November Trips (Part 1)

 November Trips (Part 1)

1st November – Warrington to Runcorn via the Ship Canal

The weather on this Saturday in the Polmont area was quite rubbish in terms of being wet so I ditched my original plans for any walking (I was toying with the old railway line route from Paisley Canal towards Johnstone (or most likely the other way round) and headed into Glasgow on a pair of 385s, having a short walk in the city centre to get some supplies before taking a seat on 390121 working a London service, started off quiet before getting extremely busy, especially after Preston as the ECML was closed for engineering works at York.  As the weather was looking better in Cheshire I decided to bail at Warrington Bank Quay, just to get away from the chaos of an overcrowded train (when it’s standing along the aisles it isn’t much fun).

I dug out a plan I had originally pencilled in for a potential Sunday walk for the times I stayed at Crewe (before my usual accommodation closed up and prices have generally shot up), which was a stroll towards Runcorn along a footpath close to the Ship Canal.   The first section was leaving Warrington Bank Quay station to head south along Slutchers Lane towards a newish housing estate, picking up a path to lead me onto a footbridge over the river Mersey (the footbridge is alongside the railway line).  I headed underneath the railway and picked up a footpath leading along the remains of the Runcorn & Latchford Canal before heading along a reasonable quality path towards the Moore Nature Reserve, a place I wouldn't mind returning to when the weather was a bit sunnier.  I soon turned off a little lane, dodging various fly tipping and onto a footpath running between the Ship Canal & the Mersey, giving some nice views of the Ferrybridge Power Station.

In all fairness I was heading to the point where the footpath just ends on the OS Map, Open Street Map/Strava was suggesting it would continue, but there is always that little doubt that I will run into a high gate/fence, thankfully where I did run into a road block, it was only for vehicles and not walkers (or cyclists) as I reached Wigg Island, picking up the route of the disused canal and headed underneath the modern Mersey Gateway bridge, before heading towards the former quays area, crossing the Ship Canal, and walking alongside it towards the Silver Jubilee bridge, doing a little loop to cover the Runcorn Locks Greenway along the route of the former Bridgwater Canal (as it used to connect into the Ship Canal).

Manchester Ship Canal from the Runcorn Promenade (and a bridge)

I reached Runcorn with time to spare, even getting there earlier than I was planning (was aiming for a direct London train), and jumped onto 730212 to Crewe, changing to a nearly empty coach on 805003 & 805005 from Chester to take me towards Euston.  I was foolish after walking to Waterloo to jump onto winner 701060 to Twickenham, foolish even more to leave the train at Twickenham and into the organised chaos of the post-match queuing system (in hindsight I should have stayed on to Feltham or remained on the platform for a 701 towards Kingston).  In the end I ended up at a busy St Margarets, squeezing onto a very busy 701 to Clapham Junction, where I just about made a connection onto a busy pair of 450s towards Basingstoke, before taking a rail replacement coach to Grateley (getting lucky with having one of the Newbury & District coaches used for the Basingstoke – Heathrow bus route, those interiors are quite nice.  Needless to say the Sunday I was quite lazy after a busy few days in Scotland!

7th November - Sett Valley Trail & Peak Forest

This was a Friday where my plans did change along the way, originally I was heading into Manchester to take a train towards Patricroft to walk a disused railway line path & the Leigh busway into Leigh, but for whatever reason (which I can't remember) decided to change at Stockport for a plan to catch a bus towards Hyde to pick up the Peak Forest Canal from Apethorn Lane to head towards Marple or New Mills.  Anyhow after taking a busy 9 coach Pendo (390049) to Stockport, and headed towards the bus station, my plans changed when I saw a bus to Hayfield, and a chance to walk the short disused railway line path called the Sett Valley Trail.

It was a former Stagecoach bus on the route 358 (part of the Bee Network), and fitting for the time of year it was a bus for Remembrance (rather than the usual custard colour).  Quite an interesting run towards Hayfield, heading away from Stockport town centre via the suburbs (Offerton) and into Marple.  After Marple the views did start to open out a bit with the run towards Strines (pretty sure I used this bus route many years ago when I took a bus from Marple to Strines station, back when Strines station was 2 hourly and quite awkward due to the trains passing there).  Into New Mills and finally towards Hayfield with some nice views from the top deck.

My walk began picking up the Sett Valley Trail in a car park near the bus station, and was soon heading towards Birch Vale and back towards New Mills, not the most scenic of old railway line walks other than views of a reservoir, but good to get it removed from my oversized list.  In New Mills I headed via the Torrs Park, heading towards Newtown station to pick up the Peak Forest Canal.

Sett Valley Trail between Birch Vale & New Mills

I decided to head towards Whaley Bridge, with some beautiful scenery (although not the best day for scenery with cloud and a light drizzle at times) leaving New Mills to head towards Furness Vale, the canal following the route of the railway as it headed south towards Whaley Bridge, the branch towards Bugsworth Basin heading away (I've got a plan to walk that section alongside the Peak Forest Tramway Trail path).  I had time to swing via the Tesco for some supplies before carrying on to the basin in Whaley Bridge, the drizzle turning more into light rain for the last short section, this being the remains of the Whaley Bridge Incline on the Cromford and High Peak Railway.

After reaching the top of the hill, I headed towards Whaley Bridge station, with time to spare to take a pair of 150s towards Stockport, making a connection onto a busy 9 coach Pendo for London (390040) on a fast service.  Once in Euston I had one further walk across to Waterloo to take a 158+159 home.  An enjoyable day, even if the weather did turn wet near the end.

8th November – Erewash Canal

Another late notice change of plan, as I was aiming to walk the path between Long Eaton & Nottingham via the River Trent, but decided when heading towards London to look at the Erewash Canal instead.  I headed to St Pancras via South Eastern & Thameslink (to make a change from walking) and got seated on a Nottingham bound 222.  Departure time came and went, eventually there was an announcement about the original crew getting held up somewhere with 222009 departing near enough 25 minutes late, time it never made back up or lost more time.

At Nottingham I had time to pop out to the Co-Op to grab some lunch items, before watching 195013 roll in from Leeds, doing an impression of a clown car in just how many passengers squeezed onto the 2-coach unit.  The return towards Leeds was also quite busy, as I alighted at Langley Mill to start my walk.  After a short section along the road I soon reached the Erewash Canal, the basin area is all fenced off for private moorings as I headed towards Ilkeston, the towpath quality being mixed in this section, but nice scenic views of woodland.  I continued towards Ilkeston having a detour towards the Bennerley Viaduct to walk across the Iron Giant (although at the moment it's a dead end as construction work continues at the eastern end).  After a U-turn it was back to the canal, where the towpath quality had improved to tarmac as it skirted around the eastern edge of Ilkeston.

195004 heading underneath the Bennerley Viaduct

Eventually another cycle path joined in, using an old railway line route (?) towards Shipley Country Park, something else to research as this area of the East Midlands has so many old railways line paths to explore.  I continued going underneath the M1 and towards Sandiacre where the former Derby Canal joined, quite a few fishermen in this section, some being a bit grumpy at having to move their fishing equipment for walkers.  I soon reached Long Eaton and Sawley where the canal did a sharp turn south where I left it at Fields Farm Road, near the railway bridges and the point I reached last year when I walked the last section of the Trent & Mersey Canal.  Another canal ticked off my list as I headed to Long Eaton station.

It was a short wait before 170639 rolled in on a Nottingham bound service which I took to Beeston, a station which has changed quite a bit since my last visit with new lifts getting installed.  I headed towards the town centre via a handy Co-Op (bringing back memories of the first time I stayed in this area back in 2014, time flies).  It was onto the trams as it had been a while since my last decent run on the Nottingham Tramway with tram 231 taken towards the city centre, spending the next 40 or so minutes doing some linear hops, keeping my eyes out for any of my last trio of sub mile trams, eventually tram 202 popped up which I took to Meadows Way West, the last of the original batch of trams cleared for a mile.  I walked back towards the station as darkness was falling and I decided enough was enough.

Nottingham Tram 202 at Meadows Way West

I managed to get a decent seat on 222013 working the next ‘fast’ St Pancras service, departed on time before a complete and utter farce as it was held for 5 minutes at the junction near East Midlands Parkway for a late running stopping service from Sheffield (bare in mind at the time this 222 stopped the one from Sheffield had just arrived at Long Eaton).  The train from Nottingham eventually got going but at a crawl due to following a stopper, getting into Leicester something like 20 minutes late (and delaying the following fast service from Sheffield as well).  The delay only increased due to being out of path and following a 360 from Corby after Luton getting into St Pancras bang on 30 minutes late.

Before I headed to my accommodation, I took a stroll to Euston to jump onto winner 730207 to Harrow & Wealdstone, just about making a connection into winner 730223 back to Euston due to 207 being 6 minutes late.  Two more 730s into my book as I took a Hammersmith & City line service to Paddington where a delay worked to my benefit as a Didcot Parkway semi-fast was running 10 minutes late and only had started to board (this was an evening where the Elizabeth line had fallen over).  I jumped onto 387166 & 387170 to take me one stop to Slough, where after visiting the big Tesco, I located my accommodation in the Slough Travelodge.  Mainly as a replacement bus avoidance move for the Sunday.

9th November – Lichfield to Brownhills Railway Path

I checked out of the Travelodge on Sunday morning, heading to the station for a late running pair of 387s on a stopping service towards Paddington (probably the first time I’ve called on the mainline platform at Langley).  Today was another day where I had a few ideas of walks as I took a gentle stroll towards Euston to board 807005 on a Liverpool service, mainly for the novelty of an 807 via Northampton.  Along the walk to Euston, I decided on the recently opened up path along the route of the former South Staffordshire line from Lichfield to Brownhills, a route so new it doesn’t even show on Google Maps!

I left the 807 at Lichfield Trent Valley and started my little stroll going out via the secondary car park towards an industrial estate before picking up a path in Darnford Park, this took me towards the part restored section of the Lichfield Canal before I headed towards the Sandfields Pumping Station on Chesterfield Road where the new greenway path began.  I will admit the path quality wasn't the easiest to walk along as it felt like railway ballast, but it's still early days (and I would imagine give it a couple of years and it will be smooth tarmac).  I continued along the route of the old railway, crossing Fosseway Lane with an old signal box (all boarded up) with the path heading into countryside, passing the remains of Hammerwich station (complete with footbridge, but no platforms).

Footbridge at site of former Hammerwich Station on the Lichfield to Brownhills Greenway

The path crossed the M6 Toll and soon came to an end near Watling Street where a fence which was there a couple weeks earlier when I was in this area had vanished as it connects with the existing McClean Way path.  I was back on roads as I walked towards the centre of Brownhills as I was unsure about messaging regards bus route changes with parades.  It was soon before a National Express bus rolled in on a route 10 to take me to Walsall bus station, getting diverted itself due to road closures along the way so a comfortable connection to a stopper suddenly became a bit less comfortable, but I still managed to make it (even had time to buy a ticket from the ticket office) before boarding 730044 on a stopping service to Birmingham New Street.

After popping out of the station for some food, I was soon back to board winner 730229 to Wolverhampton, returning to New Street on another 730, where I started to plan my way towards Bristol where my accommodation was located.  I spotted on RTT a Very Short-Term Plan service to Bristol Temple Meads which was being advertised as Gloucester as 170636 rolled in and I managed to grab a seat in the former 1st class area for the trip towards Gloucester, losing time along the way.  On the approach to Cheltenham Spa (where it was behind the GWR stopper for Bristol) it was announced that after Gloucester it would run to Bristol Temple Meads, so I stayed on board for the reversal at Gloucester for some unusual track coverage on a XC 170!

170636 at Bristol Temple Meads (on arrival from Birmingham)

At Bristol Temple Meads, I headed towards the nearby Spoons for some dinner before making my way to the Travelodge ready for an early start on the Monday for some strange random reason.

10th November – A maze of old railways in Taffs Well

Originally an idea for this Monday was to head towards Swansea & Pontarddulais for an old railway line path towards Gowerton but the weather forecast out west wasn’t looking promising.  So, I ditched that idea to stay closer to Cardiff coming up with some ideas.  I checked out of the hotel making my way to the station and onto 170636 (I was expecting it would have been this unit again) on the daily Bristol – Cardiff XC service for some more unusual track coverage on a XC 170 (why else did you think I would stay overnight in Bristol lol).

After grabbing breakfast, I met up with my good friend Jules as we took 756105 to Trefforest Estate for a little walk.  Heading towards the industrial estate and towards a cycle path along the route of the long closed Cardiff Railway route near Nantgarw towards Taff's Well before heading onto the Taff Trail for a short section along the former Rhymney Railway route before climbing onto the Old Taff Trail (it still has signs saying Taff Trail but it has since been removed from the OS Map) which made use of the former Barry Railway route towards the former Walnut Tree Viaduct (this part of Wales used to a be a maze of railway lines!)

After departing from the route of the old railway line, the rain began as we headed into the Fforest Fawr, an area we both agreed was worth a revisit when the weather was nicer, after a very steep downhill section we reached Castell Coch where a footpath had been closed forcing a detour via the roads towards Tongwynlais and towards Taff's Well along the Taff Trail, doing an U-turn back towards Tongwynlais, pausing for a coffee at a local café before we picked up a footpath alongside the River Taff leading us underneath the M4 and another detour, this time towards the Long Wood Nature Reserve & the remains of the Glamorganshire Canal, reaching Forest Farm Road where we headed towards Radyr station, swinging via a local Co-Op for some lunch & other supplies.

Castell Coch

The first northbound train was 150245 which we took to Trefforest before taking 756114 to Aberdare to tick off the new arrival’s platform where we decided to have another short walk, heading away from Aberdare station and onto a path following the route of the former Aberdare canal and a road to reach Cwmbach station to take 756108 back towards Cardiff Central where after grabbing food we said our farewells as Jules headed on a 197 and I took 166203 to Salisbury for 159022 to Grateley to end my little long weekend of travels.

15th November – Tour of Middlewich

Using up a day of annual leave because who knows when the next time Avanti will divert services via Middlewich (and it’s one of the novelties I tend to do).  It was onto a lightly loaded 805003 at Euston on the Holyhead service, complete with dodgy PIS listing various random station calls, a train which never got that busy even for the rare section between Crewe & Chester going via the slow freight line at Middlewich, pausing in the loop along the way for another service to pass.

At Chester I had a gentle stroll towards Mickle Trafford along the route of the former Cheshire Lines Committee route (part of the Chester Millennium Greenway), where I caught an Arriva bus back into the city centre (had I missed that bus I would have probably walked it via the roads considering it's only hourly and not even clockface, I guess in hindsight I should have caught the bus to Mickle Trafford to walk back to Chester so I could take some more time.

805003 at Chester (from Hoole Way bridge)

After grabbing some bits in Chester city centre, I headed to the station and onto 777018 to Liverpool Lime Street and onto a late running 807008 on a Euston service (departing 15-odd minutes late) enjoying a private coach until Milton Keynes where it did fill up.  Once in London I headed home, after an enjoyable random day trip.

Part 2 to follow at some point, but more photos can be found on my Flickr album *here*.