Stop sniggering at the back! Yes, I know the name Penistone always attracts giggles from those who enjoy innuendo, but the Penistone line between Huddersfield and Barnsley is a very scenic railway. Today I’m off exploring in order to get some lineside shots. The weather’s not exactly wall to wall sunshine, but I should be able to play with the shadows and light if the weather plays ball.
Right now I’m sat at Huddersfield, getting a few pictures after catching the local service from Halifax. Sadly, the timing off the two services couldn’t be worse. We were scheduled to arrive at 10:12 – at exactly the same time the Sheffield train departs! Still, it gives me time to get some other shots. Here’s a few,
Moody skies over Halifax and the sun battles with the clouds whilst 195109 leaves with a service to Manchester Victoria.150211 is one of the units working today’s Bradford Interchange – Huddersfield shuttles.Due to having to label and catalogue every piece in order to aid rebuilding, progress on demolishing the tea rooms at Huddersfield was slow. Now work has stepped up a pace.
15:00.
Time for an update.
As I suspected, I’ve been playing hide ank seek with the sun. That and the fact I was an hour later than hoped so its position was getting quite acute to the viaduct I wanted to shoot trains on. In the end I managed a decent shot but know there’s others to be had earlier in the day and when clouds are in a minority.Having explored Penistone I moved back up the line to Denby Dale, where the cloud was even thicker! I did manage one decent shot as a train traversed the viaduct but it’s going to need tweaking. The bright side is that I’m putting today down to an exploring day. I’ve not been to Denby Dale for years. This trip’s given me chance to explore local footpaths and work out positions for some great scenic shots when the weather’s right. Oh, and I’ve already got 18,000 steps under my belt!
The first of its type. Class 150 number 150001 crosses the viaduct at Penisone with a service to Sheffield. The same unit cross the Denby Dale viaduct. Oh, for a bit of sunshine. The good news is that I’m now au-fait with the footpaths in the area (including the one in the foreground).
16:45.
I’m now kicking my heels back in Huddersfield. The train from Denby Dale was 20 minutes late, not that it mattered as my onward connection to Halifax was cancelled!
Better late than never! 150005 working 2B58, the 14:35 Sheffield to Huddersfield arrives at Denby Dale 22 minutes late. The service left Sheffield 11 down and lost more time en-route.
Now I’ve over an hour to wait, so I’ve retreated to the ‘Kings Head’ on the station for a beer and a chance to update this blog. In passing I saw that staff from the Trans-Pennine Route Upgrade (TRU) had set up an information stall on platform 1. As well as useful information leaflets they’d a range of freebies, from pens to jelly-babies. I snaffled a pen…
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/
Another week begins here at Bigland Towers, where it’s been a mixed sort of day. Summer seems in retreat again. It’s been warm, but gloomy skies, threats of rain – and gusting winds have rather taken the edge off things. You just don’t know how to dress for this weather. One minute you need a fleece, then the sun comes out, the wind drops and you’re roasting.
Not that I’ve seen much of the great outdoors until I went for an evening stroll. Most of my day’s been spent glued to a scheme, picture editing and planning. You can find the latest tranche of pictures that I’ve added to my Zenfolio site by following this link. The updated galleries will appear at the top of the page.
Besides editing and getting on with some household chores I’ve also been planning my round Britain trip for RAIL magazine. I should have done the trip already, but I had to move it back a couple of weeks for various reasons. Instead, I’ll be starting off next Monday. There’s still a lot of details to firm up as there’s so many things I want to try and include on the itinerary due to the way the railways are changing. The system looks very different to how it did on my first odyssey back in 2004!
Something else that’s kept me occupied has been meal planning. After the holiday I returned to my two day a week fasting routine (you’re allowed 600 calories per day max). The first couple of weeks I winged it with a very unadventurous diet as I’d no suitable recipes. But I’ll be damned if I’m going to live on meals consisting of beetroot salad or baked beans every week! Thankfully, Dawn’s come to the rescue with a book she had on her Kindle, so tonight I had an excellent Thai-style veggie stir-fry which was well within my calorie budget and also delicious! Tomorrow’s a ‘normal’ day, so I can be a little more free and easy, although I’m trying to cut down my portion sizes as it makes fast days easier. Mind you, I may venture out tomorrow if the weather’s good, we’ll see…
For now, I’ll leave you with today’s picture which is of tonight’s big (and moody) skies over the Calder valley.
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/
Sorry for the lack of blogs but I’ve both been busy and had the muse desert me. That’s not to imply there’s been nothing to write about – far from it, but I’ve struggled with the time and the inclination as there’s simply not enough hours in the day to do all the things that I want to achieve. Still, I’m back now and a new week begins tomorrow.
Thursday and Friday saw me back on the rails as the weather picked up. After our fortnight in Dorset I was keen to catch up with progress on some of the local rail improvements, so on Thursday afternoon I decided to go West and check on how electrification of the line from Lostock Junction (near Bolton) to Wigan was progressing. The answer is – very well. Much of the route has had masts installed although there are gaps, the biggest being from Crow Nest Junction to Hindley and also East of Westhoughton. Since my last visit in April many of the masts have had the horizontal beams and top ties added along with the registration bracket, as you can see in this picture from Hindley.
A pair of Northern Class 156s head for Wigan just West of Hindley station.
Hindley station garden’s recovering well considering its had mast bases sunk in prominent parts. The station friends have wasted no time in making temporary use of these surfaces…
Something else that’s getting renewed at Hindley is the life-expired signalling which dates from the early 1970s when the West Coast Main Line was electrified.
Rusty, much?
Friday saw me explore closer to home with a trip from Huddersfield to Leeds and back to Mirfield to have a look at Trans-Pennine Route upgrade (TRU) work. This was made harder by the fact trains were either replaced by buses, or diverted. One place I popped into was Wakefield Kirkgate, which is now on the Trans-Pennine route map. The only problem is that it’s now rendered hopeless for photography by the addition of a fence running along the tracks between the platforms. Well, that’s when you can see it as it’s mostly hidden by Buddleia!
The Wakefield Kirkgate linear garden…
The direct route between Huddersfield and Leeds via Dewsbury was closed with services replaced by buses, but I managed this shot from a diverted train on the line to Healy Mills. The bridge in the background carries the existing line over the River Calder. This whole section is going to be replaced with a new formation (and bridge) which will run in the foreground, roughly where the pile driver is in this image.
Here’s Mirfield, where the new (extended) station platforms are really starting to take shape.
Having got a train to Mirfield the only way to get back to Halifax was on a rail replacement bus. Friday was the last day of the current blockade and not a great one to end on. Traffic through Mirfield was horrendous and my bus was almost an hour late.
Nope, not this one. After waiting 40 mins we’d built hour hopes up. Instead, it was another 20 mins before a less fancy vehicle turned up.
Tomorrow a new week begins which will see me working from home. I’ve another RAIL magazine article to finish writing and lots of other stuff to prepare for later in the week – as well as plan my round Britain trip for RAIL (which I’ve had to postpone for a couple of weeks due to other pressures). Still, never a dull moment, eh?
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/
S’cuse the lack of blogging these past couple of days but we’ve been getting used to being back in West Yorkshire and re-establishing a routine, only it was one that didn’t permit time for blogging. To be honest, things have been pretty full-on for the both of us after getting back. Dawn’s up to her neck in it with catching up with work, and I’m not far behind. There’s not much time to enjoy being back at home as I’ve a busy schedule to plan for the next couple of weeks (although some things have already had to slip) – and there’s the small matter of hundreds of pictures to edit and a new article for RAIL magazine to write before i set off on my next odyssey.
The picture editing’s almost finished. You can find the most recent rail, travel and social issues pictures on my Zenfolio website by following this link, which will show you which galleries (there’s quite a few) have been updated with new pictures.
Sadly, we seem to have left the summer behind in Dorset. The weather here in West Yorkshire has been bloody awful since we returned. It’s been cold and today we’ve suffered from torrential rain. On the bright side, the wet weather that prevailed whilst we were away means the garden’s looking lovely!
Tomorrow’s going to be another day spent staring at computer screens as I catch up with editing and writing. If all goes well, I’ll try and get out on Friday as temperatures are meant to rise and the sun’s due to pay a visit. However, nowadays, as climate change kicks in, forecasts are less reliable so things could change. We’ll see…
In the meantime, let me leave you with today’s picture, which is from our Dorset delights. Those of an older generation may feel the view’s strangely familiar but is missing something. Add a lad pushing a bike and brass band music and it may come to you…
Yep. This is Gold Hill in Shaftesbury, better known in popular culture as the hill in the 1973 Hovis TV advert.
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/
All good things come to an end and that’s what’s happened today with our Dorset holiday. It’s been a fabulous couple of weeks despite the mixed weather. So much so that I’ve not blogged as often as I’d planned as I’ve been too busy exploring and spending time with the family. Fromm my perspective it’s been a great opportunity to revisit some places and discover new ones due as I’ve not had to rely on public transport for a change. That said, public transport (well, buses anyway) seem to be very good down here. I wish I could say the same about the trains but their punctuality and reliability has been poor.
Right now I’m on a train heading to Waterloo as I’m making my own way back whilst the family go by car. Much as I’d have liked to have travelled together all my extra kit (and me) would have made Dawn’s Honda Civic rather ‘cosy’ and I preferred to let her folks have more room. There is a bonus for me – I can work on the train and edit pictures en-route.
The whole family have come away with some very positive impressions of Dorset. People have been very friendly and helpful, plus, the towns and villages are noticeably cleaner and better kept than back in West Yorkshire. As I walked to Wareham station this morning I passed several community volunteers litter picking On the downside, it’s much more expensive in Dorset, but money isn’t everything. Oh, they still love fish and chips in Dorset! Whilst many ‘chippies’ in Yorkshire have closed in recent years, they proliferate down here. When I first moved to West Yorkshire in 2010 Sowerby Bridge boasted 5 chip shops, now there’s just one left. Conversely (as I mentioned in a previous blog) it’s harder to find decent fishmongers down here than it is in land-locked West Yorkshire. Go figure!
Whilst the standard of living down in Dorset is good (you should see how many expensive yachts and floating gin-palaces are moored up around the harbours of Poole and Weymouth) there’s still issues. The railways suffere from vandalism (see my journey here) and antisocial behaviour. Unlike Northern, SWR have a recorded announcement about how violence towards staff won’t be tolerated, which is rather depressing.
12:00.
We’ve reached Bournemouth, where the 5-car Class 444 I’m travelling on has coupled to the rear of another classmate in order to form a 10 car service to Waterloo. The opposite happens with trains heading to Weymouth, which split here. Of all the old railway regions, this splitting/joining of trains en-route is still an everyday occurrence on the old ‘Southern’ whereas it’s a rarity on most other regions.
14:15.
I’ve eschewed the delights of crossing the capital to take a slightly more roundabout way home. Having changed at Southampton Central I’m now on a Cross-Country service to Manchester via Reading and Birmingham. I’ll take me longer than the ‘direct’ route via London but it allows me to travel on routes I don’t frequent as much, such as the one I’m traversing now, which is the line from Basingstoke to Reading. This service consists of a pair of four-car Class 220s and there’s been no problem in finding a seat. A lot were reserved from Southampton but never occupied. I had toyed with the idea of stopping off at Eastleigh en-route but as that railway town was being rained on as I approached I decided to keep going. Besides, the others are already way up the country, having recently passed the Brackley HS2 construction site in Northamptonshire!
One thing I’ve noticed on these railway travels are the amounts of cuttings and embankments Network Rail has installed remote monitoring sensors on in order to detect and predict movements. Most of these structures were built 150 or more years ago, in the days when soil engineering was unheard of. Now, with age and the advent of climate change they’re increasingly at risk.
14:50.
We’ve left Oxford, en-route to Banbury after a pootle at less than high-speed along the Great Western Main Line to Didcot. Seeing the half-completed electrification scheme along the line to Oxford made me think. It would be an easy win for the new Government to show its environmental credentials by finishing this project that was cancelled by ‘failing Grayling’, the Tory Transport Minister of the time. Much of piling work was done and the plans still exist, it wouldn’t take much to dust them off. Then we could get rid of the ridiculous situation where electric trains run from Paddington to Didcot, where passengers transfer to a DMU shuttle to get the last few miles to Oxford.
15:45.
Having arrived at (and departed) Coventry we’re on our way to Birmingham, and this is where Intercity trains on this busy local corridor fall down. Due to a lack of capacity services like this become rammed with people moving between to two conurbations. We become a local train between the two, which isn’t ideal for either set of passengers, although you can see why locals prefer the faster train between the two.
16:45.
Interestingly, the majority of people who boarded my coach in Coventry (Afro-Caribbean families on a day out) were travelling to Wolverhampton, not Birmingham. Having left Wolves the train’s pretty empty! This part of the trip raises my hackles because until the disastrous premiership of Rishi Sunak, I was looking forward to this route and these cramped Voyagers being replaced by a new high-speed railway (HS2). Now, a 90 minute journey between tow of our biggest cities is baked in for decades – unless the new Labour Government has the bravery and the common-sense to resurrect the project.
17:25.
I’m on the final approach to Manchester from Stockport and Manchester is living up to its reputation for rain. It’s grim up North! Now for the walk from Picc to Vic..
Meanwhile, the others are already back in West Yorkshire and half way from the M1 to Huddersfield…
22:15.
Home again! I got back to Sowerby Bridge just before 19:00. Dawn was waiting to pick me up from the station after depositing her folks at their home in Huddersfield. Now it’s time to relax after the long journey – we can finish unpacking tomorrow. In the meantime, here’s a small selection of pictures from the past couple of days.
Stop! Thief! As bold as brass, this cheeky seagull strolled into the cafe at Weymouth station, grabbed a packet of crisps off a stand and legged it without paying!With the earthworks of Maiden Castle in the foreground, 444039 works 1W23, the 11:35 London Waterloo to Weymouth. What’s the point of ‘Gatwick Express’ anymore? Here’s one of their branded units way off piste at Southampton earlier today, before working a service to – Brighton…Southwestern railway were in the football spirit today, with this massage displayed on many of their station displays…
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/
There’s been too much going on to write a daily blog these past few days. We’ve covered a lot of ground and visited many places. Instead of trying to write about it all I’m leaving you with some pictures of the highlights.
Remember the old Hovis bread advert from the 1970s? It was filmed on this hill in Shaftesbury…There’s a wonderful variety of old buildings in Shaftesbury, incuding this decorative thatched house with added roof decoration.Sherborne is another very attractive town. Here’s the Abbey, which was founded in 705AD. On our way home down a minor B road, we were flagged down to let a wide load past. I never imagined it would be a ‘Battle of Britain’ class loco, number 34053, named Sir Keith Park. Today (Thursday) we took a boat trip from Swanage to Poole and back. It’s a fantastic was to see the Jurassic coast and rock formations like ‘Old Harry Rocks’ off Studland.Old Harry rocks seen on our return trip.
I’ve a much bigger selection of pictures to edit and add to my Zenfolio website, but they’ll have to wait until next week when we return home and I have the time.
Tomorrow’s our last day here in Dorset. We’ve had a fabulous time and the days have flown. I’ve plans to go solo in order to visit somewhere that I’ve not been back to for over 35 years, so watch this space…
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/
There was no blog from me yesterday as – despite the weather – we were busy. It’s not that we did lots of things, exactly the opposite. We only visited one place, but we were all taken aback by how long it absorbed us and what time we left. Where did we go? Well, the weather forecast wasn’t great, so we decided it would be an ideal time to visit the tank museum at Bovington. This is military, not water (or fish) tanks, and it’s quite a place. If you’re interested in history and military history especially, it’s a fascinating place for several reasons. It’s not just the fact it tells the story of the tank as a weapon, from the original World War 1 machines to the present day, it’s the that it has an amazing archive of recorded stories and paper and physical records of the people who fought (and sometimes died) in these machines. A glorification of war it isn’t.
The museums WW2 German Tiger tank. This machine’s in working order so can be used as part of the annual ‘Tankfest’ event. When you see these monsters close up and compare then to allied tanks of the time, you can see why they inspired fear.
Today (Monday) the weather was even worse than yesterday. The plan was to revisit Weymouth and check out Portland and as time’s moving on I arranged to leave early and do some exploring by rail. Firstly by catching a train from Wareham to Bournemouth before making my way West to catch up with the others. Here’s a couple of pictures from my travels.
Bournemouth station possesses one of the railways great overall roofs, although today’s torrential rain and the leaks it exposed proved that this listed building could do with some TLC! On the left a SWR set has split, with the front train having left for Weymouth, whilst the rear set waits to return to London. On the right a Cross-Country service prepares to return to Manchester Piccadilly.Rather more watertight is the roof over the bay platform at Bournemouth. Here’s 450075 arriving with a service from Winchester. Nearby Poole station’s rather more basic, although it still enjoys a frequent service. 444023 calls with a service to Weymouth.
Having rejoined the family at Weymouth we braved the weather to drive over to Portland – famous for its stone – and lighthouse. None of us had visited before and I have to admit to being rather disappointed, but the weather didn’t exactly help. That said, this view looking back to the mainland and Chesil beach is rather spectacular, even in today’s conditions.
We did drive all the way down to Portland Bill and the lighthouse but when we found that the Crown Estates had taken over the carpark and were charging £3 for an hour we decided ‘bugger that’. I’m sure the Royal purse is well stocked enough without our offering.
Instead, we headed back to Weymouth, a place the family have rather fallen in love with. It’s an interesting mix of old and new. Side streets and buildings dating from the 1600s contrast with a marina full of £ms worth of yachts and motorboats. One things we spotted was this supposed ‘souvenir’ from the civil war, although I have my doubts about its veracity.
Now we’re back at ‘home’, relaxing before tomorrow. The weather’s meant to be at its crappest tomorrow, not that it’s a problem for me as I’m going to have to stay at home and write for a living whilst the others venture out. Let’s see how the day unfolds…
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/
Yes, I know I’ve skipped from 4 to 6, but there’s a good reason for that! It’s partly because I spent part of day 5 getting some sleep after staying up until 06:30 to savour the election results as they came in. I’ll blog about them separately, but what I will say now is just what a relief it is to finally see the back of the Tory kakistocracy and a return to having adults in charge. Starmer’s only been PM for little more than a day but he’s really hit the ground running, having got his cabinet in place – and with some excellent and unexpected appointments that promise some really positive developments.
The other reason there was no blog yesterday is that much of the day was a washout. The forecast had predicted heavy rain and high winds and it didn’t disappoint! We ventured out in the morning as we’d been lulled into a false sense of security. We sat outside by a large pond in a nearby farmshop/garden centre to enjoy a coffee whilst watching the antics of the massive Koi carp and squadrons of noisy sparrows but by the time we returned to Wareham the rain arrived – and never really stopped. Having completed some shopping there was little for it but to retreat to our rental and relax. Well, mostly relax. Dee had decided to make a meat and potato pie for our evening meal, so kept herself busy in the kitchen. I spent time catching up on editing some of a massive backlog of pictures, whilst her folks relaxed watching TV.
Today’s been different. The sun returned so we planned to be more active, which began with Dawn and I visiting the Saturday market on Wareham Quay. I have to say I was impressed. Rather than being full of cheap tat and ‘bargain’ foods it was a proper market. We bought some gray Mullet from the fishmongers and admired to quality fruit and veg on sale. If we hadn’t got other things to do I’d have been tempted by some of the cheeses or the wonderful artisan breads on sale.
Instead, we came back, picked up Dee’s parents and went for a tour. I’d spotted Studland and the peninsula sticking out towards Poole which seemed like an interesting place to have a mooch around. It contains nature reserves good sandy beaches – plus one of the few chain-worked ferries in the UK. Sadly, when we got there the winds were almost gale-force! A walk along the beach would have seen us sand-blasted in minutes! Still, it was entertaining to watch the ferry operations. This is a busy route between Bournemouth/Poole and Swanage, even buses cross on the ferry.
The wind cut short our stay, causing us to retreat to Studland itself, where we had a drink in the beer garden at the local pub. We’d planned to visit the nearby beach but the weather had other plans. A short but heavy cloudburst changed our minds. Instead, we got back in the car to head West of Swanage. It was just as well as another torrential cloudburst caught us as we passed through the town.
We didn’t give up on the idea of enjoying some scenic views and a country pub, but as the weather looked better the further West you went we ended up at the Square and Compass pub in Worth Matravers. It’s a quirky place popular with walkers as it’s just off the coastal path. This tiny multi-room pub also contains a small museum and extensive gardens with a variety of seating. It’s well worth a visit.
As there was a certain football match on today we didn’t tarry, but returned in time that the family could bite their nails whilst watching England play Switzerland. Fortunately, the match went England’s way. Whilst Dawn prepared food I excused myself to nip out to the station to make the most of the light and grap a quick couple of shots. The railways were in trouble again, some trains were 90 minutes late due to a fallen tree on the line East of Bournemouth. It seems the bad weather that had hit us had also hit the railways.
444009 was working 1W69, the 14:05 London Waterloo to Weymouth. It was terminated short at Wareham as it was running 85 minutes late. Passengers were left to catch a following train which was only a few minutes behind and 009 returned to London as 1W70, the 1753 Wareham to London Waterloo, which would should have been the 17:20 off Weymouth.
Sadly, the weather’s due to revert to heavy rain again tomorrow, so the plan is to visit the Tank museum in nearby Bovington. After that – we shall see…
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/
We’ve had another great day down here in Dorset, but also one where we’ve not travelled to far in distance, instead we’ve travelled back in time with a trip on the Swanage railway behind the only surviving Southern Railway U class locomotive, no 31806, which was built in 1926. We drove down from Wareham to the Northern end of the line at Norden where were began our trips. First call was the end of the line at Swanage where we enjoyed a wander around the seafront in glorious sunshine but with winds that really took the shine off the seaside. Still, it was lovely in the lee of the wind when you could find shelter and the heat in the sun could come through.
Back on the train we headed up to Corfe Castle and another visit to the Bankes Arms where the sheltered beer garden provided a real oasis. Tempting as it was, we didn’t linger too long as we needed to get home and prepare for the evening as we’d a table booked at a local restaurant. Thai Jasmine (as the name suggests) is a Thai restaurant on North St. I long-ago gave up on trusting restaurant reviews on the internet, I’d rather trust my own opinions, and I have to say, we all thought the food was good. I had the salmon in a rich, spicy sauce (chu chee) which was gorgeous. It was an ideal way to round off the day.
Now I’m back at the ranch, watching the election results as they come in. The BBC’s exit poll suggests a Labour landslide, although the Tories are suggested to cling on to far too many seats (131) for my liking. Reform are predicted to get 13. Let’s see what actually happens…
Ine the meantime, here’s a few pictures from today.
31806 runs round its train at Swanage. I’ve always thought these Southern engines had graceful lines.The remains of the Swanage tramway. Originally standard gauge and later converted to narrow it was used to move stone shipments to the pier Looking along the town beach at Swanage.
01:00
I’m sat here with beer and crisps, watching the election results come in. The first half dozen are in with no real surprises. They’re all Labour holds apart from Swindon South, where Labour’s Heidi Alexander (a talented politician) has made a return. I’m flicking through TV channels where much of the media commentary seems to focus on Reform beating the Tories to come in 2nd place – but ignoring the fact that – if that continues, the exit poll has underestimated the size of the Tory rout.
04:00.
The results have come thick and fast. Reform have gained two more seats – those of Farage and Tice. God help their constituents who think electing millionaires who don’t give a shit about them will make their lives better. There’s a few Tory MPs who’ve survived who were expected to lose – partly due to the fact the Reform vote was meant to be higher. Kemi Badenoch, Jacob Rees-Mogg and Iain Duncan Smith were re-elected. But then Michael Fabricant lost in Lichfield – although I’m not sure if he can be claimed as a scalp by Labour!
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/Or – you can now buy me a coffee! https://ko-fi.com/paulbigland68312
Today’s the day. Polls opened at 7am and close at 10pm.
Remember to exercise your right to vote today. It’s no use wishing for a change in Government – you’ve got to make it happen. Don’t rely on someone else to make your wish come true – they might be relying on you!
I’ll be staying up to watch the results so will be blogging about some of the results as they happen.
Today’s a historic day. It’s our change to really make change happen. It’s time to ditch 14 years of Conservative corruption and incompetence. It’s time to put adults back in charge.
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/
Paul Bigland 