10:30.

The adventure begins! Despite the weather I had a decent night’s sleep last night, which is just as well as that’s a commodity that’s going to be in very short supply for the next few days.

Having packed all my kit – including stuff to cope with all the vageries of the British weather I’m on my first train of the day. As many services have been cancelled across the network I’m giving myself plenty of time to get to Crewe. Dawn’s been a star and given me a lift down to Sowerby Bridge station in time to catch Northern’s 10:20 to Manchester Victoria, so I’ve not started the day off hot and sweaty!

This train’s pretty empty. It looks like many folk have heeded to call not to travel. The few who have are dressed for the weather with shorts being de rigueur!

12:00.

I can breathe easy now. I’ve made it as far as Manchester, a city baking in the sun. A condition which is ruining its reptation! There’s no shortage of trains from here to Crewe so I can take time to get a few pictures here before heading off again for the final leg to Crewe where I don’t need to be until later this afternoon as when registration starts. The train itself doesn’t leave for Bangor until this evening.

I’ve a small favour to ask…
If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website –  https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/

Cheers,

Paul