Trips in July 2023, Part 2

 Trips in July, Part 2

 

13^th July – Onwards to Scotland

 

My 2^nd big trip of July was a long weekend in Scotland, making use of a Central Scotland Ranger.  Sadly, a lot of what I had planned needed to get paused due to the weather forecast being a bit indifferent and changeable.

 

The trip began with the 17:59 from Grateley taking it to Basingstoke to change to a pair of 444s to Clapham Junction.  I jumped on the first Southern service towards East Croydon, just about boarding it with the luggage on board (a Gatwick Express rolled through beforehand and it was a case of counting the passengers, just about getting onto my 2^nd hand).  The network was in a process of collapsing with the trip to East Croydon being very much stop-start.

 

Thankfully I made the connection to the Turbostars from Uckfield to tick off 171808 with the run into London Bridge.  One more bites the dust leaving just the single reformed 171 to get.  Anyhow at London Bridge, I exited the station, headed towards the Thames picking up the Thames Path on the south bank of the river for an enjoyable walk towards the Rotherhithe area with views of Canary Wharf and the old buildings repurposed as living accommodation.

 

River Thames in Rotherhithe

 

I finished my walk near the Greenland Surrey Quays Pier, mainly with one eye on the time due to darkness starting to arrive, as I headed away from the Thames following a path alongside the Greenland Dock, swinging via a large Tesco Extra before heading Surrey Quays Overground station where darkness had set in.  An Overground 378 took me to Highbury & Islington where I changed to the Victoria line for the trip to Euston, swinging via the toilets before heading to the lowland sleeper.  92018 was up front of a busy train (not many empty seats in the Edinburgh seated portion).

 

14^th July – Edinburgh Trams & Getting Wet at Thornton, Central Scotland Day 1

 

After a so-so night on the sleeper, it reversed at Carstairs with required 92020 doing the leg to Edinburgh, which I believe clears the 92s which have been modified to run Sleeper services.  Anyhow an on-time arrival into Edinburgh as I left the station, going via Sainsburys for breakfast before heading to the tram stop at St Andrews Square buying a day ticket for the trams.  I spent the next 90 minutes (or so) pinging back and forth on the new extension towards Newhaven (2 stops forward, 1 stop back).  Some of the trams heading towards the city were busy with morning commuters (whom I presume have switched from using the bus).  The new tram extension is slow in places due to traffic lights, but good that it has finally opened.

 

I reached Newhaven and decided when the weather wasn’t as bad as forecasted to have a little walk, following the disused railway line path heading towards the Haymarket area.  A decent path with a couple of the old platforms from closed stations still being in situ, one of a few old railway line paths in the Edinburgh area long closed to trains.  At Haymarket, I headed towards the tram stop to take sub mile tram 270 to Princes Street before tram 266 (another sub-mile tram) took me to Edinburgh Gateway where I gave the ticket office a challenge in selling a Central Scotland Rover.

 

Edinburgh Tram 270 at Newhaven Tram Stop

 

First Scotrail train of the trip was a 170+158 combo which took me towards Cowdenbeath where I had another short walk along an old railway line, doing a loop towards the Cowdenbeath Community Woodland near Hill of Beath.  I returned to the station, swinging via Morrisons before a pair of 158s took me to Dunfermline City where I had another walk, although this time not getting lucky with the weather as the rain started when I was a third of the way along another disused railway path towards Dunfermline Queen Margaret station.  Another enjoyable woodland path, even with the rain.  At Dunfermline Queen Margaret it was onto a 170 for the run to Inverkeithing where I changed to an LNER service for the short trip along the coast to Kirkcaldy where I had my accommodation for this long weekend (Ashgrove Bed and Breakfast).

 

I checked into the Bed & Breakfast (although I don’t think they do breakfast anymore), a reasonable room with the oddity of having an ensuite shower & sink but the toilet was shared.  With the weight of clothes gone from my bag, I was back to the station, taking a 158+170 combo one stop north to Markinch for no reason other than to waste time (the timetable at Kirkcaldy is rubbish compared to what it was before Covid, hardly any Scotrail fast services, only a stopper from Dundee & a stopper from Perth, whereas before Covid those trains were generally fast to Inverkeithing with the stoppers being from Glenrothes with Thornton.

 

158702 departs Dunfermline City Station

 

At Markinch it was a short wait for a late running service from Perth (delayed due to a late running HST from Aberdeen going first at Ladybank), a pair of 158s.  These 158s took me all the way to Edinburgh Waverley, where I simply remained on board as they headed back towards Fife, this time going via the inner circle to terminate at Glenrothes with Thornton.  As the units went ECS to Perth after arriving at Glenrothes it was one of the few trains booked to use platform 2 (giving access to the curve towards Markinch).

 

Originally my plan had the weather been nice was to walk towards Kirkcaldy, via bit of the coast, but as the weather was quite wet that plan went into the bin as I headed into Thornton village, finding a busy Fish & Chip Shop where I ordered a battered burger (because whilst in Fife…).  It was quite nice along with the chips as I ate it when sitting in the shelter on platform 1 at Glenrothes with Thornton station, watching a 158 arrive from the Dunfermline direction before doing a little trip to just beyond the platform to reverse (something with the signalling).  The backup had this train been cancelled was forking out for one of the Stagecoach buses to Kirkcaldy which pass the station.

 

158716 at Glenrothes with Thornton Station

 

This was a very quiet train as I took it to Edinburgh Gateway (solely to waste time) before the final train of the day with another pair of 158s on the stopper to Kirkcaldy, where I headed to the guest house to relax for the rest of the evening, but mainly sleeping as the poor night sleep on the sleeper had caught up with me.

 

15^th July – Central Scotland Day 2

 

The weather was a bit wet & windy outside today, so my planned long walk along the old railway line from Dunfermline towards Alloa was put back into the box (not much fun to be caught in a sudden downpour when in the middle of nowhere) so I came up with a random idea as I headed towards Kirkcaldy station, later than I had hoped but the train I was aiming for got cancelled (so I had an extra 20 minutes in bed).

 

Needless to say, the 170 which rolled in was already busy, and only got busier the closer to Edinburgh it got (I went straight into the first-class section which is declassified on the stoppers).  At Edinburgh I had a short walk to board a pair of 385s on the Dunblane service for the trip to Dunblane, mainly to tick off the loop platform (last time I arrived at Dunblane on a terminator it used P2 as there was nothing due to pass.  Had the weather been nicer I would have had a little explore of Dunblane, but trains were running with heavy delays due to speed restrictions which worked in my benefit as it meant the connection to a Dundee – Glasgow service was a +12 rather than a +2.

 

385045 at Dunblane

 

A busy 158+170 rolled in, and unusually I went towards the 170 as it was a lot quieter in terms of passenger loadings for the trip towards Glasgow Queen Street, where I changed to a pair of 385s on the next Edinburgh service.  At Edinburgh I popped out of the station for some lunch (and to buy another ticket) before boarding a 158 on the next Perth stopper for the trip back towards Fife remaining on board all the way to Perth where this was a completely random service which instead of using either platform 5 or 6 is booked to use platform 3.  I’ve been caught out before at Perth, so I was delighted when it landed into platform 3, going right up to the buffer stops (which means my little spreadsheet I made up with "required" platforms is cleared, woohoo!)

 

158732 at Perth (platform 3)

 

Like with Dunblane, had the weather been better I would have gone out for a little explore, but as soon as the train arrived the heavens opened with another downpour, so I simply headed towards platform 5 to board a 170 on the next Edinburgh train, where the rain came to an end and I bailed at Markinch for a random unplanned walk along an old railway line path (the Leslie railway) for a little loop towards the edge of Glenrothes before returning via the Balbirnie Viaduct back to Markinch for a 158 to Burntisland where I picked up the Fife Coastal Path to walk along the beautiful coast (alongside the railway line in parts) to Aberdour.

 

Walking for the day complete as I headed back towards Edinburgh on a 158+170 combo, grabbing dinner before boarding a pair of 3 coach 385s for the trip to Glasgow Central, going via Carstairs (as I wanted to have a look at what the new track layout was like).  Also, a bit of a novelty being on a train to call at both Kirknewton & Carstairs.  Delayed a bit in the Carstairs area due to a late running TPE train but the time was made up by Motherwell.  It ran nonstop to Glasgow Central but went via Bellshill rather than the direct route towards Glasgow, I can only presume either due to pathing or that the drivers don’t sign the direct route from Motherwell to Uddingston.

 

River Forth from Fife Coastal Path between Burntisland & Aberdour

 

Anyhow the train arrived at Glasgow Central as I set out towards Queen Street, deciding against taking another pair of 385s on the fast route to Edinburgh, instead going underground for a pair of 334s on the run to Haymarket via Bathgate, discovering that the airline seats behind the cabs have excellent legroom.  At Haymarket, it was a tight connection across the platform to the last Edinburgh – Aberdeen train of the evening, a single 170 which unusually was nonstop to Kirkcaldy.  I was expecting it to be busy, but I was surprised to get a pair of seats to myself in the rear coach.  This 170 took me to Kirkcaldy where I walked to the guest house, which was a bit noisy due to a couple in a nearby room having a domestic argument (but you can’t really hold that against a guest house as those things can happen anywhere).

 

An enjoyable day, highlight being platform 3 at Perth, shame the weather didn’t improve until the afternoon but I did manage to do some decent walks, the coastal path was beautiful.

 

16^th July – Central Scotland Rover, Day 3

 

The last day of my Scottish trip as I left the guest house to head towards Kirkcaldy station for the first southbound train of the day, a single 170 (so I dived into declassified first class) on a train which got extremely busy the closer it got towards Edinburgh.  I decided to gamble with the weather forecast which couldn’t make up its mind and jumped off at Dalmeny, following a footpath away from the station towards the south shore of the Forth in South Queensferry, watching all the tourists arrive from a cruise ship with many buses & coaches waiting to take them to places far & wide.  After getting some photos of the bridges I picked up the route of the South Queensferry Branch of the North British Railway.  Started off being a woodland tarmac mixed used path before the woods ended and the path came alongside the railway near Dalmeny itself before branching away towards Kirkliston.

 

The path after Dalmeny was quite quiet in terms of use and noise as it headed across the countryside in a woodland cutting, a complete change to what it was like after Kirkliston on the section towards Newbridge where the path runs close to the M9 coming to an end near Ratho Station.  The last mile & a bit was alongside the busy A8 heading towards Edinburgh, passing a motor show being held at the Highland Centre.  The walk ended at Ingliston Park & Ride just as the drizzle started so I had good timing.

 

Forth Bridge (Rail) from South Queensferry

 

I couldn’t believe my luck when the first tram towards the city centre was my last tram needed for a mile (273), a big bonus as it saved me time as I took it to the Saughton tram stop for a gentle walk along a path which runs alongside the tram line towards Balgreen tram stop, something which had been on my list to do for a while.  I still need to walk the old railway branch line from Balgreen but that will be a job for another day.

 

Another Edinburgh tram took me to Haymarket where I caught a single 385 for the run to Falkirk Grahamston, returning on the LNER service from Inverness (after visiting Morrisons).  At Edinburgh I changed over to a pair of 385s on a North Berwick service to take me to Musselburgh where I followed a mixed used path near the university towards the Newcraighall area before going onto another disused railway path which I think used to form part of the North British Railway route towards St Leonards station but not quite sure.

 

385021 departs Musselburgh Station

 

I took this short railway line path towards Brunstane, ending up at the station where my last train of the Central Scotland Ranger took me to Edinburgh, a busy 170.  At Edinburgh I went towards Boots for some dinner items before boarding winner 801202 on the London train, I was booked on, making myself comfortable as this train ran nonstop to Newcastle.  This is where things started to go wrong where the train was delayed going into Newcastle due to congestion caused by overhead wire damage between Thirsk & York.

 

Eventually the train got going, pulling up alongside the platform at Thirsk (well on the fast line) switching over to the emergency diesel engine for a slow trip to York, maybe 25mph max but at least it kept moving.  At York it switched back to electric for the run to London, arriving around 100 minutes late (glad I got food in Edinburgh!).  Anyhow in London it was a trip to Waterloo via the underground (Victoria Line & Bakerloo Line) to board the 22:20 service formed of a pair of 159s to take me to Grateley.

 

801202 at London Kings Cross, a mere 2 hours late

 

An enjoyable weekend in Scotland, other than the delay in reaching London (which to give LNER credit for, an email was received later that evening with one click delay repay with the money back by the Tuesday).  I will use that guest house in Kirkcaldy again if I do another Central Scotland Rover, just a shame the train service has been downgraded massively since Covid.

 

22^nd July – Strike Day Buses in Hampshire

 

The weather forecast today was quite damp, so any planned long walks got put on the shelf and I dusted off a rough plan for some bus routes around Hampshire.  The day started with a triple 158 on the Salisbury – Basingstoke shuttle service which operates on RMT strike days for the short hop to Andover where I had a gentle walk towards the housing area of River Way & Cricketers Way in the north of town before the rain was due to come, ticking off some random routes I wanted to walk which had been on my list for a while.

 

Anyhow the rain soon arrived as expected so it was to the nearest bus stop, picking up Calder Court on River Way for the route 10 service to Andover bus station, a service which went round the houses of Admiral’s Way & Sheep Fayre on a lightly loaded Enviro200 (Bus 36026).  It was interesting to look out of the window in a part of my local town that either I’ve never been to before or haven’t been in many years.  The bus arrived at Andover bus station and based on the time I had before my next move I decided to hop on board (I was using a Stagecoach South Gold Day Ticket today) the next P20 service.

 

It was onto an Enviro300 (bus 27829) for this route which headed towards the modern housing area of Picket Twenty on the outskirts of town, a route which had been on my list to do for a while as it uses some bus only roads to reach the housing area, including a bridge underneath the Ring Road.  I stayed on for the entire route via the houses and back to the bus station where I had time to pop out to the toilets before the next Stockbridge bus.

 

Buses at Andover bus station

 

Stockbridge is a small town which I can remember when at school having a much better bus service than it currently has, something I used during my youth when doing GCSEs when my old moped was off the road, having a morning exam with nothing in the afternoon.  Anyhow over the years it’s been reduced to a handful of services from Andover & from Winchester, some which have poor connections.  Anyhow back from a trip down memory lane and it was onto an Optare Solo (47544) working the 12:05 route 15 service (a service which is better on Saturdays than during the week).

 

The bus was lightly loaded as it headed away from town, heading towards the villages of the Clatfords, Wherwell & Chilbolton before reaching Stockbridge town hall.  An interesting route, passing parts of the old railway line (bridges etc).  At Stockbridge the rain had resumed so I didn’t go far before my next bus service, this being a route 16 for Houghton.  I was surprised as I was expecting another Optare Solo, but it was a lightly loaded Enviro200 (37148).  I remained on board after it “terminated” at Houghton to form the 13:00 service to Winchester going via the village of Broughton before reaching Stockbridge then running towards Winchester via the villages of King’s Somborne, Little Somborne, Crawley & Littleton.

 

Stagecoach Bus 47544 (GX57 DJO) at Stockbridge

 

This bus picked up a handful of passengers along the way, reaching the outskirts of Winchester with 6 passengers on board (it picked up a further 4 passengers on the section of the route shared with some of the other bus routes in Winchester).  This was quite interesting for me as it was mostly parts of the country I had never been to before.  Anyhow at the bus station I had around an hour before my next service, so I headed for a little loop near the cathedral as the rain had thankfully ceased.

 

River Itchen in Winchester

 

 

After my gentle loop I returned to the bus station for the next route 86 service to Whitchurch, on another Enviro200 (bus 37148) which was by far the busiest bus of the day as it headed away from Winchester towards the northern suburbs before going via the settlements of South Wonston, Sutton Scotney before a fast section along the A34 to reach Whitchurch.  I made a mistake in not staying on board for the loop beyond the Bell as it would have saved a walk in the rain to reach Whitchurch station (ah well, a job for another day, but this bus route is one of those which have multiple once a day extensions (Andover, Newbury & Basingstoke) which makes the map a mess on the Bus Times website (although I’m not sure looking at future dates if the Newbury extension has been ditched).

 

Anyhow my day on the buses at an end as I walked to the railway station for the next Salisbury train (a triple 158 which was quite busy) to Grateley, walking home to relax for the remainder of the evening.  An enjoyable day on the buses in my local area.

 

159019 departs Whitchurch (Hampshire) Station for London

 

 

23^rd July – Visiting Marsh Barton & Exploring the Exeter Canal

 

I wanted to visit the recently opened station of Marsh Barton and whilst the weather was good to walk towards Starcross along the Exeter canal & Exe.  So, the day began with the first train towards Exeter from Grateley, alighting at Exeter Central where I made use of the time to pop to Sainsburys in the city centre to grab lunch items before returning to the station to take the Paignton train (a pair of 150s) to Marsh Barton (located between Exeter St Thomas & Starcross).  A popular station with number of passengers alighting (and even waiting to board), I guess the location being close to the Riverside Country Park might play a part in the number of leisure users.

 

Anyhow my time at Marsh Barton wasn’t long as I crossed over to the opposite platform to board another pair of 150s back towards Exeter St Davids where I began my walk after a brief shower.  I picked up the path alongside the River Exe, but stayed on the higher path as it went towards Exwick and via a sports ground before picking up the river once more, joining the path as it headed towards St Thomas and the quay area.

 

150261 at Marsh Barton Station

 

At the Quay I picked up the Exeter Ship Canal for the short walk south towards the Marsh Barton area, turning off the canal to follow a path along the Alphin brook towards the Alphington area of the city.  I carried on via an industrial estate to reach a path which skirted around the edge of the RSPB Matford Marshes reaching the main road.  After a trip along the road, I headed back towards Exeter city centre via the River Exe Country Park which turned into the Riverside Country Park carrying on towards Trews Weir before having lunch in the sunshine.

 

After lunch I picked up the Exeter canal once more, this time picking the towpath on the eastern side (there is a towpath on both sides of this canal pretty much all the way from the Quay to the lock at the southern end, although like with some of the canals in Birmingham which also have dual towpaths one side is more used than the other).  I carried along the canal towpath passing Marsh Barton, the Double Locks pub and to the bridges at Countless Wear (one lift bridge & one swing bridge) where I swapped to the towpath on the western side.

 

Countess Wear Swing Bridge over Exeter Ship Canal[

 

The canal continued into countryside with the RSPB Exminster and Powderham Marshes to the west and views of the River Exe on the east.  I went underneath the M5 bridge where the towpath splits with the cycle path located at the bottom of an embankment with a footpath (with a lot of “no cycles allowed” signage) which ran alongside the canal on the top of the embankment (which was quite nice as some cyclists ride like they are trying to set a land speed record even when the path is busy with other users).

 

I passed the remains of Topsham lock (which linked the canal to the River Exe near Topsham), passing Topsham Ferry carrying along heading in a mostly southern direction with the canal to my left-hand side and cycle path on the right.  A very peaceful and scenic walk as I reached the end of the canal at Turf Lock (alongside another pub which was busy).  The canal changed into the Exe which was rather beautiful as I walked along the top of the river wall (this is certainly a path which is better to walk than to cycle).  Although all good things must come to an end as the path reached the Powderham area crossing the railway on a modern bridge (I suspect before the bridge was built it was a foot crossing?)

 

River Exe between Exminster & Powderham

 

The riverside path came to an end, and it was onto a quiet country lane for the next mile with the railway on the left giving the occasional view of the river.  The pavement resumed near Starcross as I continued to reach Starcross station with around 10 minutes to spare before the next northbound train (the backup had I missed the train was to use the half hourly Stagecoach operated route 2 bus towards Exeter).  A short wait before 166205 rolled in from Paignton as I took a seat in the former 1^st class area for the run to Exeter Central where I popped out to head towards the Sainsburys Local near the bus station (which was a quite handy discovery as there isn’t much else in Exeter city centre at 6pm on a Sunday, other than the gamble of the Co-Op).

 

Back at Exeter Central station and it was a short wait before a pair of 159s rolled in from Exeter St Davids on the first direct train of the evening to Grateley, arriving at 20:33 giving me time to walk home and relax for the remainder of the evening.  A highly enjoyable walk which had been on my list for a while, next section being Starcross towards Teignmouth, maybe even towards Newton Abbot (but I suspect that won’t be until next year as that footpath looks like it needs to be spring time).

 

30^th July – Lee Valley Navigation & New River

 

After a Saturday doing a local area walk due to the strikes, I was back out on the Sunday with the first train towards London from Grateley, changing to the underground with the Bakerloo to Piccadilly Circus for the Piccadilly line to Hyde Park Corner, where it terminated due to engineering works.  I stepped back a service as it departed from the westbound platform for a random LU microgricing move as I settled down for the run via Central London to reach Turnpike Lane where I exited the underground making my way to the bus station.

 

I caught the next route 217 service (operated with Sullivan Buses E70) for the run to Waltham Cross bus station where I started my walk, passing the station and to the Lee Navigation where I headed north via the River Lee Country Park (an area I explored in May last year).  An enjoyable towpath walk, with a decent surface and both path & water being busy (I overheard a cyclist moaning that the path was too busy, probably the sort who would try and set a land speed record forcing others into long grass).

 

River Lee Navigation between Cheshunt & Broxbourne

 

A very rural canal this is, with no real settlements until it reached Broxbourne, where I met up with part of the canal, I walked in August last year (to fill in the gap to ‘finish’ the Lee Navigation from Hertford to the Thames).  I swapped from the Lee Navigation onto the “New River” path.  The new River is not new nor is it a river, it’s an artificial waterway built in the 1600s to supply fresh water to London.  I did part of the New River path last December at the London end and when I was in Broxbourne it made sense to continue as rain was expected in the afternoon.

 

I passed Broxbourne station following the path alongside the new river, with a slight detour needed in the Hoddesdon area due to the path being closed (detour via some local roads).  I soon picked up the New River again, as it reached Rye House station before continuing towards St Margarets (St Margarets Wood was quite pretty).  I did like some of the old pumping station buildings, full of history.  After St Margarets the path went quite rural with woodland cover before reaching Ware, where the rain started where I was around a mile outside the station area, quite heavy rain as well.

 

New River in Hoddesdon

 

So, with the weather turning rather wet I called short my walk when I reached Ware station, although I believe reading reports the New River Path is cut off between Ware & Hertford where it crossed the railway on a foot crossing.  But that needs investigating as I could always try and walk that section when I do the disused railway line path from Hertford to Welywn Garden City.  Back to the trains and it was winner 720520 which rolled in to take me towards Stratford where I had many ideas where to hunt, deciding to take a 745 from Stansted for the short run into Liverpool Street.  I spent the next hour or so pinging back & forth between Liverpool Street & Seven Sisters getting 710s for over ten miles (as where there were no Chingford trains, the trains via Seven Sisters were paired up).

 

720520 at Tottenham Hale

 

 

After playing with the Overground, I headed towards Waterloo via the underground (nice fast run on the Victoria from Seven Sisters) before boarding the 17:45 service for the trip back to Grateley, as I was watching the rain coming down like anything.  An enjoyable walk along the towpath of the Lee Navigation, followed by the New River Path which was a complete contrast in being quieter.  Shame I couldn’t make it all the way to Hertford but walking in heavy rain just isn’t fun.

 

More photos taken throughout July can be found here: Flickr Album

Trips in July 2023 (Part 1)

 Trips in July 2023 (Part 1)

 

July was a busy month with a couple long weekends away in Wales & Scotland

 

1^st July – Buses in Oxfordshire (& Gloucestershire)

 

The idea for today was a trip towards Oxford to do some bus routes, doing a couple of loops making use of a Stagecoach West Gold Day ticket.  I was with mum for an adventure as we left Grateley on the 05:59 service taking us to Basingstoke changing to a XC service to Oxford where we exited the station heading towards a nearby Spoons for breakfast (mainly to waste time).  After breakfast we headed towards the Gloucester Green bus station to take a Stagecoach run route S2 (with double decker bus 11251) on the 2 hourly Cheltenham service.

 

A bit slow heading out of Oxford but eventually it picked up the A40 for a fast run towards Witney, afterwards it picked up the A40 once more heading towards Cheltenham, going via Andoversford before terminating in the Royal Well bus station, an enjoyable route of scenery.  Next up was a route 51 for Swindon with bus 15970 from the bus stops on the promenade.  A fast run at first due to having to go back towards Andoversford (this time bypassing the village) on the A40 to pick up the A436 towards Seven Springs due to the A435 being closed.

 

Stagecoach Bus 10757 (SN66 VYB) at Cheltenham (Promenade) on a 94X

 

 

The bus picked up the A435 to head towards Cirencester doing a loop of this market town before continuing heading towards Swindon with a detour via Cricklade.  It approached Swindon from the north (Penhill) direction, passing a closed park & ride site, with the next section being a bit stop-start due to traffic eventually reaching the bus station where we headed out for some lunch from a nearby Tesco before the next bus journey.  This time it was an Oxford bound S6 with bus 15967.

 

The S6 headed away from Swindon heading towards the A420 towards Shrivenham then via Faringdon & Southmoor but mostly following the A420 most of the way into Oxford where the bus terminated at the temporary terminus at Osney Island (due to roadworks on the bridge underneath the railway at Botley Road).  This is where I changed my plan and instead of hanging around, we headed towards the railway station to board a S7 service for Witney (with Stagecoach bus 10674).

 

This bus headed out of the city centre (again quite slowly due to traffic and local passengers), going towards Kidlington and Oxford Airport before heading towards Woodstock (and Blenheim Palace which was hosting the Battle Proms, so traffic was building up).  After Woodstock the bus continued towards Hanborough crossing the railway line then via North Leigh before arriving at Witney near enough on time.

 

Witney Buttercross

 

We had a short wait in Witney before a Pulhams Coaches operated route X9 rolled up (little Optare Solo YJ65 EUY), this being the first day they are taking part in the £2 bus fare scheme for more routes (as they were taken over by Go-Ahead).  This bus headed away from Witney heading north towards Charlbury going via Finstock village (and Finstock station).  A loop within Charlbury before the bus continued towards Spelsbury & Chadlington, passing Clarkson’s Diddly Squat Farm Shop.

 

The bus terminated in Chipping Norton where things went a tad wrong, the next Oxford service was running something like 45 minutes late due to heavy traffic, so after a visit to Sainsburys for dinner items we had a longer wait before bus 10667 arrived.  Chipping Norton is on my list to revisit at some-point, only to sample the buses from Stratford on Avon & also Banbury but like many times it’s trying to find time.

 

Pulhams Bus YJ65 EUY in Chipping Norton on a X9

 

Back to the late running S3 for Oxford, this particular service took longer than the other S3 services from Chipping Norton as it went via Charlbury rather than on the A44 towards Woodstock, bit extra scenery as the driver did his best at making up for lost time going via Charlbury & villages such as Combe, then via Woodstock & Yarnton to reach Oxford where I think due to the late running the driver was instructed to run set-down only on the A4444 section via Summertown to reach Oxford station where we said farewell to the buses and headed to the station.

 

The next train towards Reading was formed of a reasonably busy 221, easy enough to grab a seat but it was one against a pillar, this was meant to continue towards Bournemouth but was terminating short at Reading due to staffing issues.  Not ideal as it gave a 55-minute connection into the hourly Basingstoke service (as GWR had robbed the unit to boost the boat racing at Henley) which was a 2 coach 165.  However, XC had randomly put on a replacement coach (Brit Coaches BU18 WMP) which after confirming it was going via Basingstoke we boarded (just to avoid the potential crush loaded 165 as the following XC was also cancelled).

 

Not a Voyager ;)

 

The coach headed towards Basingstoke via the A33, and we had a tight connection to a Salisbury bound train which was rolling into Basingstoke as we arrived (ironically the same train we would have caught had the XC run).  It might have been a busy single 159 but we got home earlier than expected, and from reports that 2 coach 165 left Reading looking like something from Tokyo during rush hour.

 

An enjoyable day (other than the unexpected coach from Reading, but for me it ticked off Reading – Basingstoke for Rail Replacement), a lot of lovely countryside from both loops.  Lucky, we did that Pulhams service as the S3 we would have taken from Oxford to Chipping Norton (one which went via Chadlington) looked like it got cancelled north of the city.

 

2^nd July – Walking the Nickey Line & Grand Union Canal

 

The Nickey Line was an old Midland railway branch line from Harpenden to Hemel Hempstead which since closure has been turned into a mixed-use path, so I decided today was the day I would get round to ticking it off.  The day started with the 07:39 service from Grateley into Waterloo, where I had a gentle walk across to Blackfriars which was in a bit of chaos due to overrunning engineering works (knew I should have just taken the Jubilee to West Hampstead).  Eventually trains started running and it was into the rear first class area of 700135 for the run to Harpenden where I exited the station heading north to pick up the start of the Nickey Line path at Hollybrush Lane (featuring some steep steps).

 

The busy path took me away from Harpenden and into the countryside before reaching Redbourn, where the path skirts around the edge of the road on a path alongside the ring road reaching Church End, where the path once more goes more rural as it goes underneath the A1.  Soon the path reached the outskirts of Hemel Hempstead at Maylands for a short section of road walking picking up the route of the old railway line once more as it headed towards Keen Field where the mixed used path came to an end, the remainder of the railway line lost under developments.

 

Remains of the platform at Roundwood Halt railway station on the Nickey Line

 

I headed towards the old town area of Hemel Hempstead, picking up a path alongside the River Gade which headed towards the new town centre where I swung towards a Tesco for some lunch and a brief break.  After lunch I headed back to the Gade path, following it to reach the canal and Harding’s Moor.  I crossed the moor land (which was quite scenic) eventually reaching the station, but I wasn’t going to head by train as I did a turn towards the Grand Union Canal.

 

Picking up the Grand Union canal heading back towards the town centre area and then towards Apsley.  The surface was reasonable, and canal was busy, however a large spanner got thrown into my way when the towpath swaps sides at Red Lion Lane near Nash Mills as the towpath was closed for improvement works.  With no real alternative route, I called it a day (originally, I was planning to reach Croxley Park in Watford to link up with the section I walked in December). 

 

Nash Mills Lock on the Grand Union Canal, Nash Mills, Hemel Hempstead

 

 

I headed along the road to reach Apsley station, boarding the next London train (thankfully these days Apsley is half hourly, although there was an hourly Arriva run bus as a backup).  I took this busy 350/2+350/1 combo (no prize at which unit I sat in) to Harrow & Wealdstone, changing to an Overground 710(258) which I took to Kilburn High Road where it terminated due to engineering works (I presume).  I remained on board as it headed back towards Watford via the crossover to the Watford end of the station, changing at Kensal Green.

 

I had a gentle walk via the suburbs to Kensal Rise, changing to an Overground 378 to Brondesbury where after a quick walk towards Kilburn on the Jubilee Line I headed towards Kilburn Park via Kilburn High Road, taking a Bakerloo line service to Waterloo, reaching the Salisbury train with a few minutes to spare to take me back to Grateley, where I relaxed for the rest of the day.  An enjoyable old railway line path walked, along with part of the canal, not sure when I will return to Apsley to carry on walking towards Watford.

 

710258 at Kilburn High Road

 

7^th July – Explore South Wales Day 1

 

I had a 4-day weekend planned in South (and West) Wales making use of the 4 day Explore South Wales rover, a plan which sadly needed to get changed due to no GWR service to Pembroke on Saturday and due to the forecasted weather being a tad indifferent.  The trip began with a drive to the village of Shipton Bellinger to board a Salisbury Reds operated route 66 service (with bus 1600).  This was solely because I wanted to tick this bus route off for a while (as I regularly pass the daily northbound bus heading home).

 

The bus was very quiet as it headed towards Salisbury via the villages near the A338 (Newton Tony, Boscombe, Porton) picking up more passengers the closer it got to Salisbury, going via Laverstock (for the school) before going into the city centre.  I alighted at the bus stop near the Tesco Metro, sorry Tesco Express as the bus would continue to serve a couple of schools based in the north of the city.  It was an interesting route to do, only to see part of the countryside I’ve driven through countless times from a different angle.

 

Stagecoach (South) Bus 18512 (GX06 DXK) in Laverstock on a route 68

 

Anyhow it was to the trains, as I headed towards the station (via Sainsburys for some supplies) to board 166208 on the 08:42-odd Cardiff train.  The original plan was to take this all the way to Cardiff, but it got put into platform 1 at Newport allowing a tight connection to a late running 175116 on a Carmarthen train, which I took to Pyle for no reason other than wanting some better photos.  I had a rough plan to intercept my last 153/9 as it was on a Fishguard – Cardiff service, so after a short wait at Pyle I was back on my original plan with a pair of 153s (woof!) to Swansea as a Swanline stopper.  A short wait at Swansea (popping out of the station for some bus photos) before 800002 rolled in from London to carry on towards Carmarthen as one of the improvements GWR made to the May timetable was a marked increase in London – Carmarthen services.

 

I do love the line between Gowerton & Carmarthen, it is one of my favourite lines for scenery as it runs alongside the water.  At Carmarthen I spotted a 197 on the non-public “platform 3” (which I presume was for training) before 153906 rolled in along with 153327 for the non-stop run to Llanelli.  Llanelli is where my accommodation was for the next few nights, a private room at the World Horizons building, around a 15-minute walk from the station, near North Dock.

 

153906 at Carmarthen Station

 

To be honest I wasn’t sure what to expect, I only booked it because of the price being massively cheaper than anything else in the general South Wales area (which was close to a station).  First impression is that access felt like you were trespassing as the entrance is around the rear of the building (giving a good view of the railway), certainly at first, I had to double check to see if I went the right way.  The room I had was basic but functional (a double bed & single bed) but I didn’t hang around for long as I headed out back towards the station to just about make a 150 for Shrewsbury which I took to Bynea.

 

As the weather was beautiful, I decided to go for a walk, walking along the road to reach the Wales Coastal Path to head back towards Llanelli going via a mostly tarmacked path near the river Loughor before heading inland to skirt around the outside of the WWT Llanelli Wetland Centre, then alongside a golf course before reaching the waterfront once more.  I reached the picturesque Machynys Bay, meeting up with the point I started from on a walk in 2021 (from Llanelli towards Burry Port).

 

Llanelli Rocks

 

In Llanelli again, I walked a path alongside the Delta Lake, before following a cycle path crossing over the railway near the former Penyfan Quarry, then towards the station, taking my time as the next train towards Swansea was running late.  This was a busy 150257 which I took to Swansea, popping out of the station to the Tesco Express before boarding a busy 153367 on the last Shrewsbury via Heart of Wales train of the day, which did empty out along the way, and I think when I left it at Llandovery was near enough empty.

 

I had around 45 minutes at Llandovery so I headed into the town centre via the remains of the castle, reaching a Co-Op to get a couple of bits before heading back to the station for 150217 to take me to Llandeilo to tick off both southbound platforms at these Heart of Wales stations (which cleared my list of Welsh platform wants, well until the 2^nd platform opens on the stations north of Cross Keys on the Ebbw Vale line).

 

150217 at Llandeilo Station

 

With an hour (or there abouts) until the next northbound train (a short working to Llandovery which I was worried would get cancelled when it was delayed at Swansea, but thankfully it was just delayed). So, I had another gentle walk, firstly towards the Towy then via Castle Woods to Ffairfach station.  I flagged down a quiet 150256 on the Llandovery service back to Llandovery, remaining on board for the southbound run (which was a private 150) to Llanelli, walking to the hostel building where I discovered one of the key drawbacks of the accommodation.

 

I suspect at one point the room I was in was an office (based solely on a floor plan layout next to the fire alarm box), as the window blind was a tad useless at blocking out light from a nearby lamppost (the other drawback was the shared toilet area being very smelly).  But I was comfy and slept with my back against the window to block out the light.  A successful first day of my Welsh trip, one of my goals was done (to do those southbound platforms, something I was hoping to have done in October 2021, but TfW collapsed).

 

8^th July – Explore South Wales, Day 2

 

I had a few ideas what to do today, the weather was a bit unpredictable, originally, I was going to take the morning GWR service to Pembroke Dock, then walk the old Neyland railway line towards Johnston (then maybe onto Haverfordwest via a cycle path), but Pembroke Dock line looked like it was hard hit with planned cancellations, so I decided to park that idea for another trip.  I was looking at catching a bus towards Cross Hands to walk back towards Llanelli via the former Llanelly & Mynydd Mawr Railway route (The Swiss Valley Cycle Path) but changed my mind when on route towards the town centre (going on a loop via Sandy Water Path).

 

A good thing I didn’t head out earlier in the day as the railway was in a state of chaos due to an incident at Swansea as I reached the station to catch a late running 175116 to Gowerton where I headed to pick up the mixed used path which made use of the former Llanelly Railway line towards Swansea Bay (the original Heart of Wales line).  Once away from Gowerton itself, the path soon became quite tree lined and was very peaceful at times, passing the remains of Dunvant & Killay stations.

 

Remains of Killay Station

 

The path came to an end in Black Pill on the edge of Swansea Bay, where I ended the first part of todays walk to catch a First Bus route 3A operated service to Bracelet Bay near Mumbles Pier (with bus 44645).  The 2^nd part of todays walk was to follow the path which runs alongside Swansea Bay towards Swansea, following the route the Swansea and Mumbles Railway would have taken had it not been closed in 1960.

 

Mumbles Pier was part closed which was a bit of a disappointment, but the path was quite good, busy (with other walkers & cyclists) with a couple small detours inland due to sea erosion protection works.  In the Brynmill area the path headed away from the water to run along a road before picking up the waterfront once more as I headed towards the Marina Park in Swansea.  I headed towards Swansea station, swinging via a large Sainsburys for more supplies (always useful) ending the enjoyable walk.  The Swansea waterfront is an area I had never really explored before this trip, and I do have many ideas for future exploring walks.

 

Mumbles Pier

 

The weather had thankfully behaved itself, a few light short showers but nothing major or long lasting, as it was time to say “To the Trains” with a pair of 800s being up first (I was originally aiming for a TfW service but that was hopelessly delayed), these 800 took me to Cardiff where I crossed the platform to board winner 158748 leading 158749.  I had 748 countless times when it was split up to make up a couple of 3 coach 158/9 sets, so it was required for renumbering.  I took this 158 to Newport where I stepped back to board 170619 (also needed for renumbering) for the long run to Gloucester (it did call at Chepstow, but it hit a large gap in Cardiff bound services).

 

At Gloucester I headed towards platform 1 to board a voyager back towards Newport (which was diverted due to engineering works on the normal route).  I was surprised to get a decent seat, but the front coach did get busy (as this was in front of a late running TfW stopper so picked up passengers for Newport wanting that stopper).  An enjoyable run back towards Newport (and unusual being on a voyager along this route) where thanks to arriving early (no stopper in front) I made a connection to 67025 hauling some Mk4 coaches on the Cardiff bound.

 

220011 at Newport Station

 

Once I reached Cardiff Central, options were a bit limited as I wanted to be on the GWR Carmarthen service (as TfW had cancelled quite a few services this evening leaving some gaps in service levels). So, for the lack of a better plan, I jumped onto a 150 for Radyr, but due to late running jumped out at Llandaf, spotting all the lovely overhead wires ready to take the bogless trams in a few years’ time.  Another 150 took me back towards Cardiff where I had a short wait before 800013 & 800019 rolled in from London and I took a seat in 019 for the run towards Swansea where it split up before heading towards Llanelli, the end of my day.  Before heading back towards the hostel, I went via a pizza place I used back in August 2017 (when staying in this area for the Heart of Wales line stations).  It was a reasonable pizza which I munched on sitting in a quiet lounge area of the hostel.

 

800019 at Llanelli

 

9^th July – Explore South Wales, Day 3

 

A later start compared to the Saturday (mainly due to the Sunday timetable) so I popped to a nearby Spoons for breakfast in the Llanelli town centre area before making my way to the station for the first Swansea bound train of the day, a pair of busy 153s.  At Swansea I turned down the London train for the Manchester train, as 67014 was sitting on the buffers with some Mk4 coaches and DVT 82226 up front.  2^nd aim for this trip was going to be complete for the novelty of a 67 hauled train from Swansea (was hoping to have done this on the Saturday but the set got replaced by a pair of 153s).

 

67014 at Swansea

 

As it was a Sunday, 1^st class is oddly declassified, so I sat in the posh seats for the run across to Cardiff, staying on to alight at Pontypool & New Inn station.  A station which has changed a lot since my last visit with a new car park being under construction giving direct access from the dual carriageway (A4042) with step free access to the next car park (not sure if the step free access will be available for the existing car park & pedestrian entrance).  Anyhow the weather was decent enough, so I had a gentle walk towards Cwmbran station following an old railway path following the old Monmouthshire Railway and Canal Company route.

 

At Pontrhydyrun the old railway path comes to an end (it’s been built over by a road), so I crossed a sports ground, picking up a path which runs alongside the river Lwyd continuing towards the station at Cwmbran with a little detour via Morrisons for some lunch items (solely to waste some time).  The next northbound train was 175113 which I took to Abergavenny, intercepting a 150 on a train from Manchester.  I just about managed to squeeze onto this extremely busy 150, the lack of luggage racks forcing luggage into the aisleway.  Anyhow the train did empty out at Newport and again at Cardiff where I alighted.

 

175113 departs Abergavenny Station

 

I headed towards platform 6 at Cardiff Central, with no real plan in mind other than wanting to sample a Welsh Flirt, with 231009 being the first into my book with the run towards Llanbradach, just over the ten-mile mark.  Interior is roughly the same as the Greater Anglia Flirts and a large upgrade for this line (even on a temporary basis).  231002 took me back south towards Cardiff, where I decided to remain on board to Grangetown, stepping back to a 150 for Barry Island.

 

231009 departs Llanbradach

 

This 150 took me to Barry Island, where I remained on board for the short run back to Barry, where due to a track fault it was using platform 3 (whereas in the past it would have crossed over to use platform 1).  The fault looked long term as part of the crossing was missing.  Anyhow a short wait at Barry before 150270 rolled in, one of the units on long term loan from Northern featuring the 3+2 seating.  Better on a Bridgend service than heading to Manchester as it was quite quiet, a few off at the Airport station heading for the connecting bus but the train was lightly loaded.

 

Into Bridgend and I turned down a Swansea bound 150 as it was wedged out, instead waited a few minutes for a late running 800/3 behind, which was nice and quiet.  This 800 took me to Swansea where I popped out of the station to visit Tesco Express for dinner items before jumping back on the same 800 for the run to Neath for a time-wasting move.  Next up was a 150+153+153 combo on a Milford Haven + Pembroke Dock service, as I sat in the 150 for the run towards Whitland where the 153s detached and carried on to Milford Haven for no real reason other than a little revisit to this part of Pembrokeshire.

 

150282 at Milford Haven Station

 

Unlike during the week where the turnaround time is something idiotic like 10 minutes, this service had a 30-odd minute turnaround allowing a quick walk towards the waterfront before heading back to board a private 150 for the run back towards Llanelli and a gentle walk back to the hostel (which was very quiet, felt like I was alone).  An enjoyable run towards Milford Haven and the 150 made a good racket on the fast-running sections.

 

10^th July – Explore South Wales, Day 4

 

My crazy idea the night before was to catch the 06:08 to Shrewsbury service via the Heart of Wales line, due to that line having no time restrictions when using an Explore South Wales rover (otherwise it will be waiting until 09:30).  I left the hostel building (which other than the window blind being useless, and the smelly bogs was reasonable enough for the price I paid), headed towards Llanelli station and waited for 153318 to roll in from Swansea.

 

A very quiet train, throughout, which was good because it was one of the former GWR examples where the Richmond seats give hardly any legroom.  I settled down for the run towards Shrewsbury, skipping most of the request stops, looking out of the window (as it’s been a few years since I last did the complete run in one sitting). At Shrewsbury, I managed to catch a late running 197019 from Holyhead which had all the stops to Hereford ripped out (the back-up was a loco hauled set from Manchester).

 

153318 at Llanelli Station

 

This 197 took me towards Cardiff (so nice to have legroom, even if part was restricted due to a bar holding up the seat in front, the seats suffering from the negative of having pointless fixed armrests by the window side.  Anyhow once in Cardiff Central I came up with a rough plan for the rest of the day because my last couple of reformed XC 170s were gettable which was a nice bonus (sadly my last couple of GWR 158s weren’t available, one wasn’t out & the other was on Swindon – Westbury services).

 

It was over to the Valley line platforms with 231001 taken to Llanbradach, for 231004 back towards Grangetown.  231007 took me back towards Caerphilly to Ystrad Mynach where I took 231008 to Dingle Road.  4 more of the 231s into my book, as I had a gentle walk via Dingle Park towards Cogan station, taking a 150 to Cardiff Central, and over to a waiting 197016 on a Holyhead service which I took to Newport, stepping back to 170623 (along with 170111) for the run to Chepstow.

 

231008 departs Dingle Road Station

 

I was going to have a little explore of Chepstow, but the rain which had been threatening for the last few hours decided to show up, so it was a short walk to Tesco for dinner items before 170618 rolled in to take me back towards Newport.  I was glad to get my last couple of reformed XC 170s (formally 2 coach units with centre coaches from the old WMT 3 coach 170s) as they are a bit free rooming.  At Newport I made a quick cross platform change onto a baby HST to take me under the water (potentially the last time I will be on a HST via the Severn tunnel).

 

At Bristol Temple Meads, I jumped onto a Weymouth bound 166 to Trowbridge for a time-wasting move before another 166 took me to Salisbury, both trains being lightly loaded.  At Salisbury it was a short wait before the next Basingstoke stopper rolled in to take me to Grateley, the end of an enjoyable long weekend away in South Wales.  I know it required multiple replanning due to the late notice timetable changes on TfW (on Sunday there was a near 4-hour gap for services from Swansea towards the west).  I managed to get a couple of the items from my list of things, sadly sampling an IET to Pembroke Dock will have to wait until next year.

 

166214 departs Trowbridge

 

12th July – An unplanned evening spin to Southampton

 

I’ve been keeping my eyes on RTT to see allocations of a couple of GWR services which are booked 158 over the last couple of weeks, and when I saw that both my remaining required reformed 158s were out on Cardiff – Portsmouth services with a 7-minute connection at Southampton (or a safer +30 at Romsey) I felt like I couldn’t turn it down.  So, after getting home after work, I headed to Grateley for the 18:07 service to Salisbury (a 159+159+158 combo) for a short wait before 158771 rolled in (along with 158862) for the run towards Southampton Central, changing platforms for 158768 to roll in from Portsmouth (along with 158769) to take me back towards Salisbury, where thankfully they were on time but it was still a tight official connection to board a Basingstoke stopper for the short run back home.

 

A short but sweet evening spin, at least I no longer had the need to keep my eyes out for any of the GWR 158s (until they disband the remaining 3 coach hybrid units).  Lucky that both happened to fall on those services allowing me to grab both for the price of one.

 

165131 alongside 158771 at Southampton Central

 

More photos taken throughout July can be found here: Flickr Album