November Trips (Part 1)

 November Trips (Part 1)

1st November – Warrington to Runcorn via the Ship Canal

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

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

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

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

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

7th November - Sett Valley Trail & Peak Forest

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

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

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

Sett Valley Trail between Birch Vale & New Mills

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

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

8th November – Erewash Canal

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

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

195004 heading underneath the Bennerley Viaduct

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

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

Nottingham Tram 202 at Meadows Way West

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

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

9th November – Lichfield to Brownhills Railway Path

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

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

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

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

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

170636 at Bristol Temple Meads (on arrival from Birmingham)

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

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

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

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

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

Castell Coch

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

15th November – Tour of Middlewich

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

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

805003 at Chester (from Hoole Way bridge)

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

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

Colours Of October

 Colours Of October

My writers block I’ve been suffering with has departed, so time for a big catch up, although mainly focusing on my walking trips.

22nd October – Worcester & Birmingham Canal

I decided to head towards Worcestershire to complete a bit more of the Worcester & Birmingham canal, being the section from the Droitwich area towards Worcester itself (meeting up with a part I walked a few years ago).  An early start saw me heading towards Droitwich Spa via the Cotswolds line picking up the Droitwich canal and headed east via the suburbs before going underneath the M5 (no towpath in this section as this was rebuilt with the original route of canal lost).  After re-joining the canal, it was via more rural setting heading towards the end at Hanbury Junction where it met with the Worcester & Birmingham Canal.

The next section of canal was quite rural with the occasional sound of traffic from the M5 and sound of Voyagers from the nearby railway line as I headed generally in a southern direction via Shernal Green & Dunhampstead before heading west away from the railway towards Tibberton, going underneath the M5 where the rural towpath turned more urban as a cycle route joined the path as the canal reached Worcester, passing close to the Sixways Stadium.  I continued with the walk along the towpath heading towards the city centre, reaching Worcester Shrub Hill where I made good timing to catch a train an hour earlier than I was expecting with 800002 starting from Shrub Hill to take me back towards Reading before I made my way back home.  An enjoyable walk, but like with the Shropshire Union, the last section needs to wait until the towpath is repaired as it's closed near a tunnel in the Alvechurch area.

Hanbury Junction between Droitwich Junction & Worcester and Birmingham Canals

28th & 29th October

The 28th October, I decided to head towards Essex to visit the recently opened Beaulieu Park station, one of those stations I can see getting well used in the future due to the location and more houses due to pop up (similar in a way to Barking Riverside).   The 29th was a London day focused on my Sub mile London Underground units, clearing the Northern line and putting a large dent in the Central line driving units, the trailer units will be an old-school sit and hang around.  I also ticked off a few more 730s before taking the sleeper to Glasgow Central for a return to Scotland.

30th October – Exploring the Airdrie to Bathgate railway path

The Airdrie to Bathgate railway path is part of cycle route 75, this path was built when the railway line between Bathgate & Airdrie was rebuilt, one of those paths which had been on my oversized list for a while, although it was a bit chilly this morning.  After grabbing breakfast from Glasgow city centre, I headed to Drumgelloch on a pair of 334s where my walk began.  The first mile or so being alongside a road towards Plains before the off-road section began heading towards Caldercruix (dodging various icy patches).

After Caldercruix the path head towards the Hillend reservoir with some good views of the water, running close to the railway line.  Near Blackridge I took a little detour along the route of an old railway line path, doubling back on myself to carry on the walk as it headed via woodlands to the south of Blackridge station the path being a bit twisty before it returned to running alongside the railway line, I decided to end the walk at Armadale station, the rest of the path and cycle route 75 can be followed on another day with a walk towards Livingston, maybe ending at Uphall station (one of those walks I will need to play with Google Maps for distances).

DR98960 alongside the Airdrie to Bathgate Path (Cycle Route 75) between Blackridge & Armadale

A pair of 334s took me back one stop to Blackridge where I wanted some better photos before the same pair of 334s as I had earlier (033 & 040) took me to Haymarket, changing onto a delayed pair of 385s on a Glasgow Queen Street service.  Once back in Glasgow I headed across to Glasgow Central and onto a pair of 156s to East Kilbride in the pouring rain, doubling back to the rebuilt and relocated Hairmyres station.  I returned to East Kilbride on the next southbound service and back to Glasgow Central heading to the Subway which wasn’t having a good day with only one side working when I first arrived.  I managed to get another Subway unit into my little book, before heading back upstairs and onto a pair of 385s (104 & 115) to Polmont where my accommodation was located.

31st October – Union Canal

Finishing the Union Canal was one of my big goals for 2025, but for whatever reason I hadn’t gotten around to doing it on my previous trips this year, a bit of a risk owing to the forecast looking a bit damp in the early afternoon.  One reason for picking accommodation in Polmont was mainly the cost (considering it was the cheapest place which was close to a station), but mainly for the location near to Linlithgow.  One of these days I will return to Linlithgow to have a little walk around the loch, but that can be a job for another day as today's walk was going to be a long one, I had the option of a break point along the way.  The day started with a pair of 385s to Linlithgow from Polmont and a short walk to the canal towpath, which for the majority of the way was solid tarmac.  I headed east away from Linlithgow towards Philpstoun & Winchburgh, the canal coming close to the railway in a couple of places.

After Winchburgh the canal skirted round the edge of the Greendykes Shale Bing leaving countryside behind and into Broxburn, where I had the option of an exit point with a frequent bus towards Edinburgh.  I decided to keep going and soon departed Broxburn going underneath the M8 and back into countryside.  This section was a lot better than I was expecting in terms of noise from the motorway and featured an aqueduct over the River Almond.  The next settlement I reached was Ratho and I carried on with some lovely woodland.  The rain decided to make its appearance with a mile or so to go as I was in the Hermiston area, crossing over the City of Edinburgh Bypass into the capital.  I reached the goal and headed towards Edinburgh Park station via the large Tesco, mainly to dry off and mainly for some more supplies.

Union Canal between Broxburn & Ratho

I decided to have a little spin on the trams, taking one tram to Ingliston Park & Ride before riding tram 276 all the way to Newhaven where I was going to have another gentle stroll but the rain returned as soon as I got off the tram, so ended up heading to a nearby Asda before taking another tram back to St Andrews Square with a tight connection onto a LNER 800 to Stirling where I headed to a nearby Spoons for a celebration meal before heading back to Polmont on a pair of 385s, relaxing in the comfortable bed.  A bit on the noisy side due to Halloween and it being a Friday night, but similar sort of noise in the accommodation I've used before in Hamilton, nothing is perfect when on a budget (and I'm not the sort of person who will pay out £75+ a night for a fancy hotel)

Anyhow more photos can be found Here

Trips 12th – 14th October

 Trips 12th – 14th October

12th October – McClean Way and the return to Chasewater

The McClean Way is the name given to the mixed used path built on the alignment of the former South Staffordshire Railway between Walsall & Brownhills (I believe the section between Brownhills & Lichfield is getting converted at some point since traffic at Anglesey Sidings is no more).  As the weather was looking dry (all be misty) I decided it would be a good chance to have a little explore of this disused railway line as the Brownhills end is meant to get muddy in the winter, staying overnight in a Travelodge in Birmingham.

The trip began with the 07:39 service from Grateley towards Waterloo, which I was going to take to Andover, stepping back onto the Reading train (for a XC service towards the West Midlands), however overrunning engineering works at Basingstoke soon threw a large spanner in the works as 159003 & 159005 dwelled at Andover for around half an hour before getting the signal to depart towards Basingstoke, with the Reading train cancelled.  Basingstoke isn’t the best place to hang around on a Sunday morning as there isn’t a lot open close to the station and I found myself onto 165125 on the stopper to Reading to visit the little Sainsburys Local outside the station for some supplies before taking 221121 & 220021 on the 10:15 service towards Manchester.

I easily got a table seat in coach B of the 221, which remained very quiet throughout (makes a change with XC!), probably the first time since before Covid I had a XC service via Warwick (due to engineering works in the Adderley Park area), and arrival was around 8 minutes early allowing me to make a quick dash to 730003 on the Rugeley service from platform 4C (helped out with the XC using P5 and being at the right end of the train).  This 730 took me to Walsall where my walk began, first of all heading towards the bus stop to meet a friend who had arrived from Wolverhampton via bus.

730003 departing Walsall Station

The first section was via the roads to reach the entrance to the mixed used path on Mill Lane, near to the bridge over the Sutton Park line.  This section was via a local nature reserve before the path joined up with the route of the old railway on a decent quality tarmac path.  Even with the mist it was reasonably popular with other walkers and cyclists as we headed towards Pelsall where remains of the former station has disappeared.

In Pelsall the tarmac path changed to being more variable as we continued towards Brownhills and into a deep cutting for the last section reaching the canal aqueduct, we continued a little bit further towards the fence underneath the long bridge underneath Watling Street (where one day I suspect I will be back to walk towards Lichfield).  We climbed the stairs to reach the canal and headed towards Chasewater Country Park.

McClean Way (Route of former South Staffordshire Railway) in Brownhills

On reaching the reservoir, it was so misty we couldn't see the opposite side as we headed north along the side of the water before following another path close to Burntwood Rugby club to reach Chasetown (Church Street) station on the heritage Chasewater Railway, picking up a footpath running alongside the railway towards Chasewater Heaths, crossing over the railway heading towards Norton Bog.  We continued the walk, walking high above the railway reaching the very basic Norton Lakeside Halt before carrying on leaving the route of the railway and following the side of the main reservoir again.

Holly Bank No 3 near Chasewater Heaths Station on the Chasewater Railway

We soon reached Brownhills West station, the main base of operations for the railway with various shunters parked up along with 142030 looking good in First North Western colours.  After some photographs we continued the walk to pick up the path over the M6 Toll to reach Brownhills West itself and a short walk along the road (passing a Mk3 Reliant Robin), finishing the walk on the bus stop at Rising Sun Island where National Express bus 2119 took us back towards Walsall Bus Station on a route 10 service.

At Walsall bus station I said farewell to my friend, as he headed back towards Wolverhampton, always nice to have a catch-up as it’s been a while since we met up, and I headed to the station to board 730008 on the stopper towards Birmingham New Street, giving me time to pop outside the station for some supplies before joining the large crowd waiting for the London train.  Due to the engineering works it was only an hourly train service linking Birmingham with the Airport & Coventry (with a half hourly bus service calling at all stations between New Street & International) so needless to say 390125 departed extremely busy (in my eyes what Avanti should have done is split the London – Scotland service up at Birmingham to improve time keeping).

142030 at Brownhills West on the Chasewater Railway

I was originally going to take this Pendo towards Rugby for something along the Trent Valley line, but as a winner 730 was showing as out, I bailed at Birmingham International, deciding the connection at Coventry would be too risky.  As the next Pendo for Crewe was running late, I decided to take 350408 & 350401 for the short hop to Hampton in Arden returning on 350121 & 350371 (both sets having the inter-unit gangway doors locked out of use to prevent passengers from being able to get between units, all because the guards want to hide away, no wonder why revenue loss on LNR services is sky high).

Anyhow back at Birmingham International, I joined the majority of passengers from those 350s in crossing over to platform 3 for the late running Crewe Pendo with platform staff saying to use the entire length of the platform with standard class at the front of the train, so it was a tad annoying after following the instructions when 390011 rolled in with first class at the front, with no hope to getting to standard class I took a seat in Standard Premium for the short journey back to Birmingham New Street, going via Aston & Perry Barr to approach Birmingham from the Wolverhampton direction.  It wasn’t quite over for me as I headed over to winner 730214 on the next Liverpool train to take me to Wolverhampton, returning to Birmingham on a late running 390136.

350121 at Birmingham International Station

I headed out of the station, towards the Newhall Street branch of Travelodge, getting given a room on the 3rd floor, allowing me time to relax for the rest of the evening.  An enjoyable day, even if some of the trains were massively overcrowded (because passengers prefer to take trains, even if the journey takes longer, than a stopping bus with no guarantee the train/bus would wait for the bus/train to arrive). 

13th October – Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal Exploring

One of the main reasons for wanting to stay in Birmingham city centre was for the novelty of doing a 730 on the route knowledge refresher route via Bescot, also it gave me a chance to walk another section of the Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal which I started back in August last year (with Penkridge towards the junction at Great Haywood).  After checking out of the hotel I made my way towards Birmingham New Street via a couple of shops (including Tim Hortons for a breakfast wrap) before boarding dud 730218 on the 07:57 service to Liverpool (I will admit to getting thrown when I saw the random Avanti service to Liverpool from Birmingham at 07:51 with a “am I on the right platform” moment.

Annoyingly RTT was suggesting this would have been a winner (ah well, those things happen) and I took a seat in what was going to be first class area, only to be thrown when the train departed towards Aston (again, I will admit to seeing this service went via Bescot, but didn’t see it went via Aston & Perry Barr as I was presuming it would go via Soho.  This train even featured a rarity on London Northwestern, a ticket check!  Anyhow the trip via Bescot complete, the new stations on that line are coming along well I stayed on until Penkridge, moving towards the centre of the train due to the short platform, leaving the train with a large crowd of college kids boarding, and my walk began.

730218 departing Penkridge Station

 

 

The first section was a copy of the walk from last August, heading towards the main shopping area of Penkridge before following Cannock Road to join the canal at the Boat Inn, this time I headed south underneath the road following the reasonable towpath passing a marina before leaving the main built up area of Penkridge, going towards Otherton.  On reaching the bridge which used to carry the Littleton Colliery branch I broke away from the canal to walk the route of this short branch line back towards Penkridge, reaching the end point at the A449 (close to where I would imagine the colliery branch line would have joined up with the existing railway.

I headed back towards the canal along this nice woodland path and carried on, trying to drown out the noise from the M6 for the short section the canal runs close to the motorway before heading west towards Gailey.  A short detour was needed due to towpath works between Gailey & Four Ashes before passing a chemical works site at Four Ashes (with warnings not to stop or moor in this section, even if sirens are sounding).  The towpath had changed from solid ground to more rural grass with my pet hate, bricks (as they can be quite slippery when wet).

Staffordshire & Worcestershire Canal at Four Ashes

After leaving Four Ashes the canal turned quite rural as it headed back east towards Calf Heath and the junction with the former Hatherton Canal, the section in water being used as a marina with no public access from the towpath side of the main canal.  The next section was by far the worse for towpath quality, very bumpy and narrow in places for a couple hundred metres before thankfully it returned to being flat and I headed back into the countryside.  My walk reached the railway bridge over the canal near Slade Heath (one of those bridges where I dread to think how many times I've been across over the last 11 years).  The towpath quality did improve the closer I got towards Wolverhampton passing the Anchor Inn and going underneath the A449 & M54 near Coven Heath.

I was now in the Wolverhampton area with some industrial units close by as I followed the canal towards the Autherley Canal junction, near Pendeford where the Shropshire Union Canal ends, one section of this towpath was a bit weird in having the tarmac path dive inland leaving a grassy path alongside the canal, before the tarmac path resumes in running alongside the canal, this area also featured a deep cutting which was quite nice for woodland views.  I reached the junction with the Shropshire Union, carrying on towards the Oxley viaduct & Aldersley Junction where the Birmingham Canal joins.

Autherley Junction between the Staffordshire & Worcestershire and Shropshire Union Canals, Wolverhampton

This area of the canal was quite nice in terms of woodland and being peaceful, considering the location.  I continued towards Tettenhall with having the option to finish here for a bus into the city centre, but I decided to push on for another mile going underneath the route of the former Smestow Valley railway line route with the Meccano Bridge to reach Compton where my walk ended with a short walk to a bus stop close to a very unusual road junction which one side was a regular mini roundabout, the other side was a road junction, I suspect an accident black spot considering it looks like a regular mini roundabout.

Anyhow it was onto the route 10A route with National Express's 852 to take me towards the city centre, as I decided to jump off at the bus stop outside a shopping centre to pick up some more drink & something to munch before heading to the railway station.  The first available service to Birmingham was formed of a Bournemouth bound 221111, which I decided to stay with all the way to Basingstoke as I had a reasonable seat in coach B.  In hindsight this turned out to be a good move, due to an tragic event at Vauxhall and when I was at Basingstoke with services being delayed I decided to head to Andover via the route 76 bus (with bus 11243) with the theory of getting a lift home, however the lift wasn’t required as trains had started to run again and I strolled to the railway station in Andover to catch 159015 & 159001 on what would have been the 17:23 service from London which started at Woking.

221111 at Basingstoke Station

Once home, I relaxed for the rest of the evening, sorting my rucksack out ready for another day trip on the Tuesday.  It was an enjoyable canal walk in the Staffordshire countryside, I suspect the rest of that canal will be done next year as it seems quite rural, other than the section at Kidderminster to Stourport as that is a cycle route so I would imagine would be a decent year-round towpath.

14th October – Bingham Linear Park

I had various options for this Tuesday, in the end deciding to head towards Nottinghamshire to walk a short disused railway path in the Bingham area, one I was originally going to pair up with the walk from Radcliffe towards Cotgrave but with that path out of action until further notice I decided to separate the walks.  Anyway, the day began with the 06:18 service from Grateley with 159022 & 159011 to take me to Waterloo, getting very busy after Basingstoke as per usual with this train.  After grabbing breakfast and supplies for lunch I strolled towards Kings Cross arriving with plenty of time to spare before the 09:06 York stopper with 91106 at the northern end (and DVT 82214) to take me to Grantham and a 25-minute fester before 170208 rolled in from Skegness to take me to Aslockton where my walk began.  The train fits on the platform but only the doors in the front 2 coaches are opened due to the large step at the rear of the train.

The first section from Aslockton was towards Whatton and then onto Conery Lane (featuring a crossing of the busy A52 road), a quiet country lane heading towards farms and a footpath across a field towards the route of the former Northampton to Nottingham branch of the Great Northern and London and North Western Joint Railway.  I did take a wrong turn at a bridge over the River Smite and ended up going via what looked to be a vineyard on a footpath and a steep unofficial climb onto the embankment.  I should have turned left along another path which had a connection to the railway near the river viaduct.

170208 at Aslockton Station

Anyhow I was now onto the route of the old railway line, doubling back towards the end point, just passed the river viaduct (the path does continue further but there was a "Private Land, No Entry" sign after a farm crossing.  I retraced my steps along this path which was a reasonable quality with stones on the ground, although not one I would want to do during winter time, quite nice views of countryside once the embankment section left the woods with the embankment turning into a deep cutting with various farm track bridges before reaching a tunnel underneath the A52 Bingham Bypass with the path now being more solid (and busier).

I continued along the Bingham Linear Park going underneath a nice viaduct carrying Tithby Road over the old railway (couldn't really photograph it due to the trees) and soon the path came to an end alongside Nottingham Road, close to a bus stop used by the frequent Bingham - Nottingham Trent Barton bus route, but as I had time I headed towards the town centre, grabbing a photo of the Butter Cross and headed to the station, jumping onto 170422 for the nonstop run to Nottingham.  Quite an interesting old railway path route for the different in scenery from woods, cuttings and embankments.

Bingham Linear Park Info Board

Once at Nottingham, I decided to call it a day earlier than I was planning (I was going to have a little tram hunt) due to my feet being damp (seems my waterproof boots are not all that waterproofed) so I jumped onto 170202 on the next Norwich bound service, solely to clear Grantham to Peterborough for 170 coverage (not as fast I was expecting it to have been) to take me to Peterborough for a short wait for 801224 to arrive from Edinburgh to take me to Kings Cross where I had a gentle stroll to St Pancras for a Rainham bound 700053 to London Bridge followed by 707008 & 707003 on the first available South Eastern service to Waterloo East.

After grabbing some drink from Iceland, I headed to Waterloo and onto a busy 16:50 service formed of 159017 & 159106 to take me back to Grateley, the end of an enjoyable little day trip to Nottinghamshire even if I cut it short, a nice little getaway.  As always thanks for reading, more photos can be found on my Flickr *Here*.

2nd – 5th October – Ever Changing Plans due to Amy

 2nd – 5th October – Ever Changing Plans due to Amy

This weekend was meant to have been a return to Scotland with a long weekend, focusing on my last section of the Union Canal (Edinburgh Park to Linlithgow) and one of the disused railway lines, however when earlier in the week I noticed Storm Amy making the weekend seem like a washout I decided to cancel my accommodation and instead have multiple day trips based on what the weather was doing.

2nd October – Exploring the Rushall & the Wyrley and Essington Canals

For my first walk of October, I decided to head towards the West Midlands to do a walk I was planning on doing in a few weeks’ time, the short Rushall Canal & the remaining parts of the curvy Wyrley and Essington canal.  The day began with the 06:57 service from Grateley to Waterloo with a busy 158883, 159020 & 159017 where I had my usual stroll across the capital to reach Euston and boarding 390047 working the first off-peak train towards Birmingham (on a Glasgow service).  As suspected coach C on this service was quite busy (due to the large cliff-edge in fares between off-peak & peak on the WCML).

At Birmingham New Street I had a short walk over to 730030 which was following the Pendo from Birmingham International to take me to Tame Bridge Parkway where my walk began.  I left the station, following a couple of roads to pick up a path leading up towards the Tame Valley Canal for a short walk alongside the M6 towards Rushall Junction where the Rushall Canal branched off.  This canal is quite straight with a decent tarmac towpath (as it forms part of cycle route 5), although there was a short section after the B4151 where the tarmac disappeared as the canal entered the countryside.

730030 departing Tame Bridge Parkway

I soon reached Longwood Junction where the Rushall Canal magically turned into the Daw End Branch of the Wyrley and Essington canal (not like you could tell the changeover on the ground, other than the straightness turning into curves as the canal follows the contours of the land to avoid expensive locks.  The towpath in this area was a bit rougher, certainly not a canal to do during winter as I would imagine things would get muddy, however it was nice and peaceful as it was near the Park Lime Pits Nature Reserve. Crossing the Sutton Park railway I soon reached Daw End where the ruralness was replaced with industry (and high fences) as the canal skirted round the edge of Aldridge reaching Walsall Wood (and a rude sounding bridge!)

The towpath did change back to being decent tarmac quality as the canal skirted round the edge of Walsall Wood heading towards Catshill Junction where the Daw End branch joins up with the main Wyrley and Essington (although I suspect in terms of boat traffic, most will switch to the 'branch' to do a loop when out boating considering the main line is a dead-end).  Anyhow I crossed underneath the A452 bridge and onto new ground with the canal skirting round the edge of Brownhills, housing to the left of me, fields to the right, wait that's sounding a bit too much like Stealers Wheels.

My walk continued as I reached Ogley Junction where the Lichfield canal branched off and I was now onto the Anglesey Branch, still skirting round the edge of Brownhills and crossing over the former South Staffordshire Railway route (now part a mixed used path towards Walsall, the section towards Lichfield I believe is getting turned into a greenway at some point).  I crossed underneath the M6 Toll and into Burntwood, the canal coming to an end at Anglesey Basin near the Chasewater Reservoir.

Remains of South Staffordshire Railway Line near the Wyrley and Essington Canal aqueduct, Brownhills

I climbed a slope to reach the level of this large reservoir within the Chasewater Country Park (home of a little heritage railway), and I followed a path alongside the south eastern corner of the reservoir to reach a footpath which crossed over the M6 (Toll) towards Brownhills West and a short section of the former Midland Railway branch line towards Watling Street where my walk ended.  I had a short wait before the next route 10 bus (operated by National Express West Midlands with bus 2136) took me towards Walsall, where I got lost trying to find the railway station from the bus station (signage is somewhat lacking).  Once I reached the railway station it was onto 730040 on the next semi-fast service to Birmingham New Street and a reasonably tight connection onto 390129 from Scotland on the next fast London train.

At Euston, I noticed one of the LNR branded TVMs was suggesting that Harrow & Wealdstone was one of the most popular destinations before I headed to the underground to find an unexpected 7-minute gap in service.  I squeezed onto set 51623 & 51719 (bonus of a sub mile pair of 1995 stock units) to Waterloo, where after grabbing some dinner from Sainsburys I headed to the 19:20 service to take me back home to Grateley with 159006, 159018 & 158885.  An enjoyable walk in the West Midlands (and Staffordshire), another canal complete.

Chasewater Reservoir

3rd October – Changeable Weather in Manchester

When I checked the forecast when I woke up it was suggesting the Manchester area would remain dry most of the day with rain moving in around 5pm, so I decided to head that way (although couldn’t decide between the Peak Forest Canal or the Huddersfield Narrow & a disused railway walk).  The 05:50 took me into Waterloo with a lightly loaded (it was a Friday after-al) 159016 & 158888 and another gentle stroll to Euston, this time for the 08:13 Manchester Piccadilly service with 390002 on this service calling at Nuneaton, Stoke & Stockport (speedy!).

Along the way I checked the forecast once more as I was still undecided wherever to jump off at Stockport for a bus towards the Woodley area, or remain on board for a TPE towards Greenfield, however I wasn’t impressed when instead of being dry it was suggesting heavy rain pretty much the rest of the day from around 11am, confirmed by the weather forecast as it looked like the storm had moved a lot further south than it was originally predicted.  Change of plan time it was as I looked up the locations of some required 197s, one wasn’t out, another was in West Wales but the 3rd was on Wrexham – Bidston services so came up with a plan.

The first stage of this revised plan was on a Mk4 set formed of DVT 82216 and being pushed by 67029 (a loco I’ve not had for many years since it popped up on a UK Railtour towards Stratford Upon Avon).  This took me to Crewe, where after confirming the identity of the Crewe – Shrewsbury stopper as being AT02 (as these don’t show on RTT) I headed towards Chester on 197113, changing onto 197002 on a Llandudno Junction bound service to Shotton giving me around 20 minutes to get between platforms.

67029 at Crewe Station

To waste some time, I went via the town centre area, noticing that the little Iceland had closed, before returning to the station and onto winner 197026 for the run to Wrexham General and a reasonable connection onto a pair of busy 158s (it was student kicking out time) bound for Holyhead (158822 & 158833) to take me back to Chester where I transferred to 805003 starting from platform 1 (unusual seeing a 805 using that bay platform!) to take me to Crewe, noticing 197039 on test on platform 9.

I had a short wait before 197027 & 197034 rolled in on the next train towards Cardiff to take me to Whitchurch for a short wait (in the rain) for 153353 & 153528 to roll in (also known as set AT02), taking an airline seat in the 153/5 (as the table seats give rubbish legroom) for the run back to Crewe, another renumbered 153 into my book.  At Crewe I was originally going to turn down the unit from Liverpool for the Pendo from Manchester, but when 807004 rolled in I noticed it wasn’t that busy (in coach H) so boarded it for the run towards London.

153528 (AT02) at Crewe Station

Things were going well, until it hit congestion caused by issues around Hanslope junction, losing nearly 20 minutes, losing more time after Milton Keynes as one of the trains in front called at Watford Junction, so arrival into Euston was nearly half an hour late.  Although this is when I noticed the SWR network was in a state of chaos due to an incident near Surbiton, so I headed into the light drizzle (although judging by the state of the roads, it seems London got hit quite bad with downpours) towards Paddington.

At Paddington, I jumped on the first train towards Reading with a busy 802111 (easily got a seat in the 3rd coach from the front whereas the rear coaches were looking quite busy), this got delayed outside Reading for around 10 minutes for no real reason (nothing showing on the platforms at Reading), which meant I had to dash across to squeeze onto a rammed 165121 on the next stopper which departed late (as it was held for a Penzance bound service to depart first), with many unhappy folk about missing the connection at Basingstoke.

197026 at Wrexham General

The next service towards Salisbury was a heavily delayed service from London which was showing as running non-stop to Salisbury, so I popped out of the station to grab some supplies from Sainsburys before returning with the assumption the next train would start from Basingstoke (considering the outward leg was cancelled at Basingstoke) and in rolled 159019 from Barton Mill to take me back home to Grateley, where I had a walk home in the rain.  A day of mixed results, good that another 197 & 153 is in my book, however I couldn’t help thinking had the weather forecast shown heavy rain in the morning it would have been a different day (probably staying closer to London), you win some, you lose some.

4th October – A Day of Chaos in South Wales

I had 2 ideas for this Saturday, based on the weather being a bit rubbish further north, either a trip to Cardiff with my little red pen, or a trip to London to have a TfL day, when I woke up I did a quick search on RTT which showed that both active 197s I needed were out as well as 3 of the 4x 756s I needed so I decided to head to Wales with a rough plan in my head.  The day started with a damp walk to the station to board 159019 & 158882 to Basingstoke, where I changed onto 221128 to Reading, it was 4 minutes late into Basingstoke due to a dodgy signal near Micheldever, reducing the connection was 4 minutes at Reading (ignoring any allowances), sadly that went up in smoke due to a random signal check near Southcote junction (nothing in the area that I could see).  So, with an hour to kill at Reading (how I wish GWR would bring back the all-day 2tph service to Cardiff on Saturdays) I exited the station for a little stroll, grabbing some breakfast.

Back at Reading station and it was onto 800312 with the run to Cardiff Central, where I had a little time-wasting walk towards Queen Street to take 231011 back down the hill to Central, before transferring onto 150259 on a Lydney service to Newport (a bit of high speed 150 noise as the window near my seat wouldn’t stay shut), however this is where things started to go pear shaped.  My idea was to take 037 which was on a Swansea service from Manchester along with a 197/1 to Bridgend giving an 18-minute connection into 033 (and another 3-coach unit) back to Cardiff.

150259 at Newport Station

197037 rolled in along with another 3-coach unit, however due to the front unit striking a branch (which was sticking out of the coupler) it seemed to have knocked something with the wiper (either the wiper itself or the washer fluid) so the train got cancelled at Newport.  Rats.  Over to platform 1 along with a massive crowd to board 800008 on the next train towards Cardiff Central where I had another gentle stroll near the station (just to waste time and to get away with the noise of various announcements about See it Say it, Sorted etc).  Back at the station, something was wrong as a Rhyl service was sitting on platform 1 as 197033 rolled in along with another 3 coach 197, only to end up getting cancelled due to a tree on the line near Leominster.  Rats (again).  At this point I was tempted to call it a day and to head home but decided to remain and headed over to platform 6 to board winner 756007 to take me to Caerphilly with a non-stop run after Cardiff Queen Street.

I remained on the unit at Caerphilly to take it back towards Queen Street where I had a little trip to Cardiff Bay on 150217 returning on the same unit before winner 756007 rolled in to take me back to Caerphilly, with a speedy run as the previous train had been cancelled (so it had a clear run).  Once more I remained with the same unit (the downside of needing units for 10 miles), taking it towards Grangetown for a +3 onto winner 756005, back to Caerphilly (probably more fun than all the stops to Coryton!).  3rd time today I remained on the same unit to take me back towards Cardiff, leaving me with just one more 756 to get.  At Queen Street I transferred to 756103 to take me to Central as that overtook the 756 towards Penarth.

756005 at Caerphilly Station

Finally, some good luck regarding 197s, as I noticed 033 had ended up on an Ebbw Vale service after getting cancelled at Cardiff, so it was a trip to Risca & Pontymister on a late running 197118 (I was going to bail at Rogerstone had the connection been tight due to the long walk between platforms at Risca station).  The rain had finally arrived as I waited for a busy 197033 to roll in to take me back to Cardiff Central where I noticed 197037 was due to come out from the depot to work a Rhyl service (with the idea of taking it to Newport for a GWR service to Salisbury), however that service just disappeared without a trace.  I did have another little stroll towards Queen Street to grab some supplies returning down to Central with 231007 to waste time.

I was going to call it a day once the Rhyl service disappeared, wait around for the next London train, however a 2-coach unit appeared at Cardiff to attach to 197122 on a busy Manchester train, once the staff managed to remove a dead bird from the coupler, 197037 attached…  Only for the train to get delayed due to another reported tree near Ludlow, thankfully the train got given the signal and it departed as I took it to Newport.  Another 197 into my book, last active one as well, so nice to be on top of the Welsh 197s again.

197037 at Newport Station on a Manchester Train

A short wait at Newport before a busy 800307 rolled in, I easily got a seat near the back for the speedy run towards Reading, losing some time at Swindon.  It was onto 165114 on the next stopper to take me back to Basingstoke for a short wait before a delayed 159003 on a very busy service to Salisbury (didn’t help that the previous couple of trains had been cancelled due to various tree related issues), although I did get a seat for the run back to Grateley.  One of those days which had its positives (the winners) but also the stress of the various cancellations and delays, but thankfully there wasn’t anything too bad.

5th October – Walking the Busway in Bedforshire

Today was a little trip to Bedfordshire to do a walk which had been on my oversized wish list for a while, Leagrave towards Dunstable via cycle route 6 then back towards Luton via a path alongside the busway.  The day began with a drive to Andover to catch the 07:02 service to Waterloo formed of 159107, 159017 & 159101 on this semi-fast service, even if the London end was a bit slow due to the various pathing allowances on a Sunday morning.  Once I reached Waterloo, I headed towards St Pancras on foot to waste some time to board 700142 from platform 2 at St Pancras (usual Sunday morning closure of the Core), for the quick run towards Leagrave where my walk began.

I left the station on the western side, following Toddington Road to reach the cycle route 6 path which broadly follows the Houghton Brook (although from the looks of it, I suspect it's a winterbourne, flowing only during the winter months).  The first section wasn't that interesting as it was the urban area (a case of dodge the dog poo) before the path reached the M1 and the urban area changed to a wide flood plain near a large Lidl warehouse.

700142 alongside 222017 at St Pancras

Following the path, although a couple times I did use some shortcuts via footpaths, I reached Houghton Regis, following the path via the Houghton Hamlets to reach Houghton Hall Park where the brook disappears.  I continued the walk and onto what is called the Dog Kennel Walk (no idea!).  This path took me over the busway with Houghton Regis turning into Dunstable and I had a little detour via the Grove House Gardens before reaching the A505 which I followed for a short distance to pick up the route of the original railway line back towards the busway.

Once I reached the busway, I followed the path towards Blackburn Road, the limit of the busway (as it turns into a normal road in an industrial estate).  I turned round and headed back towards the Portland Ride bus stop and followed the path with the busway on the right-hand side.  Sadly, this section was closed for buses due to gardening so not a lot of traffic (unless you count council vans gingerly avoiding the car trap pits).  Quite an interesting route once it gets outside Dunstable town centre as it gives nice views of the Paddocks with various footpaths giving future options for more walks.  I soon reached Luton and the section where the busway is fenced away with the mixed used path running alongside the busy Hatters Way, passing the football ground of Luton FC.

Luton - Dunstable Busway from the Dog Kennel Walk in Dunstable

I reached the centre of Luton where the busway heads over the top of a large roundabout and heads down a hill towards Luton station interchange, where my walk ended as I headed across to platform 1 to board 700130 for the run towards Blackfriars (I was toying with waiting for the next EMR service for a spin on a 360 but the next southbound was a 4 coach special so decided to avoid that, instead sitting in the declassified first class area at the back of the 700.

Once I reached Blackfriars, I headed towards Waterloo, jumping onto a Weymouth bound service formed of 444029 & 444034 to take me to Basingstoke, making a swift change (how I wish both services would use platform 2 at Basingstoke to make life easier) onto a Salisbury bound 159106 to take me to Andover, where I headed home (via the local chippy) to relax for the rest of the evening and getting myself ready for 6 early shifts.  The first section was a bit rough, but certainly the busway was interesting, gives me a taste for the north Cambridge one (towards St Ives).  As always thanks for reading, more photos (including some buses) can be found on my Flickr *Here*.  Hopefully next weekend I will be able to get away for an overnight stay at the 3rd attempt!