21st January – 25th January Trips

 21st January – 25th January Trips

The idea for this short break from work was a 4-night trip based in Edinburgh to do some odds & sods within the Scottish capital & surrounding area, with 1 night in Haymarket & 3 nights in Cameron Toll Travelodge (to the south of the city, with a lot of bus routes).  The reason for the split in hotels was due to originally booking 3 nights only to extend to use up a day of annual leave (got to use it or lose it), with the Travelodge in Haymarket being cheapest for the Wednesday night.  However, to quote Robert Burns, the best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry, the weather forecast was looking a bit wet causing a few hours of weighing up options before making the “Go/No-Go” decision on the Tuesday, cancelling (good thing I was on flexible rate) the Cameron Toll hotel but keeping the Haymarket hotel as I could still do a couple of random things.

21st January – Twilight of the Innocent (Railway)

Originally in my longer stay, this was going to be a bit of a later start to do the 12:24 Lumo service all the way from London to Glasgow Queen Street, however as the weather forecast in Edinburgh was suggesting it would be dry until around 4:30pm giving me a couple of ideas for some shorter walks in Edinburgh.  The day started with the 06:57 service from Grateley (158887, 159105 & 159106) on this busy peak time service to Waterloo, where I had a stroll to Kings Cross, gambling on the weather remaining dry didn’t quite work out as it started to rain when I was in the Brunswick Square area, but I carried on to Kings Cross.

I was a bit smart the night before when I was thinking up with this idea to get myself a seat reservation for the 09:30 service to Edinburgh to avoid the rush to grab one of the few unreserved  seats in the small area of coach C, so when the train came up as available to board, I headed towards coach G of 801203 which was around a quarter full on departure on the new ECML timetable with an hourly fast service calling at only York & Newcastle, arriving into Edinburgh around 13:35 after a timetable wait outside the station area for a London bound train to depart.  The on-time arrival meant I had a chance to make an unofficial connection to a Tweedbank service formed of 170429 to take me to Brunstane (complete with revenue staff checking tickets before boarding as it went from an open platform).

170429 departing Brunstane Station

When I reached Brunstane, I had to decide between two ideas which I had, deciding to head west (the other idea was to follow the Brunstane Burn Path towards the waterfront and walk towards Leith via Portobello beach).  After crossing over the railway, I picked up cycle route 1, which my Strava was calling the "Innocent Path" as it followed the small river towards Bingham, not the most exciting of paths due to the urban environment but thankfully it did open up a bit in a green area as the path headed towards running alongside the Edinburgh Suburban freight line in the Duddingston/Craigmillar area of the city.  A short while later I started the Innocent Railway path, a path on the route of the closed Edinburgh and Dalkeith Railway route to the former St Leonards Goods station.

Mostly uphill as it passed Duddingston Loch and giving some nice views of Arthur's Seat before heading into a tunnel leading to the St Leonards area where the path ended.  I was toying with the idea of catching a bus towards Corstorphine to walk the short branch line towards Balgreen tram stop but was wary of the time (as I wasn't sure what time twilight would fall in Scotland).  I put that idea back on the shelf for another trip and continued my walk heading towards The Meadows green area (which was quite nice, but also quite busy) and the University area before heading into the city centre area, wasting some time visiting a couple of shops before heading to the station for the Lumo.

Innocent Railway Path in Edinburgh

In December, Lumo extended a couple trains a day to Glasgow Queen Street and it had been a while since I last had a 803 (since my last trip, the seat coverings have been replaced with a new material).  803003 rolled in, and nearly emptied out in the rear coach as I got settled in for the slow trip to Glasgow Queen Street, might only call at Falkirk High but there were some congestions caused by delays to ScotRail services.  In Glasgow it was quite wet as I dashed to a nearby Poundland to grab some supplies before dashing back to Queen Street, not much point hanging around with the dark weather, I'm pretty sure the trio of Subway units I need haven't entered service and are being kept back for testing of the new signalling.

Back at Glasgow Queen Street, I jumped back onto 803003 as it was the next service back towards Edinburgh (runs to London, whereas the 2nd service goes back ECS).  Early arrival into Falkirk due to the service it was meant to follow being late, however the train lost around 10 minutes in the Edinburgh Park & Haymarket areas due to congestion, as I left the train at Haymarket to locate the Travelodge.  I'm pretty certain I used this hotel back in December 2014 as a random memory, an older building where the rooms had proper keys as I had a single room.  For the lack of a better idea (for it wasn't even half seven) I settled in with a movie on my tablet, listening to the rain.  An enjoyable day, I'm glad to have done one disused railway line in Edinburgh with a fast run on LNER.

803003 at Haymarket Station

22nd January – A trip to Dundee via Perth

Due to engineering works, the line via South Gyle & the Forth Bridge were closed this week with a limited direct service from Edinburgh to/from Aberdeen diverted via Perth, this was a day I was hedging my bets on what the weather would actually be doing on Tayside as the forecast was predicting heavy rain from 9am, another forecast it was from 11am.  I checked out of the Travelodge, making my way to Haymarket station (via a handy Tesco Express for some breakfast items) and onto a lightly loaded Aberdeen bound HST formed of 43168 & 43148.  My first long-distance trip on a Scottish HST for a few years (pretty sure it was back in February 2023 when Inverness Airport station opened) so I had forgotten how nice the interiors are (compared to what they were like on GWR).

Although the run towards Dundee was in darkness as it paused at Stirling & Perth for staffing stops, daylight only breaking on the approach to Dundee, I decided to carry on to Broughty Ferry which was local door only on this 2+5 formation to start my walk.  It was dry but that wind was strong (and chilly). The walk along the mixed use path which follows the Tay from Arbroath towards Dundee has been on my oversized list of things to do for a while so today felt like a good chance to make a small start with the section towards Dundee as I made my way to the waterfront to pick up the path which ran between the railway line & river, before moving inland to run between the railway line & a large fence securing Dundee Docks (noticing a little café which had a separate area for walkers/cyclists & for dock workers.

43148 departs Broughty Ferry Station

I soon reached Dundee Marina, following a couple of paths to cross the water near HMS Unicorn to reach the Tayside near a modern housing development on Marine Parade.  I carried on my walk alongside the Tay, going underneath the Tay Road Bridge and detouring inland near the RRS Discovery (and the V+A) before picking up the path as I had time to kill before the next London train from Dundee station and where it had threatened to rain nothing had come of it, other than drizzle.   Passing the Premier Inn I headed towards the railway bridge, before making my way back towards the station via a park path, reaching the station just as the rain returned.  After a visit to the little Tesco Express located within the station building (how very handy), I headed to the platforms to await 800110 to roll in on the next London Kings Cross service.

Once more, I was a bit smart to have reserved a seat in coach G (forgetting this was a coach which didn’t have an engine underneath, which was a nice bonus).  I spent the next hour (or so) looking out of the window, at the rain and of the scenery as the Azuma ran through Perth nonstop, slowing around Dunblane to change over to AC power before carrying on towards Haymarket & Edinburgh where the coach I was in did empty out a bit.  As a bonus, due to the increased journey time at going via Perth, the Azuma slotted into the path of a fast London (rather than the path of the semi-fast), with coach G never really having more than a dozen passengers in with calls at Newcastle & York before heading into London.

Dundee Harbour 

As London was a bit wet, I headed to St Pancras, jumping on 700144 to London Bridge and onto the first available South Eastern service, which happened to be a service from Tunbridge Wells formed of 465155, 465164 & 466035 for the short hop to Waterloo East, where I made a tight connection onto the 17:53 service formed of 159106 & 159018 where I ended up standing until Basingstoke (because after-all it was prime commuter time and I boarded the train at the very last minute).  This pair of sprinters took me home, where I spent the rest of the evening relaxing and trying to figure out a plan for Friday, eventually deciding on a London day due to the poor weather forecast (ending up grabbing 3 more 701s & a 730 for my little book)

24th January - Trans Pennine Trail on the South Yorkshire Railway

Today my plan was to head towards South Yorkshire to walk along a disused railway path which used to form part of the South Yorkshire Railway network, a walk I’ve postponed a couple of times previously due to poor weather or changing my mind.  The day began with the 05:27 service to Waterloo with 159004 doing the honours, where I switched to Waterloo East with 376026 & 376019 to London Bridge, followed by 700149 to St Pancras.  Felt strange skipping Farringdon as due to LU engineering works, Thameslink weren’t calling there today.

After grabbing some food from Tesco near Kings Cross, I headed to the EMR platforms at St Pancras and onto 222018 on the next Sheffield service for the speedy run to the steel city and a 30 minute break (good time to head up the hill to grab lunch from one of the shops) before 150206 rolled in fresh from the sidings to take me to Silkstone Common where my walk began.

150206 departing Silkstone Common Station

The first section of my walk was around the route of the Worsbrough branch line, which used to run between Penistone (connecting with the Woodhead route) and a junction in Wombwell.  However around Silkstone Common there are a couple of tunnels which have been blocked off, forcing a mild detour via a slightly muddy path as I headed towards a tiny country lane (Blackergreen Lane) near to where the junction used to be located (although this section the mixed used path was high on an embankment with the occasional glimpse of the former railway route, including a tunnel portal).  I doubled back towards Silkstone Common and headed east as the path dropped down onto the route of the old railway where thankfully the muddy path turned into a smooth surface made of tarmac mixed with old rubber tyres (judging by some information boards).

My walk continued, as I left behind Silkstone Common and headed into the countryside with some beautiful views, with the occasional glimpse of Wentworth Castle as the path skirted round the southern edge of Dodworth with the railway path crossing the M1 before heading towards the southern edge of Worsbrough, passing close to the Worsbrough Mill Country Park.  After a quick break I resumed my walk headed away from Worsbrough back into the countryside with this section of path being quieter in terms of other users, crossing underneath the Barnsley - Meadowhall railway on a large viaduct (sadly mostly hidden by the trees) with the path continuing, joining up with the route of another disused railway (pretty sure part of the Blackburn Valley Line, or else another colliery branch) with the branch line ending at a junction on the northern edge of Wombwell with the former South Yorkshire line between Mexborough & Barnsley.

Path along the remains of the South Yorkshire Railway (Mexborough - Barnsley Branch) (Trans Pennine Trail) in Wombwell

The next section of my walk saw myself heading in a general south eastern direction skirting round the edge of Wombwell passing the site of the former Wombwell Central station (no evidence remaining) heading underneath the A6195 near Brampton where I turned onto what was signposted as the Elsecar Greenway.  A bit noisy as the first section ran close to the Dearne Valley Parkway, close to Cortonwood Shopping Park before moving away from the route of an old colliery railway to follow an old canal (the Elsecar branch of the Dearne & Dove Canal).  Another busy path this as it skirted close to Hemingfield before heading towards Elsecar itself.  I ended the walk at the basin rather than the Heritage Centre (somewhere on my list to visit), followed with a steep uphill climb to the station, arriving with a few minutes to spare before 158870 rolled in from Leeds to take me to Sheffield.

I turned down the first available St Pancras train because boarding a 222 with minutes to spare on a Saturday is a bit crazy, so hung around before 222007 rolled in on platform 8, grabbing a seat in coach D and settling down for the run to London, where amazingly it arrived near enough on time.  I headed to the Thameslink platforms to take 700101 to London Bridge (again speeding through Farringdon felt strange, as Thameslink were changing to DC at City Thameslink today, although I had to laugh at some of the responses of some youngsters pretending to be gangster like panicking as they probably didn’t have tickets (and were planning to touch into the oyster network at Farringdon).  Anyhow at London Bridge I jumped onto the first available South Eastern service to Waterloo East, tonight this was 377523 & 377514 from Maidstone, and after grabbing some dinner headed across to board 159104 on the 19:50 service to Salisbury before the masses boarded.

222007 at Sheffield Station

This 159 lost some time outside Woking due to congestion, but otherwise was uneventful as I got home, and relaxed.  An enjoyable walk in South Yorkshire, nice to break the 13-mile mark for the first time this year, and other than the area near Silkstone Common a decent surface in some sunshine.

25th January – An unplanned trip to King’s Lynn

Originally I was going to head towards Birmingham today, solely for the novelty to do a West Midlands 196 from Birmingham Snow Hill towards Worcester via Kidderminster doing a large loop, however I was very much on the sidelines due to the WCML being closed as doing a Chiltern service which would be busy, especially as some of the hired in staff at Marylebone are a bit unpleasant to the point I probably wouldn’t have enjoyed a triple turbo formation, so I looked into other ideas for a lazy day trip (as I didn’t fancy having a day in London with the weather being a bit changeable).

The day started with a stroll to Grateley for 159003 to Waterloo, with the usual Sunday morning crawl at the London end, which gave me just under an hour to get to Kings Cross.  Thankfully it had stopped raining allowing me to walk to Kings Cross, the rain only returning when I was near Euston Road waiting for the traffic lights to change, however I shouldn’t have rushed as the next Great Northern service for King’s Lynn was delayed as the inbound was running late, eventually it rolled in as I took a seat near the front (where it was quieter) on 379006, with 379017 in the middle & 379010 on the rear.

379006 at London Kings Cross

I had forgotten how nice the interior is on these former Greater Anglia units, considering I hadn’t ridden one since 2021.  Good to see them having a second life on Great Northern as the train headed towards Cambridge, going via Hertford North due to engineering works.  A bit of a short delay at Cambridge station (where the front coach got busy due to being the closest to the entrance) with 379010 detaching, the train continued across the fens to reach King’s Lynn (delaying a London bound service at Downham Market as Sunday the trains pass there instead of at Littleport).   At King’s Lynn I made use of the time to pop to the nearby Morrisons for some supplies & lunch trying to decide between jumping off at Littleport to walk towards Ely alongside the river or changing at Cambridge.  I decided the river walk would probably be better done in the spring time in the event of mud (or even flooding), so returned to the station, switching to 379017 for the ride back to Cambridge.

A short wait at Cambridge before the next Stansted Airport service rolled in, formed of 755403 which did empty out and I managed to get a decent seat for the ride towards Stansted Airport, making a cross platform change onto a busy 745105 on the next Liverpool Street service, calling only at Bishop Stortford (and Tottenham Hale), so nice to get a bit of speed before it caught up with a pair of 720s I would have caught from Cambridge had the 755 been cancelled (and the interior of the GA Flirts is a world apart from the 3+2 seating on the 720s).  At Liverpool Street I had just under an hour to make it to Waterloo, thankfully the rain had stopped allowing a gentle stroll towards London Bridge & Southwark to reach Waterloo, probably not the quickest route but I wanted to go via London Bridge as a backup in case it started to rain again.

745105 at Stansted Airport

At Waterloo, I took a seat on a busy triple 159 set bound for Exeter (159004, 159007 & 159002) to take me to Andover for a 30-minute fester before 158882 & 158890 rolled in from Reading to take me the final 6 miles to Grateley, deciding that Andover made for a nicer change than Basingstoke (for at least it would be the same platform).  At Grateley I strolled home in the light drizzle to get myself ready for the week ahead and sorting out my photos.  Anyhow thanks for reading, more photos can be found on my Flickr Here, a shame my Scottish trip had to be cut short with the weather, but travelling in January always carries risk of poor weather.