13th June – 17th June. Long weekend in Scotland

 13th June – 17th June.  Long weekend in Scotland

Time for a long weekend in Scotland to visit the recently reopened line to Leven and other bits, based myself in the guest house in Hamilton I’ve used a couple times before (because £35 a night is a bargain compared to what other places were wanting, especially when it’s less than 10 minutes from a station, so excluding those places like Bridge of Weir which will require buses).

13th June – Onwards to Aberdeen

The trip began with the 17:59 service from Grateley after getting a lift to the station due to the heavy rain reminding me of the day 5 years ago where I was heading for a long weekend in the Highlands when a van crashed into my car when driving home.  Time does fly.  Anyhow it was onto 159004 for the run to Waterloo (pushing it over 6 thousand miles in my records) where the rain had ended allowing for a gentle stroll towards Euston, only starting to drizzle when I was near the end passing Tavistock Square Gardens so good timing to waste some time before the sleeper to Scotland.

I was booked on the Highlander service for Aberdeen (of all places), so once I got to Euston, I sat down relaxing when waiting for it to start loading.  92028 was the loco up front for the section under the wires to Edinburgh and the seated portion was quite busy, I only counted a handful of empty seats on departure from Euston (and I think those filled up at Crewe).  At Edinburgh I would guess a third of the seated coach changed for the Fort William portion which was a lot less than I was expecting but thankfully unlike previous trips there was no noisy people talking loudly.

92028 at London Euston

14th June – Central Scotland Day 1

The sleeper continued after Edinburgh with 73969 on the front running early, as it headed towards Aberdeen getting held at Dundee for around 15 minutes before carrying on to Aberdeen where I had around 45 minutes before my booked train back south.  After visiting a Sainsburys local near the station for breakfast I did some photographs of passing buses (including a couple of the lesser spotted bendy buses) before returning to the station to board the famous Aberdeen – Penzance train, formed of 221133 and I got a seat in coach B.

The main reason for coming to Aberdeen was to tick off XC coverage of the line between Dundee & Aberdeen, but mainly because I do fine the section between Aberdeen & Stonehaven where it runs close to the sea as very pretty, as well as the section near Tayside when it speeds past all the limited served stations (Golf Street, Barry Links etc).  I alighted from the voyager at Kirkcaldy, which was cheaper than buying an advance to Markinch, I presume due to competition between LNER & XC.  I headed to the ticket office to buy my Central Scotland Ranger, which for £55 for 3 days coverage isn’t that bad value for money (although I know it isn’t as good value as it used to be when it was a “3 in 7” style ticket).

221133 at Aberdeen

Anyhow back at Kirkcaldy station, it was a short wait before 158735 rolled in to take me to the recently opened station at Cameron Bridge on the reopened Leven branch line, first impression of the line is that it’s not the fastest due to the numerous curves, but it has got some nice views.  The station at Cameron Bridge felt like it was incomplete with the emergency exit paths on the Kirkcaldy bound platform seemingly ending rather than connecting anything up.  Not a lot around the station area other than a large car park, but at least it is served by one bus route as I saw a bus arrive & depart with no takers when I was having a little stroll to the roadside.  158735 returned from Leven quite busy, and it only got busier by Kirkcaldy as I stayed on to Kinghorn to reduce time spent in the rain (also to remind me what a lovely view it is from Kinghorn station).

The next Leven train rolled in formed of 158721 which took me to the end of the line at a long island platform near the town centre, but due to the changeable weather I didn’t go that far away from the station before boarding 158721 once more, for the long trip towards Edinburgh.  Not as busy as the train an hour earlier and this service uses the loop between Dalgety Bay & Inverkeithing to allow a fast train from Aberdeen to pass.  I remained on board to Edinburgh Waverley popping out of the station to grab some late lunch from Sainsburys before taking a seat on 385012.  This was working a service towards Glasgow Central going via Carstairs.  This train only really got busy after Carluke where it was a few minutes in front of the usual half hourly service from Lanark, and I alighted at Motherwell for a change of platform to platform 3 to board a Dalmuir service formed of 320304 & 320317 to take me to Hamilton Central.

385012 departs Motherwell Station

At Hamilton Central I made my way towards the guest house to get checked in and to empty my bag, getting the same twin room I’ve had on my last couple of stays (the owner remembering me which is always a nice touch, asking about how I've been and what walks I had planned etc).  I exited the guest house making my way back to Hamilton Central station to jump onto 320305 & 320311 for the run to Glasgow Central, making a connection onto 385040 working an Edinburgh service going via Shotts as a semi-fast service (although always gives the impression it could be faster due to sitting at Shotts for 5 minutes).  I took this 385 to Haymarket, exiting the station for a gentle stroll towards Waverley station via Princes Street going via Boots to grab dinner.

After my walk I arrived at Edinburgh Waverley, boarding 170403 on a Dundee semi-fast service, making use of declassified first class for the slow run (got caught behind a late running Perth train) to Kirkcaldy and a short wait before 158741 rolled in on the next Leven service to take me back to Leven, using platform 2.  However, the words “oh bugger” popped up when I saw the 19:20 service to Edinburgh (formed of a 158 sitting on platform 1 having arrived empty from Glenrothes with Thornton) was showing as cancelled.  But at least I managed to grab platform 2.

158741 alongside 158740 at Leven Station.

With an unexpected hour to kill I headed for a little explore of the waterfront, ending up in a large Sainsburys to waste some time.  I did consider doing a bus service towards Markinch but decided against it (which turned out to be a good move as the train it would have connected into at Markinch lost 30 minutes at that station and ended up behind the next stopper).  After my little walkabout I returned to the station to await 158735 to roll in from Edinburgh to form the 20:25 service.  This took me to Edinburgh Waverley where I had a nice connection onto 385123 & 385115 working the next Glasgow Queen Street via Falkirk service.

Darkness was falling as the train departed Edinburgh for the trip via Falkirk High to Glasgow Queen Street where I had a fast walk across the city centre (playing dodge the drunk) and to Glasgow Central, making my way to the low-level platforms to grab a decent seat on 318252 working a Larkhall service.  This 318 took me back to Hamilton Central where I had a gentle stroll to the guest house and relaxed after a busy day going back & forth in Fife.

318252 at Hamilton Central

15th June – Central Scotland Day 2

Due to the later than expected finish on the Friday I pushed my departure time back an hour, the weather forecast was quite changeable, but it settled on being dry during the day with rain coming in the afternoon as my original idea was to walk the old railway line path from Alloa to Dunfermline but that got changed to a shorter canal walk.  The day began with 318251 from Hamilton Central to Glasgow Central, where I exited the station for a gentle stroll across the city centre to Queen Street (going via a couple of shops for breakfast items & drink).  At Queen Street it was onto the Falkirk Grahamston service with 385110 on the slow train via Cumbernauld to Camelon, where I enjoyed the declassified first-class area.  Just got me thinking of what this area was like on my first visit in May 2014 when it was all diesels before the wires got put up.

Anyhow at Camelon my walk began, the first section was following the A803 (passing the Alexander Dennis bus factory) before picking up a path running close to the railway (Carmuirs Path).  This path led me towards the Forth & Clyde canal near the Falkirk Wheel and I turned eastwards to follow the towpath to the south of Camelon.  The towpath was quite busy with other users but there wasn't much in the way of boat movements.  I carried on my walk as it reached some locks reaching the outskirts of Falkirk itself.

I presume at one stage there used to be a foot crossing of the railway line near lock 9 as the towpath is diverted via some steep steps to cross the railway on the nearby road bridge before some more steep steps back to the canal side.  My walk continued reaching the more industrial area before going underneath the A9 where the canal turned more rural.  A sharp left-hand bend meets the newer section of canal (as the route of the original canal got lost during the period it was closed.  I continued to reach the old lock linking the canal with the river Carron (so shouldn't the canal be called the Clyde & Carron?) with the very impressive Kelpies overlooking the basin.  A lot bigger than I had previously imagined.

The Kelpies, Falkirk

I turned onto the newer section of canal, following the Charlotte Dundas heritage trail leading to the newer lock linking the canal to the river (this section bypasses a couple low bridges).  After a photograph of the entrance, I headed back towards the A905 bridge to cross over the river Carron.  At one point I was toying with walking the path following the Carron towards the Forth, but I didn't know what the quality would have been like after the recent rain.  So, with this in mind I followed a cycle path on the north bank of the river back underneath the M9, passing the closed river lock and reaching the Carron House Dovecote, crossing over the river and following various other paths running close to the river reaching Carron where I had a couple options, either head towards Larbert or go back towards Camelon.

I decided to head towards Larbert, crossing the river for the last time and along a road towards the Grahamston Ironworks Gate following the so called Nicoles Way which was a beautiful woodland path reaching Carronvale Road where I followed the road network to Larbert station where I was close to meeting a Dunblane bound service but went the wrong way as the station footbridge was closed due to the ticket office being closed.  Ah well, as I took a seat and relaxed watching a HST pass heading north and a 158 passing from Aberdeen (cosy!) before a busy 385121 rolled in from Dunblane on the next Edinburgh train.  This is an area on my list to return to for some more exploring.

158736 passing Larbert Station

This busy 385 took me to Haymarket where I had a short wait before 385046 & 385028 rolled in on the next Glasgow Central service running semi-fast to Shotts (where it enjoyed a near 10-minute dwell, which was nearly enough time to change platforms with the massively long ramps).  The rain had started as I took 385045 to Fauldhouse where I decided to carry on with my plans picking up a path which followed an old railway line (Wilsontown, Morningside and Coltness Railway I believe).  There is a missing section in Bridge Street where the map seems to have a gap but I wasn't sure if there was access via a driveway so I followed the roads (Greenburn Road & Willow Brae) to pick up the old railway path (seems there is a path looking at street view so I must have missed a sign.)

I was soon on the route of the old railway line as it left Fauldhouse heading into countryside with some lovely views when the cutting ended.  Soon the path reached the Longridge Railway Woods going via some woods to reach the A706 road the end of the railway path (I wonder how people walked this path back in the days when Breich had a limited service).  I headed towards Breich station with a steep hill with the last section being without a pavement, thankfully the rain had stopped for the most part of the walk which was very enjoyable with a decent surface.  One of those old railway paths which doesn't feature on Google Maps.

Railway Viaduct in Fauldhouse

At Breich there was one more passenger waiting for the Edinburgh train and one passenger on the opposite platform for the Glasgow train as 385028 & 385046 returned from Glasgow to take me to Wester Hailes (a station I wanted to revisit for better photos).  I popped out of the station towards the little shopping centre (being surprised that it doesn't open on Sundays) picking up a bite to eat for a late lunch before returning to Wester Hailes station to catch a busy 385105 to Kirknewton for a short wait before 385022 rolled in on the next Shotts stopper to take me to Addiewell where I had a 20 minute wait for 385002 on the next stopper (which runs nonstop to Livingston South due to the next Carstairs service being behind it).

A result of this unusual timetable meant the train spent nearly 10 minutes at Shotts to get it back onto the usual timings (I presume due to the 2-track bottleneck section at Cambuslang).  It would be ever so handy if these services called at Cambuslang to allow an easier change for Hamilton (as it seemed like Bellshill’s footbridge is currently out of action so it’s not worth attempting the tight connection to a Lanark train had it been running (for this is the time of day there is a gap in service levels).

397006 passes Wester Hailes Station

I stayed on the 385 to Glasgow Central where thankfully it arrived a few minutes ahead of schedule meaning I could have a more leisurely connection to 318252 & 320313 on the next service towards Hamilton Central, the sky turning an inky black like a heavy downpour was due as the rain resumed as I headed towards the guest house, dropping off my rucksack and heading back out to visit a pizza takeaway.  Returning to the guest house with said pizza to eat it in the bedroom which is something I don’t like doing due to the smell).  I relaxed for the rest of the evening listening to the rain.

320313 at Hamilton Central

16th June – Central Scotland Day 3

The weather was looking a bit changeable this morning as I decided to have a little stroll from the guest house towards the Strathclyde country park to pick up the Clyde walkway path alongside the loch.  At the northern end I followed a path to cross over the interchange between the A725 & M74 (seeing an unusual 70mph speed limit sign on the slip road for the M74) before picking up the Clyde Walkway near Bothwell Bridge (I wasn't sure if the route of the original path was available as there was a difference between what was shown on Strava to Google Maps and even the OS Maps app).  I went via the remains of Bothwell Lido following a woodland path which randomly ended at a fence forcing a U-turn to find a path across a field with long grass trying to follow the route of the path.  Thankfully a more solid path appeared with some steep climbs as I left the field and into a woodland path heading towards Blantyre, leaving the walkway to the south of the station following a path leading towards the car park where I had a short rest before 318256 & 320306 rolled in to take me to Glasgow Central.  The section of the Clyde walkway between Blantyre & Newton via Uddingston will be done on another trip, and I’ve got no idea with the longer section between New Lanark & Hamilton.

Anyhow back to the trains as I alighted at Glasgow to find the ground very wet (seems I got lucky with only light drizzle) and busy with runners after a race as I swung via a supermarket to grab lunch before making my way to Glasgow Queen Street to board the Inverness train formed of a busy 170408, which only got busier after Stirling with passengers from Edinburgh boarding.  I was glad to escape at Dunblane where the rain had returned and crossed over to 385030 on the next Edinburgh stopper, departing from platform 3 using a recent(ish) crossover to the south of the station to save the need to shunt from platform 3 to platform 1.

170408 departs Dunblane Station

This 385 took me to Edinburgh as I headed towards one of the east facing bays passing a revenue block to board a triple 158 on the next Tweedbank service (158720, 158740 & 158702) to take me towards Tweedbank as I hadn’t been that way since 2017 (at least in daylight).  Front coach of this triple 158 was lightly loaded and I settled back to look at the scenery before arriving at Tweedbank and setting off on a gentle walk towards the town of Melrose, picking up a footpath which followed the river Tweed towards a chain bridge to head into town (where there was a book festival on).  After a little detour via Melrose abbey, I headed to the former station where the rain began.  I returned towards Tweedbank station following the route of the former railway close to the A6091, arriving back with around 15 minutes to spare before the next departure…

…which had been cancelled (for feck sake!)  Tweedbank station hasn’t got a lot of the way of shelter, so I decided to continue my walk following “The Black Path” (as it was called on Strava), a path following the railway line over the river Tweed on the Redbridge Viaduct, picking up a cycle route on the outskirts of Galashiels which followed the route of the Gala Water towards the town centre where I swung via the big Tesco for dinner before making my way to the station which was quite busy for 170434 on the next Edinburgh service as I dived into declassified first class grabbing a single seat for that bit of extra comfort

River Tweed in Melrose

On the way back to Edinburgh I was trying to think at what to do for the rest of the day, sadly no HSTs were floating around on Stirling – Glasgow services (the next couple departures would have been 170s) so I decided to jump onto 385109 & 385116 on the next Glasgow service, going via Falkirk Grahamston due to engineering works on the route via Falkirk High.  Onwards to Queen Street where I had a gentle walk across the city centre to Glasgow Central to take a seat on 318265 & 320413 on a Lanark service.  The idea was to take these to Motherwell for a +8 to a service towards Hamilton, taking a seat in the motor coach of the 320.  That plan went into the bin when the train was held for 7 minutes around Larkfield junction for an ECS TPE unit to get put ahead into Polmadie depot.

I decided that the connection was far too risky at Motherwell so bailed at Cambuslang and taking a seat on 320315 with a complete late idea of taking this service to Chatelherault for a walk as the sun had popped out. At Chatelherault I left the station, heading towards the country park following a cycle route which reached a bridge over Avon Water on the outskirts of Hamilton (along the way crossing over the railway line when it was within the tunnel).  I picked up the "Avon Water Walkway" path which followed this river via some lovely woodland, even if the traffic noise from the M74 & A723 never was too far away.  The Avon Water met up with the Clyde and I was soon at a point where I was earlier in the morning near the Hamilton entrance to the Strathclyde Country Park.

Path alongside River Clyde, Avon Water Walkway, Hamilton

I carried on passing the Hamilton Mausoleum, staying straight going up a steep road (The Furlongs) coming out near the Lidl where it was a short walk to the guest house for a nice relaxing shower before calling it a night.  A late notice walk but it's something which was on my oversized wish list of ideas around Hamilton and the weather was reasonable.

17th June – Scotland Day 4

I was booked on the 14:35 service from Glasgow to London so had the morning to play with.  The weather had cheered up quite well compared to the weekend (isn’t that just typical) so after checking out of the guest house (I will hopefully be back, not sure when) I headed towards Hamilton Central station.  I was hoping to have gone towards Hamilton West and the large Sainsburys for breakfast but ran short on time as I wanted to catch the Cumbernauld service.  This was formed of 318251 & 318267 to change at Whifflet for 320314 to Hyndland.  At Hyndland it was a short wait with 334029 on a random linear hop to Westerton before 320308 for the long trip to Balloch to begin my walk.

I exited the station at Balloch heading towards cycle route 7 (one of these days I will carry on getting photos of Loch Lomond but that wasn't on my plan today).  This cycle route follows the route of the river Leven heading mostly south (with several bends although two are bypassed by the path).  I carried on heading towards Alexandria & Renton on this busy path. Leaving the urban landscape behind going underneath the A82 where the path moved away from the river and across a field of cows (moo).  A bit unexpected as I played dodge the cow and into a lovely woodland section going underneath the railway line near Dalreoch and putting a bit of speed on to jump on the Edinburgh train as it was rolling in.

River Leven in Renton

An enjoyable short stroll along the pretty river, saves a job for another trip to continue with cycle route 7 towards Bowling on the old railway route.  Anyhow it was onto 334039 & 334033 on the Edinburgh service to take me to Partick where I exited the station to visit Morrisons for some food before going to the subway with a rather successful red pen session with sets 310, 309, 308, 312 & 305 falling to my little pen with one more unknown set out which I didn't manage to ID, but I had run out of time.

My final Scotrail service of this adventure was 320404 to Glasgow Central low level, where I had a slow walk towards the high-level station (going via Tesco to grab items for dinner) before boarding 390148 on the 14:35 service.  I turned down my reserved seat, instead going straight to coach G to grab a table seat on the left-hand side (in the direction of travel, considering the last couple times I've been on the northern end of the WCML I've been on the western side)

320404 at Glasgow Central

Nothing unusual, happened heading south with the Pendo keeping to good time and my table remaining private with a good nonstop run from Warrington.  The train did loss around 5 minutes caught up with congestion at the London end due to earlier signalling issues but nothing that major as I headed towards the underground to take the first southbound service (51654/51655) to Waterloo with my final train of the trip being 159018 working the 19:50 to Salisbury.  Non-stop between Clapham & Basingstoke is always a nice way to travel and soon I was at Grateley, having a gentle walk home to sort my rucksack out and get sorted for the week ahead at work.

More photos from my weekend can be found on my Flickr, thanks for reading.  An enjoyable long weekend, sadly both my long walks didn’t happen but I did manage to do some shorter walks changing from canals, rivers & old railway lines.