Late Summer Holiday Adventuring Part 5 – 19th -> 23rd September

 Late Summer Holiday Adventuring Part 5 – 19th -> 23rd September

19th September - Megawatt Valley Venturer

When there was news of Hastings Diesels having a railtour towards the High Marnham branch in Nottinghamshire I was interested.  The cost was reasonable with the timings allowing for a day trip from home, so no expense in accommodation required (which for some places a Saturday night can be eye watering expensive).  When the tour went on sale, I decided to treat myself to 1st class, however my plans went a bit wrong when there was late notice engineering works around New Malden with the Tour De Staines.

The day started with the 05:25 service with 159002 for the run towards Waterloo, getting quite busy after Woking due to the reduced timetable with the trip via Staines & Twickenham.  At Waterloo I grabbed some breakfast items and some lunch items as I wasn’t sure what sort of things were included in the “Light snacks” advertised.  I jumped onto 701018 to Clapham Junction to await the tour to arrive from the Hastings direction.  It was both the 6-coach unit with coach 1013 at one end with the 4 coach 201001 unit attached, I located my seat in the narrow coaches and got reminded that while the coaches are nice, the bench seats are ever so narrow for two people to sit side by side.

Hastings Diesel Coach 60119 (1013) at Clapham Junction

On the bright side, at least the 2 other people at my table were sociable, and the toast was quite nice.  The tour headed towards Kew Bridge, using the curve before the station to head towards South Acton and onto the Dudding Hill freight line towards the Midland Main Line.  After joining the Midland Main Line, the tour headed towards Bedford for one final pick up (including some higher speed running on the fast line) and continued towards Corby & Loughborough to arrive at Nottingham were some passengers alighted, others boarded in standard class with a part fare option and lunch was served with a very tasty range of sandwiches & cakes.

The train reversed at Nottingham and headed towards Langley Mill using the freight line linking the Erewash line & Robin Hood line, joining it near Kirkby in Ashfield.  It headed north towards Mansfield & Shirebrook (reminding me how much exploring I need to do in this part of the country; Nottinghamshire has quite a few old railway line paths from the days of coal).  I last headed onto the now freight only High Marnham branch back in 2015 on a railtour which got as far as the former Thoresby Colliery, so it was a nice trip down memory lane, passing some of the old stations (Warsop, Edwinstowe, Ollerton).  It was onto new track, crossing over the ECML (sadly no golden shot of a train passing when we were crossing over) towards the end of the line near the long-closed High Marnham power station.  The tour headed on the section which would have originally run to Lincoln via Fledborough.

ECML from the High Marnham Branch (South)

Another reversal with the trip back towards Shirebrook, passing the Rail Innovation & Development Centre at Tuxford.  The tour was running behind time so ran nonstop towards Toton yard, where it got further delayed due to some sort of trespass at Nottingham (probably a fare dodger trying to escape a revenue block on platform 7).  I decided to bail at Nottingham (turning down the dinner of cheese & biscuits) in order to get some fresh air, have a walk and get home a lot faster (and avoiding a 3-coach special on a London – Salisbury service).  I said farewell to the other 2 at the table and after grabbing some supplies at the nearby Tesco boarded a busy 158863 to Grantham transferring to 801219 on a London bound service to Kings Cross.

On approach to London, I had the bright idea to avoid the slow run via Staines, and walked towards Paddington, jumping onto an Oxford bound 800316 to Reading (annoyingly I was aiming for a pair of fast 387s but those were delayed).  At Reading it was a short wait before 221108 took me to Basingstoke, transferring onto 159014 on a Basingstoke starter (which was lightly loaded, in the rear coach at least).  This took me back home to Grateley, the end of a mostly enjoyable railtour, but the days of spending hours on a charter train isn’t much fun.  If I ever do a Hastings unit tour again, I shall aim for a seat in the wider coach, just for that bit of extra comfort.

20th September – A Merseyside Adventure Day 1

A quieter couple of days, with a trip to Merseyside with mum, a place she has been talking about returning to, after a brief visit a couple of years ago.  I managed to get a twin room in a city centre Travelodge for a reasonable amount and good value advance fares for her.  A trip with no real plan in mind.  It began with 159007 & 159002 from Grateley to Andover to step back onto 159016 on a Reading service where we visited Wendys for some breakfast related items before taking a seat on the 09:15 XC to Manchester, being careful to be in the correct unit as it was splitting at Birmingham.   221116 & 221137 took us towards Birmingham New Street, diverted at short notice via Warwick due to an incident at Kenilworth.

At Birmingham New Street, it was just chaotic. This was the Sunday where the WCML was closed for late notice works, so the XC had a lot more passengers boarding than it would usually have done and it eventually departed with the aisle within coach B very busy, from the looks of the platform it left a lot of folk behind.  It was a bit of a fight to exit the train at Wolverhampton where mum’s advance tickets were split (seems Reading to Wolverhampton is a lot cheaper than Reading to Birmingham).  Lots of police were floating around due to the kickball (because the fans can’t be trusted not to beat each other up) as we popped to the little Sainsburys for lunch items before taking 350130 & 350105 on the Liverpool service (even featured a ticket check!) to Liverpool Lime Street.

After purchasing the Saveaway tickets from the Northern run ticket office, we headed downstairs to jump on 777043 to James Street, where we had a gentle stroll across to the ferry terminal for a very busy (some sort of religious event) trip across to Seacombe on “Snowdrop”.  The ferry was so busy that it ended up being delayed due to having more passengers on than what it could legally carry.  After grabbing a photograph of the ferry departing Seacombe (we were one of the few who left it there), we headed to the bus stop to jump on the Arriva run route 423 to Liverpool city centre.

Mersey Ferry Snowdrop departing Seacombe

This bus went to Liverpool, the long way round, going via Wallasey, Leasowe, Moreton, Upton, Woodchurch & Birkenhead to terminate in the city centre.  An interesting way to see parts of the Wirral you don't see by train (or even by foot).  The buses weren’t over yet, as we decided to take another Arriva bus route, the 432 to New Brighton.  Mainly because this used the newer tunnel underneath the Mersey to head to New Brighton via Wallasey, where we had a gentle stroll up the hill to the station to jump on 777021 to Birkenhead Park (making use of the island platform for an easier connection) for 777016 to West Kirby.

After a visit to the seafront at West Kirby, we headed to the Spoons for dinner.  I was considering doing the bus back towards Liverpool but it was the time where day would turn suddenly into night, so I parked that idea and instead we took 777043 to Moorfields.  Leaving the station, we headed to the Travelodge which was close to the portal of the older Mersey tunnel & a layover area for various buses.  A bit noisy with the window open, but with the window closed it was quite peaceful.  Certainly, a hotel I might use again if ever I stay in Liverpool again and the price was right.

West Kirby Marine Lake

21st September – Merseyside Day 2

We checked out of the hotel, heading to Lime Street station via a branch of Spoons underneath a shopping centre for breakfast.  I had no real idea for today, other than maybe doing a bus to Southport (the route 300 looked interesting, although sadly run with single deck buses).  For the first train move I decided on taking 331110 to St Helens Central on a semi-fast Blackpool service, where we had a gentle stroll to the temporary bus station area on Chalon Way to board a Metro Network (Stagecoach) run route 89 with a new 76 plate double decker.  Quite nice interiors although the seats are not as comfortable as the modern Arriva buses in the North East.

The 89 runs towards John Lennon Airport and isn’t that quick as it goes via Eccleston Park, Prescot, Huyton & Belle Vale (and a shopping centre).  At Belle Vale the bus broke down, so a change of plan was called for, and the next bus happened to be an Arriva run route 204 to Liverpool city centre.  This route is another one which goes here, there & everywhere, going via Knotty Ash, Olive Mount, Wavertree & Toxteth to terminate at the Liverpool One bus station.  The last bus of the trip was the frequent Stagecoach run route 82 service to Liverpool South Parkway with a modern electric double decker.

331110 departs St Helens Central Station

This bus route follows the A561 via Toxteth & Aigburth to terminate at South Parkway where after a visit to the toilets, we transferred to the trains and onto 777038 to Maghull North, changing onto 777041 back towards Liverpool city centre at Liverpool Central.  A gentle stroll towards Lime Street followed before we boarded 807008 on the next Euston service, busier than usual due to the previous London North Western service starting at South Parkway instead of Lime Street due to late running, the train emptying out at Crewe.

A near enough on time arrival into Euston, and it was onto the Northern line with 51520 & 51704 to Waterloo, ending the day with 159016 & 158886 on a Salisbury bound service.  An enjoyable couple of days in Merseyside with mum, and relaxing after how busy I had been in the previous couple of weeks.

22nd September – Peak Forest Tramway & Canal

A walk I’ve been wanting to do this year, the Peak Forest Tramway path from Chapel Milton towards Buxworth & the Peak Forest Canal from Bugsworth Basin towards Whaley Bridge.  One which was pushed back over the summer months due to Avanti deleting the first off-peak Manchester service (which gave a more comfortable connection into the hourly Buxton trains at Stockport).  The day began with the 06:57 service to Waterloo with 158882, 159010 & 159014 and a gentle stroll to Euston for the 09:33 Manchester train.  This was a busy 390155 which I took to Wilmslow for a random time-wasting move, stepping back onto 331110 to Stockport on a service from Alderley Edge, mainly to clear Wilmslow to Cheadle Hulme for 331 coverage (I need to try and do Manchester Airport to Wilmslow at some point).

At Stockport I transferred to platforms 1+2 for 150204 on the next Buxton service to take me to Chapel-en-le-Frith where my walk began in the sunshine.  I followed a footpath down the hill from the station towards Chapel-en-le-Frith itself, going via the roads to reach Chapel Milton, picking up the Tramway Trail path near the Black Brook, close to the A6.  I headed underneath the railway viaducts, carrying the freight line from the Peak Forest quarry (getting lucky with a passing freight train).  The first section of this path was across a field towards a little industrial unit near Charley Lane.

66099 crossing one of the Chapel Milton Viaducts

The path quality did improve after crossing over the lane, to be more solid as it headed towards Chinley, skirting around the southern edge of the settlement before heading into a woodland area, passing more industrial units.  Not the quietest of paths as the A6 was close by but quite nice to walk with the views when they opened out.  The tramway path ended at Bugsworth Basin on the Peak Forest Canal (where at one point cargo would have transferred from boats to wagons in the olden days).  These days the basin is home for many boats as I followed the decent quality towpath, underneath the A6 to reach the junction to the north of Whaley Bridge.

I followed the road from the canal junction area towards Whaley Bridge, picking up a path along route of the old railway route towards Cromford, which headed up a long climb to Shallcross.  At the top of the incline, I returned to the roads to head back downhill towards Whaley Bridge, going towards the Memorial Park.  I was going to head towards the reservoir but the area is still a building site after the events a few years ago when the concrete on the spillway started to crack, so that idea got parked for a future trip.

Shallcross Incline Greenway along route of the Cromford and High Peak Railway, Whaley Bridge

Back on the roads in Whaley Bridge, I headed to the station for 150214 & 150110 to take me towards Stockport, where I transferred onto 390117 on a London bound Pendo for a speedy journey back towards London.  I decided to take the underground with 51532 & 51706 to Waterloo, finishing the day with 159002, 159005 & 158886 on the 19:20 service back to Grateley to end the day.  A nice little day trip to Derbyshire, another canal & old railway removed from my large list of things to do.

23rd September – A Day in London

For my last day of my summer annual leave, it was a day trip to London to meet up with my good friend Dan for a random day with no real plans other than to ride some buses.  The day began with 158883, 159021 & 159017 to Waterloo and a gentle stroll towards London Bridge to take 465160 & 465194 to Abbey Wood via Deptford.  At Abbey Wood I met up with Dan and we headed to the bus stop used as the starting point of the SL11 service to North Greenwich, underneath the flyover.  We boarded the SL11 service, which got held up in traffic due to roadworks around Woolwich and got terminated early in the Charlton area.  The first time we knew that the bus was terminating at that stop is when the automatic announcer said it was terminating there when at the stop (i.e. no notice whatsoever).

It was a short wait for another SL11 service to take us to North Greenwich bus station and to the Jubilee line with 96013 & 96076 to Canning Town for a spot of DLR hunting as the new units were back in service.  It wasn’t long to wait before winner 209 rolled in on a Stratford International service and first impressions they feel reasonable, seats a bit on the firm side but that’s modern trains.  We took this to Stratford International, returning to Stratford on the same unit before transferring to the Central Line with a set made up of 91195, 92018, 92448 & 91091 taken to Gants Hill where we exited the station to locate the starting point of the SL12 bus service.

DLR Unit 209 arriving at Canning Town Station

We were at the bus stop, having just missed one service, the next was a bit of a farce with the bus pulling up with passengers waiting but the driver deciding not to bother opening the door to allow anybody to board, so they could get away “on time”.  Eventually the next bus rocked up with a modern electric on the SL12 which we decided to ditch the idea of riding it all the way to Rainham, instead bailing at Romford to transfer to Greater Anglia.  As I wanted to give Dan an experience of a 720 and its high-density spec interior with 720512 on the next service to Liverpool Street.

Next up was a trip to Euston on the route 205 service, just to waste some time, before grabbing lunch and relaxing in the sunshine.  Next up was winner 730206 attached with 730236 on the next Milton Keynes stopper which we took to Watford Junction, annoyingly the next Southern service had been cancelled so it was back towards Harrow & Wealdstone on a busy 730229 and to Harrow bus station via the route 140 (solely as it was the first bus heading in that general direction).  We transferred to Harrow on the Hill station for a short wait for 165008 & 165009 to take us to Marylebone, because it had been a while since the last Chiltern Turbo.

165009 at London Marylebone

At Marylebone we had the choice of two bus routes, deciding on the 453 to Deptford Bridge with a slow trip, getting busy along the way but emptying out in Central London, my bus mileage on the New Routemaster buses has been high today.  We made the mistake to take the DLR with 34, 25 & 59 to Heron Quays to transfer to the Jubilee line as it was now evening peak and Canary Wharf was very busy (my suggestion was to take the DLR to Greenwich for a South Eastern/Thameslink towards London Bridge to avoid the underground overcrowding.  I said farewell to Dan here as he made his way towards Victoria and I managed to board 96024 & 96079 to Waterloo, a station in a bit of chaos due to an earlier issue between Basingstoke & Waterloo.  The first train for Basingstoke was a busy 444039 & 444010 where I transferred onto 159007, 159104 & 158890 which was starting at Basingstoke instead of Waterloo to take me back to Grateley to finish my late summer holiday adventuring, as it was a return to work on the Thursday.  As always thanks for reading, more photos can be found *here*.  I’m still playing catch up but September is now done.