29th October – 1st November, A long weekend in Scotland

 29th October – 1st November, A long weekend in Scotland

Since my last visit to Scotland, Balgray station has opened on the Neilston line, so after researching accommodation options I ended up selecting a place in Greenock (confusing it for another place in a similar area) for a 3-night stay with lots of ideas.

29th October – Paisley, Renfrew & Clyde

The trip began with the 06:57 service from Grateley towards Waterloo with 158883, 159016 & 158884 on this slightly short formed peak time service (7 coaches instead of 8 on a train which should ideally be 9).  In London I had my usual gentle stroll across to Euston arriving with time to spare to board the 09:30 Glasgow service, grabbing an unreserved seat in coach C on 390020.  This 9-coach Pendo got quite busy in coach C due to being the first off-peak train towards many places, but it did empty out by Lancaster.

A speedy & uneventful trip to Glasgow via some beautiful scenery, although arrival into Glasgow was around 10 minutes late due to congestion at the London end.  I made a fast walk across to board 380102 on a service for Ardrossan (I believe) to take me to Paisley Gilmour Street for a short walk, keeping my eye on the time due to the shorter days this time of year.  My idea was to walk the newish mixed used path along the route of the former Paisley and Renfrew Railway route, so new that it doesn't feature on Google Maps!  The first section was via roads to reach the starting point of this path on Gallowhill Road close to the former railway junction.  This decent tarmac path took me underneath the A741 Renfrew Road, passing a retail park and was quite industrial in terms of buildings close by.

380102 at Paisley Gilmour Street

I continued the path, passing various building sites, underneath the M8 with the path ending near the former Sandyford Halt station (no evidence of the station that I could see).  Maybe one day more of the former railway line route will reopen for walking or riding, depending how much survives and isn't underneath housing.  Anyhow it was now onto the roads in the suburban Renfrew area, going via Knockhill Park to reach Porterfield Road and eventually the start of a riverside path leading to White Cart Water.  The first part of this path was a bit muddy (due to recent storms) but it did turn nicer as I followed along the side of the White Cart Water, listening to planes landing at the nearby Glasgow Airport.

This path ended near a Bascule Bridge over the White Cart Water on the A8, a bridge which required a little detour to try and get a reasonable photograph before I continued alongside White Cart Water.  The path took me towards the River Cart (where the Black Cart Water joins with White Cart Water), a path which was a bit messy due to the recent storm throwing up various Marine Debris due to flooding, requiring a careful step across some of the driftwood.  This path took me towards the Clyde where thankfully the debris has ended as I headed towards the Renfrew Bridge... Only to find it was damaged during the previous week's storm and is stuck in the open position so my planned end at Yoker needed changing.

Path alongside River Cart, Renfrew

With light levels starting to drop, it was a trip along the road passing some industrial areas and evidence of an old railway station, I picked up a path back towards the riverside.  This was an area of modern housing with a couple old docks before I reached the Braehead shopping centre.  As it was now around 16:30, light levels had dropped to the point where I decided that continuing along the riverside path would be pointless for photos so I headed to a nearby Spoons for dinner (making use of the Afternoon Deal pricing for some Haddock & Chips).

After dinner, I located a bus stop on King's Inch Road (noticing there was a Travelodge in this area) and onto a reasonably busy McGill's run route 26 (with a modern electric single decker bus) to take me towards Glasgow city centre, my first experience of the £2 bus fare scheme within this part of Scotland.  In the city centre, I popped to Poundland to grab some supplies to waste some time before taking 385015 to Fort Matilda, doubling back to Greenock Central on 380012, the last train to Gourock before they go all stops (with Wemyss Bay being the semi-fast services).

380012 at Fort Matilda Station

My accommodation was close to the station in former Student accommodation near the Custom House Quay, once I located the correct block for “Ocean Quay” (block B).  First impression of the room was similar to the secret* private rooms found on the 2nd floor of the former Euro Hostel in Glasgow (* bookable only directly) as it was quite basic.  Annoyingly the WiFi only worked when standing by the door, I guess the bed was too far from the router.  Anyhow after sorting out my rucksack for the next few days, I relaxed, looking up options for the Friday.  Originally, I was going to do the Kelvin Walkway from Milngavie towards Partick, but I had conflicting views on the path quality, especially at the northern end when it follows Allander Water as it looked rural at the road junctions so I decided that it would be better done during a Spring trip.

30th October – Victoria Park & Bathgate/Livingston

This time last year I walked the cycle route 75 path alongside the railway from Drumgelloch towards Armadale (for it was quite cold from memory!) so with my revised plan I decided it would be a good chance to finish that path from Armadale towards Bathgate and following route 75 towards Livingston and it’s many (many) paths.  But before heading towards West Lothian, I wanted to do a short walk which I was originally thinking of doing the day before (but decided to change it to Paisley – Renfrew).  The day began in darkness as I headed to Greenock Central to board 320306 for a speedy run towards Glasgow Central (and yes, it did make a lovely noise on the fast section between Port Glasgow & Bishopton).

At Glasgow Central, I headed to the underground platforms to jump on a Dalmuir bound 318269 & 318268 (I always forget how comfy the seats are on a 318), this took me to Jordanhill where my short walk began.  Leaving the station, I followed various roads before picking up a cycle path along the route of the Whiteinch branch line, also sign posted as the Victoria Park Linear Park.  This was a busy woodland tarmac path heading towards the Whiteinch area of the city.  After a detour via a Tesco Express I headed via the beautiful Victoria Park itself back towards the A739 where I decided on the slightly longer route towards Hyndland station.  This took me via the streets of the Broomhill area of the city to reach Hyndland station which was featuring a revenue block to catch out those who think payment is optional.

Victoria Park Pond (Whiteinch, Glasgow)

I decided to turn down a busy looking 3 coach 334 bound for Edinburgh to board a late running 334021 on a Dalmuir service which was running nonstop to Dalmuir, felt odd going into the bay platform on a 334 as this came from the Whiffet direction.  At Dalmuir it was a short wait before boarding 334006 & 334027 on the next Edinburgh service, making myself comfortable for the long journey to Armadale where my main walk of the day began.  Leaving the station on the southern side I headed towards Asda to grab some supplies before heading towards the cycle path.

This was a decent (tarmac) path alongside the railway with a couple of side paths heading north towards Armadale itself (the station is at the southern edge of the town).  Soon I was in countryside, heading towards Bathgate, the path flipping sides on the final approach (getting lucky with a passing RHTT for something a bit different than the usual 334s on this line).  The traffic free route ended with a short section along a residential road before running along an old road (which I presume got rerouted when the railway was rebuilt).  Reaching Boghead Burn I turned right towards the Bathgate Meadows Nature Park before cutting via the Wester Inch Woodland Walk to cut a short corner off the cycle route path.

I turned to head north east with countryside (and a minor waterway) on my left and housing on my right, reaching a Tesco before running alongside the railway once more.  I reached another junction in the Boghall area of the town, turning to follow the path underneath Starlaw Road (on what felt like an old railway bridge), heading into countryside and climbing towards the Bathgate Pyramids.  Passing these manmade structures before crossing over the M8 and into woodlands, the sound of traffic dying away as I headed towards Blackburn, turning east towards Seafield but the path not touching either settlement.  The scenery was quite changeable, all quite pretty until reaching an industrial area with high razor wire topped fences.

DR98956 alongside Cycle Route 75 path, Whiteside, Bathgate

Reaching another old road, I headed towards Starlaw Road, and into the Starlaw business park.  This is where once more I broke away from the main cycle route (which follows the roads) for a footpath to cut another short corner, re-joining the cycle route on Deans Road which was crossed via a subway.  I then followed the Lochshot Burn Path heading east towards Livingston Old Wood, picking up the Neil Burn Path up a steep hill towards the Eliburn Reservoir (which was an unexpected surprise considering my walk was now a case of seeing which way this path heads).  After leaving the reservoir I headed via Eliburn Park towards the railway line, picking up the Railway Path (south).  One thing I will say is the paths are well signposted with various letters/numbers.

I followed the railway path with the railway on my left, reaching Livingston North station and heading towards the Knightsridge area of the town before reaching Uphall station where my walk ended.  I've still got a few ideas for this area (such as the path towards East Calder) but those can be left for another day.  An enjoyable walk, mix of scenery, from woodland, open countryside and urban.  I didn’t have long to wait at Uphall before 334017 rolled in, absolutely wedged, it was a fight to actually board it (I still think Bathgate – Edinburgh should go back to 4tph for more of the day like it had before Covid, make it more turn up and go).  Leaving the train at Haymarket I didn’t have long to wait for 385008 to arrive on a semi-fast service to Glasgow Central via Shotts as it had been a while since my last visit on the Shotts line.

390124 arriving into Haymarket Station

On arrival into Glasgow Central, I headed towards St Enoch detouring via Poundland for a packet of sweets.  I jumped on Subway set 303 for the short journey to Cowcaddens and the nice island platform but I didn’t even have time to break out my deckchair before winner (and final Subway unit) 317 rolled in on an outer service.  Bish Bash Bosh I was in luck as I took this to Partick, no more hanging around on the subway.  I headed to the national rail platforms and onto 334021 on the next train towards Glasgow Central which shocked me when it passed Anderston without calling, but this is the random daily service which skips Anderston.

Anyhow I had plenty of time to get upstairs at Glasgow Central to board 380015 on a peak time additional service which was more limited stop (no Bogston or Cartsdyke), emptying out at Bishopton.  At Greenock Central I headed to the local Spoons for dinner before retiring to my accommodation to watch a movie on the tablet for lack of anything better to do (one downside of travelling this time of year with the shorter days).  An enjoyable day in East Lothian with the bonus of my last Subway unit popping up.

31st October – Exploring the Dalry and North Johnstone Line

The old railway path from Glengarnock towards Johnstone (and Paisley) is one of those Scottish walks (similar to Alloa – Dunfermline) which I’ve been wanting to do for a while.  Having it pencilled into my rough plan only to ditch due to poor weather (or a random change of plan).  I did the section at the northern end earlier in the year (Johnstone to Paisley) when I stayed overnight in that pub at Irvine, leaving just the section from Glengarnock towards Johnstone with a possible extension to Linwood.

The day began with a trip via Morrisons in Greenock to grab some supplies for both breakfast and lunch before making my way to the station for 380003 on a Glasgow bound service which oddly skipped Bogston.  I took this unit to Paisley Gilmour Street transferring to the Ayrshire bound platform for an additional service towards Ardrossan formed of 380010 to take me to Glengarnock calling only at Johnstone for a speedy run.  At Glengarnock my walk began, as I crossed over the railway and along a little path towards South Road before following Caledonian Road to pick up the start of the old railway path, part of the long-distance cycle route 7 path.  In a way I was lucky to approach the path this way as the access path from the southern end of Kilbirnie across the river Garnock was blocked due to the footbridge being fenced off.

380010 departs Glengarnock Station

As expected from my research the path quality was quite decent (smooth tarmac) with evidence of a tree shredder being used recently along the edge of the path as it skirted around Kilbirnie (passing the remains of the overgrown platform) before entering a deep cutting (complete with deer).  The path was reasonably busy with cyclists and other walkers as it ran close to the A760 road towards Lochwinnoch giving some nice views of Barr Loch. At Lochwinnoch the path detours away from the original railway route, across a playing field and onto another path alongside a road leading towards the Castle Semple Loch.

After a couple photos at the side of the loch, I climbed a slope to re-join the route of the railway within a woodland.  This section of the old railway was busy with members of a jogging club out for a Saturday morning jog as they passed me heading towards Lochwinnoch then 20 minutes later passed me heading the other way.  This area also gave nice scenery of the loch with the old railway line running high above the loch (busy with watersports).  I continued my stroll leaving the loch behind and into the countryside, passing the Kenmure Hill Temple and skirting to the north of Howwood.

Castle Semple Loch, Lochwinnoch

I continued the path with the scenery changing, reaching Kilbarchan and the former station (complete with a slightly overgrown platform).  The path continued as I headed towards the A737 dual carriageway which was built across the route of the old railway line forcing a small detour to cross the dual carriageway via a footbridge where I decided to have a small detour to follow the link path towards the Milliken Park area.  After pausing for lunch, I returned to the main cycle route 7 path as it re-joined the route of the railway skirting around the edge of Johnstone and a large Morrisons.  I soon reached the junction where the cycle route 75 path from Greenock via Bridge of Weir joins.  After crossing the Black Cart Water I soon reached the part where I joined the path earlier in the year, making a decision to head towards Johnstone station rather than Linwood.

Leaving the route of the old railway I followed the roads towards a busy Johnstone station, a 7 coach 380 formation from Ayr arriving to soak up all the waiting passengers (in various states of fancy dress due to Halloween).  As for me I boarded a busy 380115 to take me to Troon, stepping back onto 156433 & 156495 on a Girvan service with a random revisit to Maybole.  I always forget how pretty the scenery gets south of Ayr.  At Maybole I had a gentle stroll around the town before returning towards Ayr on the same pair of 156s, transferring to platform 4 to board 380003 & 380106 for the speedy run towards Paisley Gilmour Street, daylight starting to give way to night.

156495 departs Maybole Station

Annoyingly the connections at Paisley Gilmour Street between trains from Ayr to Gourock services is a bit rubbish with a Gourock service pulling out as the train from Ayr arrived, however I decided to make use of some timetable oddness to revisit a couple of the stations on the line.  380021 on a Wemyss Bay service took me to Woodhall (on the outskirts of Port Glasgow) for a short wait for 318261 & 320414 to arrive to take me one stop back towards Langbank (which must have one of the best views from a footbridge with the view of the Clyde at night, the lights of Dumbarton on the opposite bank.  The next service unusually was a Gourock bound 380020 which I took to Greenock West, returning to Greenock Central with 385039 for the short journey.

I decided to head towards the Spoons in Greenock with the backup option of a takeaway pizza if the pub was too busy, but thankfully whilst it was busy I managed to find an empty table to have some food before heading to my accommodation to watch another movie on the tablet when relaxing for the remainder of the evening.

320414 at Langbank Station

1st November – Balgray & Rouken Glen Park

The main reason for wanting to visit Scotland on this trip was to visit the recently opened station of Balgray located in the south of Barrhead on the Neilston line, giving access to the Dams to Darnley Country Park.  I was looking at the map the night before for walking ideas before deciding a decent explore of this country park would best be done on another day as Open Street maps suggested part of the path was closed near Balgray Reservoir due to construction work on Aurs Road.  Also I could do a linear walk from Balgray towards Nitshill so I decided to visit the Rouken Glen Park near Whitecraigs instead.

After checking out of the average accommodation (it was cheap and has potential but probably not somewhere I would want to use again), I headed towards the large Tesco Extra for breakfast items.  It always feels strange in Scotland being in the larger supermarkets at 8am on a Sunday morning when they would be closed in England or Wales.  I ended up at Greenock West and onto 380116 working the first train of the day towards Glasgow, a service calling at every station.  This unit formed the next Neilston service (how handy) which I took to Balgray to have a little stroll around the station site.  A lot of housing developments at the Barrhead side of the station.

320310 arriving at Balgray Station

I returned to the station and onto 380116 for the third time that day for the short journey to Whitecraigs where my main walk began.  Leaving the station, I was soon in the Rouken Glen park on this sunny Sunday morning.  The park was quite busy with families enjoying the autumn weather as I headed towards the pond, then a waterfall on the Auldhouse Burn.  I followed various paths within the woodland close to the river reaching a closed section near the Walled Garden (closed due to safety concerns from the signage).  Leaving the waterside, I followed more paths in this large park, returning towards the Pond (complete with busy café) and returned towards Whitecraigs station.  An enjoyable little explore of the park, hard to picture it being close to the city centre.

My final Scottish train of this trip was 318256 & 318258 for the run towards Glasgow Central, I was considering bailing at Queen’s Park to explore that area, but with football on at Hampden Park I decided that Queen’s Park would be best left for another day (probably a weekday).  At Glasgow Central I headed to grab some lunch items before joining the queue for the next London bound service, grabbing a decent seat in coach G of 390156.  With the ECML closed in the York area, this train got quite busy at Carlisle and by the time it reached Preston there wasn’t many empty seats in coach G.

Rouken Glen Waterfall (Glasgow) 

For some reason, Avanti were calling additionally at Crewe & Stafford today (I can only presume due to the lack of Chester – London trains with engineering works), this only made the overcrowding worse and extended the journey somewhat.  One good thing with the ECML timetable is the hourly fast Edinburgh – London service calling only at Newcastle & York, something which doesn’t happen on the WCML.  Anyhow arrival into Euston was near enough on time, no ticket check of any sort along the way.  I had just over an hour before the next Salisbury stopping service so had a gentle stroll towards Waterloo, to wake my legs up after a long journey from Glasgow.  The final train of the trip was 159012 on the 18:45 service for Salisbury, and when home I relaxed getting ready for a week of late shifts.  Anyhow as always thanks for reading, more photos can be found *here* for the days in October, and *here* for the 1st November.  Keep warm.

Trips in Mid-October (West Midlands, Humberside, Cinder Trail, Garw Vale)

 Trips in Mid-October

12th October – A trip to the West Midlands in the rain

After a rare day of rest on the Sunday (didn’t help not getting home until 3am after a work shift involving a taxi ride from Yeovil Junction) I was back on the rails on the Monday with a trip to the West Midlands as I had some unfinished business with the Metro.  Sadly, the weather wasn’t the best, it was a bit on the damp side so a couple of planned walks got put back on the back burner for another adventure.

The day began with the usual 06:57 service to Waterloo with 158884, 159004 & 159013.  I had the usual gentle stroll towards Euston to wait for the first off-peak Avanti service for Birmingham New Street, which was a Glasgow service (09:36 I think).  A busy 390049 for the speedy run towards Coventry before running into congestion on the 2-track section towards Birmingham New Street meaning arrival was a few minutes late, nothing that major.  I headed out of New Street towards Bull Street tram stop to purchase my zone 1 tram ticket (those TVMs are not the fastest!).  With time to waste until the next tram was showing via Millennium Point, I continued my stroll to St Chad solely to waste some time.

Turning down the first tram as that went direct, I boarded tram 28 for the journey to the temporary terminus of the future east-side extension near to Moor Street station, stepping back for tram 39 to take me to Edgbaston Village where I popped to Morrisons for some lunch items before taking tram 21 to Corporation Street.  Another short stroll via the city centre took me to Moor Street and a Mk5 set with winner 68021 at the northern end to push me towards Warwick Parkway, where with the wet weather seemingly gone away, I had a little walk.

West Midland Metro Tram 28 at Millennium Point

Back in the summer time I attempted to walk the short Saltisford Canal Arm of the Grand Union (basically used to moor boats these days), running out of time as I didn’t notice that public access finished at 5pm.  Leaving Warwick Parkway I headed towards the cycle path underneath the A46 towards a little industrial area, picking up the route towards the Saltisford Canal Arm, passing the point I reached in June to reach the end of the short canal and via a side gate onto the A425.  After a gentle stroll on the road, I reached a green space near the Railwayside allotments before following a path alongside the railway towards Warwick station.  Before reaching Warwick station I had a little detour via Priory Park which was quite nice.  At Warwick station it was a short wait before 68024 arrived on the next London service, a loco I needed for 10 miles after foolishly thinking Moor Street to Dorridge was more than 10 miles back in March.  

This took me to Leamington Spa where I transferred to the opposite platform to board 168322 & 168216 on the next Birmingham Moor Street service, meeting up with Jules at Dorridge who was out and about in the West Midlands on his own little adventure.  At Moor Street we transferred to 172006 & 172103 for the short journey to Jewellery Quarter, turning down the first tram (as it went via Millennium Point) with the next tram behind right behind it, with tram 50 take to Corporation Street, where after a little trip to Poundland to score some more liquid, we headed to Birmingham New Street, saving farewell as I boarded 221118 on the next Bournemouth service (due to multiple cancellations towards Euston), which was very busy until Coventry where magically it emptied out.

68021 at Birmingham Moor Street

I relaxed on this former Avanti voyager for the journey towards Basingstoke, where it kept reasonable time and I got lucky with the next train for Salisbury running late so the voyager got put ahead of it at Basingstoke (result!).  159012, 159016 & 158887 took me back home to Grateley to finish this short little day trip to the West Midlands.  Another 68 into my book (as well as getting 68024 cleared for 10 miles) meaning I only have 2 more of the Chiltern 68s to look for, plus ticking off Millennium Point to re-clear the West Midland Metro before the next extension opens towards Dudley, whenever that will be.

13th October – Exploring Humberside

I had 2 ideas for this Tuesday, either to finish the Aire & Calder Navigation by walking from Castleford to Wakefield (or vice versa), or to have my first trip to the Barton on Humber branch for a few years.  The day started with the 05:20 service from Grateley (an early start!) with 159006 & 159014 taken to Clapham Junction, where I transferred onto 701041 to Vauxhall from the Windsor side of the station.  After grabbing some breakfast from the little Sainsburys at Vauxhall I headed to King’s Cross St Pancras on the Victoria line with 11002 & 11001 and onto the 07:19 Hull Trains service with 802304.  Doing research into fares I discovered this particular train is classed as off-peak when using Hull Trains only priced tickets (the only restriction seems to be towards London in the morning and away from London in the evening).  Something I suspect I will make more use off in the winter months where daylight is more limited.

Anyhow this lightly loaded (in coach A at least) 802 took me to Doncaster, where I decided on a trip towards Lincolnshire.  After grabbing some supplies from Sainsburys in the shopping centre near Doncaster station, I returned to the station to board 185133 & 185126 on the next Cleethorpes train, taking a eat in the rear coach due to it being quieter.  I relaxed with the journey across to Scunthorpe (looking at the canal which runs alongside the railway, which will be a job for next year), then across to Cleethorpes via Grimsby.  As I had a bit of time to kill, I headed to the waterfront for a couple of photos before returning to board 170273 on the next Barton on Humber service.

185133 at Cleethorpes

 Since my last visit to this area, the Barton trains no longer call at New Clee or Grimsby Docks (transferred to the trains from Lincoln) but call at all stations after Grimsby Town, including some which required SDO due to short platforms.  I was glad I wasn’t counting on making a connection from the following TPE to Cleethorpes at Habrough as that service was running late.  The 170 was very lightly loaded as it headed onto the branch, passing the manual level crossing at Goxhill then onto the single-track section towards New Holland (where the manual level crossing here has been replaced with a powered crossing).  The train took me to Barton Upon Humber, where I remained on board to take the train back towards New Holland where my walk began.

I crossed over the railway towards the bulk terminal building (noting that the track which previously headed towards the pier no longer exists), following a footpath around the outside of the site which took me towards the side of the mighty Humber.  The path quality was quite variable, some parts better than others but nothing that bad for October (although probably not one to do during winter months due to mud).  A scenic stroll with the river on my right and various fishing lakes on my left as I reached The Beck waterway, with a footpath via a business with a lot of wood stored to reach the rebuilt Barrow Haven station.

After a couple of photographs of the rebuilt station, I crossed over the Beck and headed back towards the Humber.  Once more the path quality was variable as I headed west, river on my right, lakes on my left.  Occasionally passing the remains of old loading wharfs alongside the river from the industrial past.  The path was busy for a sunny weekday afternoon as I reached Barton on Humber and the Barton Haven waterway.  I crossed over this waterway, heading back towards the waterfront near the Humber Bridge Park for a final view of the bridge from the Lincolnshire bank before following the signs to reach Far Ings Road, going underneath the bridge to pick up the mixed-use pathway on the western side of the bridge (the eastern pathway is shut at the moment).

Humber Bridge from the England Coastal Path, Barton Upon Humber

I climbed the slope towards the A15, bracing myself against the strong wind and headed across the water.  Walking across the Humber Bridge is something I've been wanting to do for a while, having ditched a walk in early 2025 due to strong winds & rain (and the Barton train getting cancelled).  It is a lot longer than I had expected it to be, some nice views of the river Humber and it's mud before reaching the north bank, where trains look so tiny from high up.  I reached the northern bank and followed signs towards the Humber Bridge Country Park, somewhere I wouldn't mind revisiting again for a better explore (maybe as part of a walk from Hessle towards Hull itself).

Having reached the water front path on the north bank, I took another couple of photos before following the Trans Pennine Trail path which runs between the Humber & the railway, a path I rode my little bike along back in 2017 when I first visited the stations (as Ferriby is one of those awkward stations where the hourly train service passes there).  A nice revisit (even if I was walking into the sun), transferring onto the Yorkshire Wolds Way in North Ferriby to follow the side of the river, even at one point going down onto the side of the water with mud.  I reached the road nearest to Ferriby station and with time to kill I headed to a nearby Co-Op to grab some supplies before returning to the station.

River Humber from the Humber Bridge

I was a bit surprised when 170453 rolled in on the next Doncaster stopping service, for I was expecting the more usual 158.  I took a seat in the former first-class area and relaxed with the stopping service to Doncaster, delayed by a couple of minutes by a late running York bound 155 (the westbound platform at Ferriby station is on a short loop).  This took me to Doncaster where I transferred to platform 3, boarding the first available train which just happened to be 221143 on a Grand Central service.  I managed to get a seat as it wasn’t as busy as expected for the speedy run towards Kings Cross, where I transferred to St Pancras with a longer than expected gap in service before taking 700154 to London Blackfriars.

I had a gentle stroll to London Waterloo before boarding 158882 & 159009 on the 19:50 service to Salisbury, one which has a bonus of not calling at Woking (speedy sprinty!).  Once at Grateley I had a gentle stroll home to get myself ready for 6 late morning shifts, the sort of rare shift where I could use the train to commute to work rather than driving.

20th October – Cinder Trail Part 1

Earlier this month I was talking with a driver at work when we were waiting for a delayed train to arrive, where he mentioned the old railway line path between Scarborough & Whitby.  A path which, like so many others, has been on my to-do list, so when I had a moment at home at evening, I looked up the price of accommodation in Scarborough.  Quite a few options were available as I picked a room at The Black Swan hotel near Scarborough town centre for a reasonable amount.  The weather forecast was a bit uncertain leading up to the day so it was a bit touch & go.  For some reason originally, I was planning to walk Wakefield to Castleford before making my way to Scarborough to walk towards Robin’s Hood Bay on the 2nd day, but I saw sense to focus both days on the 22-mile former railway line path.

I decided that Robin’s Hood Bay was a suitable split point owing to it having 2 buses per hour between Scarborough & Whitby, compared to the more limited service at Ravenscar as between Cloughton & Robin’s Hood Bay the railway follows a different course to the route of the road and is very rural (judging by the maps).  Anyhow the day began with the 05:20 service with 159014 & 159002 to Clapham Junction, followed by 701024 to Vauxhall where I transferred onto the Victoria Line with 11042 & 11041 taken to King’s Cross St Pancras. It was an easy connection onto 802301 working the 07:19 Hull Trains service (my back up would have been the Grand Central service to York for a TPE to Scarborough), with a lightly loaded service taken to Hull, giving me some time to grab some supplies from the nearby Tesco in the shopping centre.

802301 at London Kings Cross

After my lunch supply run, I returned to the station and onto 170455 on the next Scarborough service, getting a seat in the former 1st class area as I relaxed for the journey, looking out of the window, thinking to myself that one of these days I will explore Filey & Bridlington.  So much to do, so little time.  Anyhow the 170 arrived into Scarborough where I was welcomed with the sound of a pair of Colas 37s on a RHTT, and after a photograph of the locos my walk began.  The weather forecast when I checked was suggesting heavy rain moving in later in the day, but I tend to take such forecasts with a pinch of salt.

The first section of the walk was via the roads to reach a Sainsburys Store, picking up the starting point of the Cinder Track.  I did have a walk in this area back in 2023 when on a bus day to waste time between arriving from Middlesborough and a Leeds bound bus, where I broke off near Peasholm Park, so the first half a mile or so wasn't new coverage as I headed via the Scarborough suburbs heading north towards Scalby where the old railway line route has been lost forcing a detour via the roads to re-join the old railway line route, where it had changed character from a smooth tarmac path in an urban environment to a slightly rougher solid surface in a more rural environment.

I continued along the Cinder Track, heading away from Scarborough into the countryside towards the Burniston area and onwards to Cloughton.  The old station site at Cloughton is now holiday accommodation (with old coaches) as the path skirting around the edge of the site.  This was the point of no return so to speak, with the A171 which had been following a similar direction to the railway moving inland.  I felt confident to continue with the path quality being variable in places with some nice countryside views mixed up with some woodland on this peaceful section of path.

Cinder Track path (Cycle Route 1) at Cloughton

The next settlement I reached was the Hayburn Wyke Inn near the former Hayburn Wyke railway station, but this was a minor settlement before the path continued towards the former Staintondale station, where the platforms were still visible and in a good state of repair.  I continued my walk, reaching Ravenscar where once more the route of the railway has been lost forcing a detour via the roads.  After pausing for a couple of photographs of the bay, I picked up the route of the path again.  The surface quality had returned to being variable as I followed the old railway line, passing the site of an old brick works and moving inland and to the site of Fyling Hall station (no evidence remains of the platforms as it's very overgrown).

I continued heading north, enjoying the woodland & quietness, before reaching Robin's Hood Bay.  A good thing I had time to spare because one of the bus stops shown on Google Maps simply doesn't exist (ones outside St Stephen's Church, no signage on the side of the road nor road markings) so I continued towards the main bus stop within this seaside village (complete with little shelter).  It was a short wait before a modern Arriva double deck bus arrived on a route X93 to take me towards Scarborough, which arrived in good time to allow a random spin to Malton on 185118 solely for some better photos of the station (even if it was in darkness).

View from the Cinder Track path (Cycle Route 1) between Ravenscar & Robin Hood's Bay

185144 arrived at Malton to take me back to Scarborough (making more use of my East Yorkshire Day ticket), and I had a gentle stroll towards my accommodation going via the local Spoons for some dinner.  After dinner it had started to rain so I had good timings as I got myself checked into the hotel (basically rooms above a pub), relaxing listening to the heavy rain, looking at bus times for the Wednesday.

21st October - Cinder Track Part 2

Leaving the pub (which was quiet overnight) in Scarborough, I headed towards the Tesco near the station (not the easiest to enter due to the position of the entrance) to grab some supplies before making my way to the bus stop outside Scarborough station for the first route X93 to Middlesborough (via Whitby).  It was the same bus I had the night before (7731) as it got busy along the way before emptying out at various schools in the suburbs before the speedy run towards Robin Hood’s Bay where my walk began.

Before I returned to the route of the old railway, I decided to take a walk down the steep hill towards the village centre and the waterfront for some photographs before climbing back up the steep hill, passing the church to reach the point where I left the path the day before.  The first section within the village itself is now a road, passing the former station building (now used as a car park).  I made use of the toilets, noticing a lot of film crew vehicles parked up (guessing they are filming some movie or TV show in the area) being a bit worried about running into an unexpected path closure (wouldn't be the first time!) but thankfully nothing was wrong as I joined the route of the old railway near Mount Pleasant where it also forms part of the long-distance Cleveland Way/English Coastal Path.

Beach at Robin Hood's Bay

The Cleveland Way soon branched off heading towards the waterfront as the railway route climbed away from Robin Hood's Bay, giving some lovely views of the water when it came out of cuttings.  This section was quite peaceful, busy with dog walkers & cyclists but soon I reached the A171 and a road crossing (thankfully with traffic lights) near Hawsker.  The former station site here (at Hawsker) is now used as accommodation with old coaches so the path skirts around the edge of the station site before re-joining the route of the old railway heading away from the road, skirting near Stainsacre before entering a woodland section and a downhill section towards Larpool Viaduct (lots of new housing in this area of Whitby).

I reached Larpool Viaduct, crossing over the River Esk & the railway line (sadly timings didn't quite work out to wait for a steam train to pass), reaching the end of the line within Whitby itself.  Annoyingly I was on the wrong side of the road to pay a visit to Pannett Park as I headed towards Whitby town centre and with time to waste, headed up the steps to visit St Mary's Church and the Abbey (although I didn't go into the Abbey).  Some lovely views from this part of Whitby, before I made my way down the steps and to the station, detouring via the Co-Op for lunch.

Steam Engine 44806 at Whitby Station

The Northern service was running late due to the steam train being delayed, with 156447 & 156451 rolling in.  I sat in the former Scottish unit, in part of the train which wasn’t off-limits due to some sort of coach party booking, relaxing for the slow journey to Middlesbrough.  To waste time before the next train towards Darlington I jumped on a Newcastle bound 158849 to Thornaby (departing from platform 2 due to being late in from Newcastle) before taking 156469 to Darlington (which arrived at the far southern end of platform 4(B) due to a late running voyager being in the main part of platform 4), giving me a longer walk to platform 5 and onto 802202 (complete with new seat covers) for the nonstop dash to York.

I didn’t have long to wait at York before 800104 arrived from Aberdeen (diverted via Perth due to engineering works, so similar to earlier in the year it was running in the path of the fast service from Edinburgh).  Amazingly I even got a pair of seats to myself for the nonstop run to Kings Cross.  In London it was a trip to the underground with the Victoria line taken to Oxford Circus (11081/11082) before the Bakerloo taken to Waterloo (3254 & 3547).  I had time to grab some dinner items before boarding 159101 & 159011 on the 17:53 service for a speedy run to Grateley to end my overnight trip to North Yorkshire.  I got very lucky with the weather compared to the rest of the country for these days, certainly a decent former railway line route.

22nd October – Garw Valley Railway

Today was a trip to South Wales, although my original plan was to walk cycle route 4 between Pontyclun & Treforest, that got ditched due to a cancellation of a Maesteg train, so I came up with a revised idea to visit Blaengarw and to walk the route of the former Garw Valley Railway.  The day began with the 07:19 GWR service from Salisbury with 166214 doing the honours, a train which got delayed by around 10 minutes between Romsey & Salisbury for some unknown reason (which it recovered due to this particular service having a long dwell at Westbury).  The 166 got very busy as it headed towards Bristol Temple Meads, emptying out at both Bristol & Filton Abbey Wood before carrying on into South Wales.

After grabbing some lunch items, it was onto 197027 on a Fishguard service to take me to Bridgend, where I had a short walk to the bus station to board the First bus operated route 72 service for Blaengarw.  An interesting route once away from Bridgend, with some fast running along the A4064 to reach the terminus with some beautiful views of the countryside where my walk began.   The start of the Garw Valley path is close to the bus stop at Blaengarw with the first section being quite steep downhill within woodlands.  The River Garw ran alongside the former railway line in this point with some nice lakes.  I reached Pontycymer where the headquarters of a small heritage line is based with the cycle path skirting around the site before running alongside the single track before the fence disappeared and track turned overgrown.

View from the bus stop in Blaengarw

This path reminded me of the old railway path from the Frome area towards Radstock with an old track running alongside the solid path.  I will say this section was a bit overgrown in places but otherwise it was quite nice for views.  Near the Pont-y-rhyl area the path was blocked with a gate however the gate was easily bypassed by following a well-used path around the side of the gate, I can only presume the closure related to a bridge over the Garw (which was bypassed by walking alongside the former track) as there was nothing else wrong that I could see.

Quite a nice woodland path with views of the river and peaceful, reaching another block near Llangeinor (which was easily bypassed).  I continued south along the old railway heading towards the Bryngarw Country Park where the path ended.  A small explore of this country park before I followed the road towards Brynmenyn and an old railway path I walked in early September (from Nant-Y-Moel).  I followed this path before taking a modern cycle path alongside a school in the Tondu area, having a fast walk to the station where I boarded 197106 for the trip to Maesteg, remaining on board to Cardiff Central, making a tight connection onto 756007 to take me up the hill to Cardiff Queen Street.

At Cardiff Queen Street it was a short wait before winner 398026 rolled in to take me to Trefforest, remaining on the same platform for 756114 to Abercynon and 756113 back to Pontypridd where I quickly popped out of the station to visit Tesco for some supplies.  Back at the station it was to the bay platform to take winner 398022 to Cardiff Bay, returning to Queen Street on the same unit for 231002 for the journey down the hill to Cardiff Central.  2 more of the new TfW Tram-Trains into my book.  My last journey of the day was 166218 on the 17:30 Portsmouth Harbour service to take me back to Salisbury, a bit later than I was hoping for but I didn’t quite fancy a single 158 on the 16:27 service (considering that hits Bristol at high peak).

398022 at Cardiff Bay Station

The 166 took me back to Salisbury, where I had a gentle drive home to get myself ready for the following week at work with 6 late shifts.  As always thanks for reading, more photos can be found on my Flickr *Here*.  I’m slowly catching up; my next blog will feature Scotland.