Trips in January 2026, Part 1

 Trips in January 2026, Part 1

4th January – Walking in East Devon

With the railway closed in the Basingstoke area, it limited my options for my first day trip of 2026, deciding to head west to walk an old railway line path from Exmouth to Budleigh Salterton.  The day starting with the 08:30 service from Grateley to take me to Exeter Central, where I had time to dash to the Co-Op for some supplies before taking 166220 to Exmouth and a walk to the bus stops on the Parade for a filthy stagecoach bus on a route 157 to Sidmouth, forcing a little rethink as I decided to take the bus to the village of Otterton.

Leaving the bus, I soon picked up national cycle route 2 heading via the village (up a steep hill) and onto a former road (Park Lane) for an enjoyable stroll heading south towards the Otter Estuary giving some nice views of the river and another footpath running alongside the river (ideas for the future).  I reached the end of Park Lane, crossed over the river and departed from the route of the cycle path and onto a footpath which formed part of the long-distance Coastal path, running towards the seafront with some lovely views of the estuary marshlands.  I reached the sea and after a little trip to the mouth of the river I headed along the seafront at Budleigh Salterton, finishing the walk near Cliff Road (maybe one of these days I will return to this area to walk the coastal path all the way towards Exmouth, so much to do, so little time).

Budleigh Salterton Beach.

The next section was via the roads (and a small area called the Green) to head towards Knowle, where I picked up cycle route 2 along the way and headed onto the off-road section on what was called the Budleigh Salterton - Exmouth Greenway, picking up the route of the former railway line for a gentle stroll in the countryside (with some traffic noise at times), heading towards Exmouth.  The next section involved some roads due to the route of the railway being lost under modern developments, before picking up the railway line again to take me towards Rhear Park where I was considering heading towards Lympstone but decided instead to head towards Exmouth station as the clouds were getting darker.  At the station I jumped onto 166218 to take me to Exeter Central where I had a nice connection onto 159101 & 159002 to take me back to Grateley, walking home in the snow.  An enjoyable day of riverside path, a seafront path & a smooth former railway line.

5th January – Avanti via Settle.

The plans I had for the Monday & Tuesday completely changed on the Sunday night due to the forecast of heavy snow, as I was originally going to stay overnight in Chester on the Monday night after doing a walk, doing the novelty of an Avanti service via the S&C line on the Tuesday (heading back to London via Newcastle), even the hotel got changed in the morning from Chester to Birmingham as I decided Birmingham offered more options for the Tuesday than Chester, deciding on the Easy Hotel for less than I had paid for a Travelodge in Chester (making use of paying extra for free cancellation).

Anyhow the overnight trip began with a walk in the snow to Grateley station and onto 158881, 159004 & 159101 for the run into Waterloo, where I had a stroll to Euston (where I made my decision to switch hotels).  Onto the 09:30 service to Preston formed of 390009, after noticing there was no power in coach C I changed to coach D with plenty of options on this lightly loaded Pendo for the run towards Preston, all was going well until it got diverted via Northampton due to another train having issues on the route via Weedon, causing a 20 minute delay, it managed to get back some of the lost time before sitting outside Wigan for nearly 10 minutes for a stopper to depart and reached Preston where thankfully Avanti control had held the connection (I was glad to have grabbed food when in London), and I grabbed a seat on 805009 which eventually departed, thankfully ahead of the Colne stopper and passing the Clitheroe stopper at Blackburn.  A trip looking out of the window at the snow-covered scenery.  The 805 reached Carlisle around 25 minutes late, cutting down time to grab supplies (especially since that handy Tesco near the station closed).

805009 at Carlisle Station

I returned to the station, after visiting Booths and M&S (mmm doughnuts) and grabbed a seat in the driving end coach (aka standard premium due to not having an engine underneath), sitting on the opposite side for the trip back south, daylight giving way near Settle so I spent the rest of the trip watching videos.  The train was delayed on the outskirts of Blackburn for some unexplained reason, which had it following the stopper to Preston.  I think there were a few annoyed passengers when the 805 arrived into Preston for a delay as it attached to another unit as a fast London train pulled out before the doors were released.  Thankfully this didn’t affect me as I was waiting for the via Birmingham service which eventually arrived and departed around 10 minutes late with 390153, losing more time around Crewe to arrive at Birmingham around 25 minutes late.

The temperature had certainly dropped when I got out of the station and made my way to the Easy Hotel to get checked in, well I would have done if I could actually check in as there was nobody at the front desk, with the phone ringing and a crowd building.  Eventually a member of staff did pop up to clear the crowd and I made my way to my room to empty out my rucksack and relaxed.  15 minutes later I headed back out to the freezing cold air, swinging via Tesco for some late evening munchies and onto the 22:00 service to Worcester Shrub Hill, which had winner 196010 leading 196005.  I wasn’t expecting to get 010 until Oxford – Milton Keynes opened up as its one of the half dozen leased to Chiltern rather than West Midlands, but I guess it’s been sub-leased back to the West Midlands until the Oxford – Milton Keynes service start to operate.

196010 at Bromsgrove

I took this 196 to Bromsgrove, changing over to the opposite platform for 196102 back to Birmingham New Street, which even featured a ticket check! (I wonder how many tickets that guard sold).  At Birmingham New Street, my phone was reading minus 5C as I made my way back to the hotel, trying to be careful with ice, and got myself warmed up.  The novelty of Avanti via the S&C line was done as I began to think trying to decide what to do on the Tuesday.

6th January – Walking the snowy Tame 

After a reasonable sleep (could have done with another pillow) I departed from the hotel, grabbing some breakfast from Tim Hortons and headed to the station.  I was still in two minds between heading to Perry Barr or to university for a walk, keeping the snowy conditions in mind (it wasn’t snowing this morning but the ground had snow on it).  Deciding to head to Perry Barr, jumping onto 730031 on the Walsall stopper.

After leaving the station (first time using it since the building was rebuilt for the commonwealth games) and headed towards the large "One Stop" shopping complex, I picked up a path which headed towards the Perry Hall Park and followed the River Tame. I followed this path round the park, going underneath the railway and towards the Hamstead area.  A short section of walking along the roads followed before I picked up a footpath alongside the Tame (being careful with any hilly areas), this led towards the Sandwell Valley area, picking up cycle route 5 near Forge Mill Lake (complete with signs warning that this area was part of the flood plain so to stay out if the lights were flashing).

River Tame in Sandwell Valley, Birmingham

Following the path, now between the River Tame & the Lake, I headed underneath the railway line once more with the path coming to an end in the Newton area.  A short section along a road followed before picking up a path which headed towards the Tame Valley Canal, near to various bridges related to the M5.  I followed the towpath of the snow-covered canal (which did look very pretty) towards Tame Bridge Parkway station where I managed to jump onto 730035 on the next Birmingham International service (I was aiming for the 196 which was following, but it was a bit cold now I had stopped walking).  An enjoyable little stroll, one of those walking ideas which had been on my list for a while, one of these days I might even walk the footpath towards Bescot Stadium, but that will probably be best done in the summer time.

Once I reached Birmingham city centre, grabbing a late lunch & other stuff, I decided on a little time-wasting stroll towards the Jewellery Quarter.  On arrival I took 172345 & 172214 to Moor Street giving me plenty of time to grab a couple of photos of the next Chiltern service.  68013 was on the buffer stop end with DVT 82305 at the London end, as I got a decent seat in for the former 1st class area for a little personal farewell to the Mk3 coaches on Chiltern before they get replaced by the bone shakers.  Always nice to have a nonstop run after Bicester North to London, reminding me of the days when Chiltern offered competition to the WCML with an hourly fast service.

DVT 82305 at Birmingham Moor Street

At Marylebone, the temperature was a lot colder than it was in Birmingham, as I headed to the Bakerloo line for my first spin on the Bakerloo of the year (3262 & 3536) to Waterloo, to finish the trip with 159107, 159017 & 159005 on a train to Grateley, getting home to relax and getting ready for the week ahead.

13th January – An overnight trip to Lincolnshire

The aim for this trip was to do a couple of little novelties which required staying in Lincon overnight, a city which can be quite expensive for accommodation in the tourist season so I was happy to pick up a room above a pub close to the station for £40 (although I completely forgot there was a Travelodge in the city centre).  I had a few ideas for walks in the general area, all depending on the weather (which was quite changeable), with the day starting with the 06:16 from Grateley to Waterloo with 159004 & 159106, followed by a gentle stroll towards Kings Cross where I had a few options as I wanted to be in Lincoln to catch a bus departing at 13:00.

In the end, I decided to give my eyes a break from the red and boarded 802302 on a Hull Trains service to take me to Doncaster (in the rain, where I noticed the Leeds stopper is back to being a 3 coach 331).  After grabbing some supplies from Sainsburys I boarded 170513 on the next Lincoln bound service, going from platform 2 (bringing back memories of how it took me 3 attempts to get this bay platform a few years ago).  I always forget how remote this line gets in places, as it arrived into Lincoln near enough on time, giving me plenty of time to make my way to the bus station for the next P&C Coaches run route 30 to Horncastle via Bardney service to take me to Bardney. Via Washingborough & Heighington with some fast running on the remote countryside section.

170513 at Doncaster

My walk today was part of the former Lincolnshire Loop Line, now branded as the Water-Rail Way.  The first mile was along a farm track (as the route of the railway has been lost), a bit muddy & flooded in places, but thankfully the path did turn into smooth tarmac as it headed towards the former Southrey station site.  The path was running close to the River Witham as I continued towards the former Stixwould station, not the busiest of paths, but was very relaxing with the only sound being aircraft above the clouds.

The walk ended in the Kirkstead area of Woodhall Spa, with the platforms of the former Woodhall Junction station visible but fenced off, beyond this point the railway line disappears into private land with the Water-Rail way using country lanes until the Langrick Bridge area where it goes off-road following the Witham River into Boston itself, a place which at a glance has limited bus services but needs more research.  Anyhow I left the cycle path and headed onto the roads to reach a bus stop for a Brylaine Travel run route B5 service to take me towards Lincoln where darkness had fallen

Remains of platforms at Southrey Station

On arrival at Lincoln, I decided the best thing would be to head to my accommodation, to get myself checked in (although it was self-service check-in with access codes emailed the day before), after going the wrong way via the university campus (I failed to see the path near the railway level crossing on Brayford Wharf, ending up crossing over the railway on a footbridge to find the Swan pub (which google was suggesting is temporary closed), access via a passageway by the side and I found my room with a good view over Brayford Pool.  After dropping off stuff from my rucksack I returned to the outside, heading to the station via a Tesco for some dinner items and onto 170532 on the 17:39 service for Crewe.  When I arrived at the station at 17:35 I was expecting to have to stand (owing to the time of day), but I was completely surprised that the train was barely half full, I even had a private table seat on the slow train to Nottingham, calling at nearly every station.

I will also admit to forgetting about the 810s as my original idea was to head to the tram stop for a short tram hunt, for lack of a better idea, until I noticed on RTT I could get in my first 810 with a run to Loughborough with an outside chance of making a minus 1 connection onto the 2nd diagram.   Anyhow after buying my day return to Loughborough, I took a seat on 810006 for the run to Loughborough, getting lucky with the connection to jump onto 810010 heading back towards Nottingham, where I sat around on the platform to await the arrival of the 20:45 service for Boston, a warm 158864, for a farce to start.

810010 at Nottingham Station

A pair of 3 coach 170s rolled in on platform 1 heading to Norwich, but were having some sort of issue as they just sat on the platform with the signal changing back from green to red to allow some ECS shunts to happen, the Boston train getting delayed in case the Norwich train was ready to depart due to the long signal sections on the line towards Grantham.  15 minutes later the stopper departed (with the Norwich train still sitting on platform 1), calling at a few stations along the way, reversing at Grantham and taking me to Sleaford where I was connecting onto the last train towards Peterborough, which was formed of a refurbished 170, 506.  Quite a decent job with the new seats, carpets etc, the plug socket coming in handy to charge my phone when I was watching videos with the run to Peterborough, going via the dive under.  The next service was one of those novelty trains with the 23:09 service back towards Lincoln, for it used the Sleaford avoiding line (I presume due to the signal box at Sleaford being closed that time of night).  I didn’t need the track as I’ve done it on charter trains and diverted long distance services when the ECML has been closed, but it’s a novelty to do it on an EMR service, to see the calling pattern being Splading then Ruskington.

Anyhow an hour or so later, the 170 arrived in Lincoln after doing the unusual track, the ticket barriers still being in operation was a bit of a surprise (although I suspect more to do with keeping people out of the station than revenue), as I made my way to the pub (going the right way this time!) and relaxed ready for an early start on the Wednesday.

14th January – Walking Peak Rail & Cromford Canal

Today was one of those days where I had a few options in my head, a couple of the rejected options included a walk in Derby from Spondon, walking from Long Eaton into Nottingham via the Trent or even returning to Bardney to finish the old railway path with the 9 and a bit mile into Lincoln alongside the river.  In the end I decided on a trip to Matlock with a couple shorter walks linked by a bus.  Anyhow it was an early start with a walk to the station (via a Tesco for some breakfast items) for the 06:40 service towards Nottingham, a service which continues to St Pancras, as Lincoln gets 2 direct trains a day to St Pancras but with nothing going in the other direction.

222019 eventually rolled in running quite late (the ECS being late from Nottingham, and I will admit to staying in bed until it actually departed as it would seem pointless heading to the station to find the service cancelled.  I got a seat in the rear coach, which was empty until one of the stations after Newark Castle (and was off the platform at all the various stations), the section between Swinderby & Nottingham being new coverage for a 222 (as back in 2019 I managed to do a 222 to Swinderby from Lincoln back when East Midlands Trains had a DMU shortage and used a 222 to cover some Lincoln – Leicester services).  Anyhow back to the present day and I alighted from this 222 at Nottingham, heading towards Tesco to grab some supplies (I would have used the Co-Op but it was cash only and membership discounts weren’t getting applied).

222019 at Lincoln Station

I retuned to the station and onto a busy 170513 to take me towards Matlock (ironically the same unit I had to Matlock last year!), where the first of today’s walk began.  Leaving the station, dodging some icy patches due to the temperature dropping overnight, I joined the Derwent Valley Way path running between the river and the A6 with some nice views of the river before going underneath the A6 as I reached the area of the Matlock Riverside station (Peak Rail), going underneath the railway bridge and up some stairs to reach a permissive path alongside the railway heading towards a cycle path which forms part of the long distance White Peak Loop, alongside the railway.  Quite a busy path with walkers (and a couple of cyclists) with some nice views of the countryside, I would imagine on days where Peak Rail are running steam trains it would make for some good photos.

The path splits away from the railway near Darley Dale, and runs alongside roads towards the station before going via Whitworth Park (once I managed to get the gate open!).  After the park, the path returns to running alongside the railway track as it headed towards their base of operations at Rowsley South, although no real chances of photos due to the path moving away from the tracks to the south of the station area.  I continued along the path as it passed a council depot and moved onto the route of the old railway line (which used to continue towards Buxton, with a short section towards Rowsley itself, the walk ending at a bus stop outside the outlet shopping mall at Peak Village.  (The cycle path continues along the A6 towards Bakewell and the famous Monsal Trail)

Darley Dale Station (Peak Rail)

I didn’t have long to wait for the next High Peak ‘Transpeak’ bus service to take me back towards Matlock, where I stayed on towards Matlock Bath & Cromford, alighting from the bus near High Peak Junction for the second walk was going to be the Cromford Canal.  I previously had walked from High Peak Junction towards the wharf at Cromford last year when I did the High Peak Trail from Parlsey Hay so it made sense to start the walk here, considering the bus stopped there.  The towpath was quite reasonable, a bit muddy in places but overall reasonable as I headed towards Whatstandwell via a short tunnel.  Some nice views along the way as well.  Once more the towpath was quite busy with other walkers enjoying the sunshine (even if it was a tad chilly) and soon I reached Ambergate, staying on the towpath to the end of the canal, the section between Ambergate & Langley Mill being lost to history, although parts of it are still walkable.

Anyhow I reached Ambergate station just as 170532 was rolling in on the next Matlock service, which I took to Matlock to visit the large Sainsburys next to the station, making use of the extended turnaround time the Matlock trains now have compared to before December.  I took the same unit back towards Derby where I changed onto the next London bound service, formed of a shiny 810013 on its first day of service, I found a seat and relaxed with the run towards St Pancras, the train losing time in the Luton area due to a points failure causing some congestion, so it arrived into London around 10 minutes behind schedule.

End of the Cromford Canal, Ambergate

I decided to walk to Waterloo owing to the weather forecast on the Thursday being a bit wet, arriving with time to spare to board the 17:23 service to take me to Grateley, the end of a little overnight trip to Lincolnshire (and Derbyshire), both novelties I wanted to do got done, I’ve made a small dent into the Water-Rail Way path, plus a couple more walks on the Matlock branch line.  The Thursday I had a lazy day at home, only popping to Basingstoke for some shopping before meeting up with a dear friend, I was toying with having a spot of 701 hunting but alas lady luck wasn’t on my side.  Thanks for reading, more photos can be found here, next week hopefully sees a hopeful return to Scotland, weather dependent.