury Park towards Highgate).  Some nice views of London from the old railway viaduct on this very busy path leading towards Fortis Green and a muddy footpath towards Highgate Wood and the Capital Ring.

My original idea was to do a little loop of Highgate Wood, but the gates were closed with a notice about the wood being closed due to the high winds being forecasted.  Ah well, a that loop can wait for another day trip to London as I followed the Capital Ring path towards East Finchley underground station via Cherry Tree Wood Park (which was quite nice).  The first walk finished for the day as I headed up the stairs linear jumping to Finchley Central with 51633 & 51634 before taking 51583/51582 to Mill Hill East, exiting the station and heading onto the road before picking up the former railway embankment used previously by the Edgware, Highgate and London Railway but closed after the failed Northern Heights project.

A Northern Line service at Mill Hill East (from disused railway embankment)

This path whilst it was a bit muddy was very scenic in terms of woodland, and peaceful (in terms of other path users).  It didn't go on for long as it ended in the Mill Hill area on Page Street (the route of the old railway being built on with housing & roads).  I headed south away from the road via a footpath close to a rugby stadium, going underneath the Great North way road via a subway and into Sunny Hill Park (which was a steep hill, but gave some nice views of North London).  At the Hendon end of this park I continued via a couple of footpaths (West View) to reach Hendon Park.  At the southern edge of this park, I followed a path which headed towards the large Brent Cross shopping centre (following part of the path alongside the river Brent).  After making use of the toilets within the shopping centre I headed to the bus station with a few ideas in my head.

I picked a route 210 servide (run with Metroline Bus TEH1235) for Finsbury Park, going away from Brent Cross shopping centre towards Brent Cross itself before going towards Golders Green & the northern edge of Hampstead Heath.  I'm sure in the past I used this particular bus route to access Kenwood House for a Keane concert many years ago.  After Hampstead Heath it went towards Highgate then Archway before terminating at the western side of Finsbury Park station.  First time I've used this entrance from memory as I headed to the Piccadilly line to take the first available Piccadilly line train to Manor House (formed of sets 200 & 111).  I got a bit lost finding the correct exit of Manor House but eventually found myself at the bus stop for the route 141 which I had some unfinished business.

Various London Buses parked up at Brent Cross Shopping Centre

Eventually Arriva's HV187 rolled in on a Palmers Green service to take me north, a very busy bus on a busy slow-moving road.  Going towards Harringay, Turnpike Lake & Wood Green (where the cause of the heavy traffic was noticed due to traffic lights near the shopping centre).  I alighted at the final stop on Tottenham Road, just south of the North Circular.  I set off on foot towards Palmers Green station before deciding on a late notice detour via the New River Path back towards the North Circular before going towards Bowes Park, where I ended the walk at Bounds Green underground station.  Another short section of the New River Path complete (one of those paths on my list to try and finish this year once it gets warmer, so the mud goes).

A Piccadilly Line service took me to Finsbury Park (sets 242 & 193) where I changed to the Victoria line to take me to Oxford Circus (set 11021 & 11022), crossing the platform once more to board a Bakerloo line service towards Waterloo (sets 3266 & 3546).  I arrived earlier than expected at Waterloo and jumped on the Exeter bound train formed of 159002, 159005 & 159006 as far as Basingstoke (where it would head to Salisbury going via Southampton).  At Basingstoke I made my way towards platform 4, noticing that the motion sensors on the door to the waiting room has been replaced with push button ones (good thing as those motion sensors were a bit rubbish).

New River in Bowes Park, London

A short wait before 159007 arrived from Andover to form the next busy shuttle service to take me to Andover, after a couple of photos of some of the rail replacement buses & coaches outside the station I headed to my car, changing my boots to my shoes to have a drive home (to have a nice pizza for dinner).  I spent the rest of the evening relaxing and making a start with my logs after the last few days of exploring.

Thanks for reading, more photos can be found on my Flickr Here

29th – 31st March, Easter Weekend Exploring

29th – 31st March, Easter Weekend Exploring

29th March - Centurion Way & Hayling Island

Good Friday, the weather forecast was a bit changeable, so my rough ideas changed a few times in the days beforehand, eventually settling on a couple of shorter old railway line walks in the south as the weather was looking slightly more reasonable compared to say Birmingham or London.  The day began with a drive to Romsey, parking in the library car park making use of the free parking on offer due to being a bank holiday and I made my way to the station to pick up my ticket from the TVM.

First train was the GWR Portsmouth service formed of a busy 158768 for the short distance to Southampton Central (which was in a bit of chaos due to signalling problems towards Dorset, a large crowd was waiting on the platform for a London train).  I popped out of the station to visit the little Tesco Express to grab some supplies for lunch before returning to take a seat on 377214 on the Victoria service for the run to Chichester where I decided not to wait 30-odd minutes for the next Midhurst bus and decided to flip the walk around, so I walked north rather than heading south.

377214 at Southampton Central

The Centurion Way is a mixed used path which uses part of the route of the former Chichester – Midhurst railway line, a line with a mixed history.  The first section of this walk was along the A259 towards Chichester college before picking up the route of the old railway line near a footbridge over the tracks & yard.  A decent surface of mostly tarmac and the sun had come out as I made my way along the old railway path skirting around both old housing & new housing under construction before getting views of the Platinum Jubilee Country Park and the path going into a woodland cutting.

Quite a busy path at the southern end in terms of other users as I continued the walk leaving the city of Chichester and into the countryside leading towards Lavant where the only remains of the station was the station building (now a private house).  This was a short section of walking along the road of a housing estate (with pavements) due to the route of the old railway being lost, the railway path resuming to the north of the village.  This was a lot more rural with some beautiful views of the countryside, also a lot quieter compared to the southern section.  One more short detour from the track-bed due to a farm before going underneath the A286 to the south of the village of West Dean and a final section to a bridge over a little lane where the path came to an end.  The railway continued beyond West Dean towards Midhurst but sadly that area has either been lost to modern developments or is in private hands with no public access.

The first walk over as I made my way along the little lane to reach the main road for a handy bus stop outside the Selsey Arms pub, I made good timing and got lucky as I only had a 5 minute wait for the next hourly bus (Sunday timetable) on a route 60 for Chichester with Stagecoach bus 27741 on a busy service (part of me was toying with the idea of catching the northbound service to Midhurst before riding the entire route but that is a job for another trip).  This route follows the A286 via Lavant before reaching Chichester where it got quite busy.  I was also toying with an idea of doing a little explore in Chichester with the city walls but decided that could wait for another day as I made my way to the railway station for the next train towards Havant.

Centurion Way (former Midhurst Railway) in Lavant

It was onto a very busy 377409 from Brighton (I think) for the journey to Havant where after a quick visit to the station toilets I started my second walk.  Exiting Havant on the south side, it was a walk via the car park to pick up the route of the former Hayling Island branch line taking me towards Langstone, crossing a busy road and onto the remains of the former viaduct across Langstone Harbour which was one of the reasons the line was closed (to avoid costly repairs, the short slightness of the governments of the 1960s).  At the end of the little spur of land I did a U-turn to head back towards the mixed used path which headed onto the busy Langstone road bridge with a strong wind coming across the water as I reached Hayling Island and picked up the route of the former railway line, which is now branded as the “Hayling Billy Trail”.

This section of path was a bit rougher than the previous section in Havant, a hard-core surface with some areas of mild flooding & mud from the recent rain.  After doing a little detour to the southern spur of the former railway viaduct I headed south into the countryside and some beautiful views of the water as the railway ran along the edge of the island.  Passing the site of the former North Hayling station (nothing remained that I could see) I continued along the path enjoying the views on both sides (as well as the peaceful nature).  Soon the path when into woodland (where the path got muddier in places) but sadly came to an end near the former station at Hayling Island (which is now used as a theatre).

Restored signal on old Hayling Island Railway

It was onto the roads of “West Town” to reach the waterfront on the south coast of the island picking up a path running close to the beaches crossing over the track of the Hayling Seaside Railway.  This was nice to walk along the beach in the sunshine as I reached Eastoke Corner where the Seaside Railway had the depot, making a small detour towards the depot for some photos where I noticed the train was in operation (I checked the website when on the train from Chichester & Havant where it said it wasn’t running so it was a nice little bonus).  The next departure was due in a few minutes as I made my way to the station to board the train in a compartment coach.  The loco up front was "Edwin", a Ruston & Hornsby built loco from 1967, as it departed towards Beachlands roughly a mile away.  It gave my legs a short rest on the gentle trip there and back, some unusual track into my book with a well-run tourist railway narrow gauge line.

Hayling Seaside (Light) Railway Loco Edwin at Eastoke station

Back to my walk as I picked up a path along the Hayling Island Promenade, sticking to the path at the bottom due to the top path walking along the soft stoney beach which still gave nice views.  The path entered the Sandy Point nature reserve which was very scenic giving views towards West Wittering in Sussex.  The path came to an end near a boat club as I headed inland, ending up at a bus stop near the (annoyingly closed) toilets at Creek Road for the next Havant bus.  There seems to be 2 bus routes (a 30 & a 31) which seem to run in opposite directions on a loop at the south of the island, joining together to do another short loop around the housing in Eastoke.  Next up for me was a route 30 (with Stagecoach's 27863) doing the loop in Eastoke before heading towards the mainland via Mengham [the 31 goes back via West Town].

The bus took me to Havant bus station as I headed back to the railway station swinging via an Iceland & a little Cost-Cutter shop to grab some dinner items, not ideal but this area of Havant didn’t have much open on a bank holiday.  At Havant railway station I looked up options to reaching Romsey, as I took 377469 to Fratton, changing to board 450054 & 450102 to take me to Eastleigh changing once more to board 158881 on the Romsey terminator via Chandlers Ford.  A very busy train when it rolled into Eastleigh due to the continuing chaos caused by signalling issues with heavy delays to London trains.  Thankfully it emptied out at Eastleigh as I headed towards Romsey to end the day with a relaxing drive home.  An enjoyable little day trip with two different former railway line paths as well as a seaside walk, the weather behaving itself.

Hayling Bay from Sandy Point, Hayling Island

30th March – Exploring the Strawberry Line

The Strawberry Line is the name given to a mixed used path which runs between Cheddar & Yatton, making use (in parts) of the former Cheddar Valley line (which in the progress of getting restored further between Cheddar & Wells/Shepton Mallet with some parts already opened).

I was originally going to do this walk at the start of the month but put it on hold due to the forecasted heavy rain (switching to walking in Chard).  Today the weather was on my side with beautiful sunshine forecasted (all be with some wind).  I drove to Salisbury parking in my usual place on Churchfields Road (saves paying out £5.30 for parking in the station car park) and headed to the station with a slightly late running 07:30 service formed of 158765 & 158760 to take me to Bath Spa where I had around 15 minutes to wait before a very quiet 800306 rolled in on a Weston Super Mare terminator, calling only at Yatton between Bristol & Weston (giving me a tiny bit of new IET coverage leaving just the section of track south of Weston to the mainline).

With some time to kill in Weston Super Mare I headed to Tesco to grab supplies for lunch, also to look for a hat as I had foolishly left my hat at home (nothing of interest in Tesco).  After grabbing lunch and taking photos of various First buses I headed back to the railway station to board a busy route 126 service for Wells via Cheddar, a bus route which thankfully came back from the dead.  This service was in the hands of a former Southampton Wright StreetLite, 47672.  Going via Uphill, Hutton, Sandford & Axbridge before getting stuck in a large traffic jam caused by tourists heading to Cheddar Gorge.  Eventually the bus cleared the traffic, and I alighted in the village itself, spotting a little charity shop which I randomly popped into seeing a decent looking M&S hat for a couple of quid, something to keep the top of my head from getting burned.  An enjoyable little bus route with some good views, but it got quite busy after Axbridge and with a large crowd waiting for it in Cheddar.

Cheddar Bus

The first section was a walk along the road to reach Draycott Park to the south of the village (annoyingly a place the bus doesn't stop at) picking up the route of the old railway line (although in this area the only evidence that it used to be railway was the bridge over the Cheddar Yeo).  This first section ends alongside the A371 near a school with another short walk along the road to reach an industrial estate where Cheddar station used to be located.  Back onto the route of the old railway line as it headed away from Cheddar towards Axbridge, where I had a little detour to reach the banks of the Cheddar Reservoir.  One of my original ideas had me circling this reservoir but for some reason I decided against the mile long round journey round the edge.

The section of railway in Axbridge has been lost under the bypass road forcing a detour into the pretty town of Axbridge, where I decided to sit down to have my lunch (ironically a cheddar & ham roll) in the town square before continuing away from the town centre towards the route of the former railway line once more.  Some steep hills giving some lovely views of the Somerset countryside and soon I was back on the old railway line route as it crossed the A38 road and onto a reasonably busy path going via Shute Shelve tunnel to reach Winscombe where the former platform of the station remains.

Shute Shelve Tunnel on the Strawberry Line Path (former Cheddar Valley Railway Line) between Axbridge & Winscombe

I continued along the old railway line path as it went via a woodland cutting towards Sandford where the path detours away from the old railway line as the station is used as a small centre with an old loco alongside the platform.  The next section of the path didn't use much of the old railway line route and has recently been opened up to avoid a walk along Nye Road (as part of the National Grid's Hinkley Connection Project).  The old railway line route was shortly regained after passing a sewage works onto a long straight across open countryside towards Congresbury (where the old station remains).  Another short section where the path doesn’t follow the railway line with a detour along the Congresbury Yeo to reach a bridge across this river then along a farm access track to reach the route of the old railway once more.  Onto the final push (so to speak) as the countryside returned and path headed towards Yatton station, ending in the car park alongside the station giving me 15 minutes (or thereabouts) before my booked train which I had booked a couple of hours earlier when in Sandford.  An enjoyable little old railway line walk, mostly a decent path with some mud with some lovely countryside.

Anyhow it was back to the trains with 802006 to take me to Bristol Temple Meads on a Cardiff train (complete with the usual sitting outside the station for 5 minutes waiting for a platform), it was a short walk across to platform 14 to board 158766 on the Salisbury stopping service which departed a few minutes late due to a late arrival.  I was lucky to grab a seat to relax only for things to go a bit wrong after Bradford on Avon where the train got caught up in congestion caused by a broken-down Weymouth service at Trowbridge.  That broken down train eventually got moved to Westbury (I presume) however the damage had been done with the train I was on terminating at Westbury with passengers for Salisbury told to wait for the next Portsmouth train which at the time was 45 minutes away (as the next Portsmouth & Salisbury service was both cancelled)

Train at former Sandford Station on the former Cheddar Valley Line (Strawberry Line)

For lack of a better idea, I decided to walk into Westbury town to visit the Morrisons to grab some dinner items (originally, I was going to grab something in Salisbury) returning to the station still with 15 minutes to waste.  I dread to think how busy the Weymouth train would have been which was in front of the Portsmouth being the first train from Bristol/Bath towards Trowbridge for 90 minutes, but it kept on losing time.  Anyhow eventually 166215 rolled into Westbury, as expected it was quite busy, but I managed to get a seat in the former 1st class area at the front.  The train did empty out at Salisbury as I made my way back to the car and had a relaxing drive home.  Other than for the farce with the trains it was a good day, beautiful weather in Somerset and another old railway line walked.  The newer sections between Cheddar & Wells will probably wait until more of it has been opened, whenever that will be.

31st March – A random day in London

A day in London with mum was the aim of todays little trip, with no real plan in mind only ideas to do some random bus routes after a boat ride  The day began with the 07:38 service from Grateley formed of 159010 & 159020 featuring a couple of revenue protection officers checking tickets, we took this to Clapham Junction jumping back to Wimbledon on the first available service which was 455910 & 455913 transferring to the underground with 21372/21371 taken to Putney Bridge.  Since some-point last year the Thames Clipper service has been extended to run to/from Putney every hour at weekends rather than being at peak time only.

We made our way out of Putney Bridge underground (barriers wide open), across Putney Bridge and to the pier which is 3rd party owned where passengers having to wait by the access door before a member of staff from the boat comes up to open it.  The first boat of the day was the 10:05 sailing with Galaxy Clipper on the RB2, we got lucky to grab seats at the front of the vessel for some lovely views of the fast-flowing river (even though the sky was fifty shades of grey).

Galaxy Clipper (Thames Clippers) at Putney Pier

After an hour or so we alighted from the boat at Canary Wharf, the limit of the Central zone (getting our moneys worth) and walked towards the DLR station at Canary Wharf (via the toilets in the shopping centre), jumping onto the first Lewisham bound service formed of 103, 144 & 135.  At Lewisham we exited the station making our way towards the town centre shopping area (via Greggs for lunch) to board a route 108 bus for Stratford International, formed of bus MEC10 (a London Central Citaro).  A busy bus as it headed away from Lewisham towards Blackheath, Charlton & North Greenwich, getting caught up in traffic before going via the Blackwall Tunnel towards Bow, then towards Stratford International station.  A gentle walk took us towards Stratford City bus station for a route 388 service for London Bridge (in the hands of Stagecoach’s 12509).

This was a reasonably busy route departing from Stratford heading towards Hackney via the Olympic Park, then on a one-way loop via South Hackney (near Victoria Park, an area to explore as I've only been there once before, back in 2008 when I saw Radiohead play live).  After South Hackney it went via Bethnal Green then Spitalfields before passing Liverpool Street and heading to London Bridge via the City of London.  An interesting route for different views of London which I wouldn't have seen by train, or even by foot.  The next bus route on a bit of a “wing-it” afternoon was a route 17 run with Metroline’s BDE2647 (an electric Enviro 400).

Go-Ahead London Bus MEC10 (BG09 JKJ) at Stratford International

This route took us from London Bridge towards Archway going via the City of London (passing St Paul's Catherdral), before going north via Kings Cross towards Holloway then Archway terminating near the underground station.  Another interesting little view of parts of London.  Part of me was tempted to head back south on the Underground but I decided on another random bus route, this time the Stagecoach operated W5 (with a little Optare Solo 47986) service.  This route went from Archway towards Crouch End (with some Hail & Ride) before going towards Harringay terminating at the bus stop outside the large Sainsburys, quite a bit of residential houses and steep hills (which gave some nice views of the centre of London).

We headed away from the supermarkets (all closed up due to being Easter Sunday and it being after 4pm) towards the main road, jumping onto a busy route 141 service (with Arriva’s HV379.  This route headed back towards London Bridge going via Canonbury, Shoreditch & Old Street.  A 5-minute pause on the bus stop on London Bridge itself due to running early before the bus terminated into the London Bridge bus station.  The day on the buses was at an end as we headed into the railway station to catch 378146 on the Overground service to West Croydon (running from London Bridge due to engineering works), which was busy near the front but quieter nearer the rear.

378146 at London Bridge

At West Croydon, we exited the station for a walk towards Wetherspoons for dinner (and also a much needed toilet break), before heading to East Croydon jumping onto 377109 & 377444 on the first Victoria bound service to take us to Clapham Junction, changing to board 444036 & 444040 into Waterloo to allow us to get a decent seat on the 19:45 Salisbury stopper formed of 158888 & 159001 to take us back towards Grateley, the end of a nice day in London.  Nice to have done the Western extension of the Thames Clipper network as well as some random London bus routes giving different views of the capital.  Weather wise was a bit wet walking home as it looked like the rain had arrived early at Grateley with Monday being a bit damp, so I had a lazy day, the closest I got to the railway was a random walk to a disused railway bridge in the so-called Hampshire Gap area for a couple of photos misjudging the weather.

159006 heading towards Grateley at Hampshire Gap

*159*

March overall has been a busy month, not so much with long distance travel but some disused railway lines walked, some more photos from my Easter weekends travels can be found on my Flickr, *here*.  Thanks for reading :)