10:15.

I’ve decided to have an away day from the coast to head inland in order to photograph the railway engineering works  at Parbold.

To get there, I’m using the rail replacement coach service which runs from Southport to Wigan.

Spot on time, the 10:13 coach to Wigan arrives at Meols Cop to take me onwards. Only there’s one problem. The coach driver tells me he doesn’t actually stop at Parbold!

Apparently, due to poor planning, it’s not safe for large coaches to get to Parbold due to work on the level crossing that’s part of the rail blockade.

Instead, I’ll have to change at Burscough Bridge, where minibuses are being arranged to serve Parbold!

Ho hum!

10:45.

Having made it as far as Burscough by coach I’m now kicking my heels for 30 mins waiting for an 11:01 minibus to Parbold. There’s nothing like integrated transport, and this is nothing like integrated transport.

Having wandered over to the station were teams are cutting back vegetation further along the line towards Southport I’m now waiting for the bus whikst being entertained by a car crash in the adjacent Tesco car park, where an old lady has managed to reverse into another car – the owner of which is not best pleased! Fortunately little physical damage appears to be done.

11:10.

On the move again in a minibus that’s seen better days. They must have dug this one out of the back of the garage! The driver has a young lad riding shotgun. He’s there to open the door by hand as the mechanism’s knackered and decoupled. He’s also navigating on his phone, relaying directions to the driver.

This bus is an ‘all-shacks’, stopping at obscure stations like Hoscar en-route.