Oh, and a cartoon. Thanks to the orange felon in the American White House the world is still taking a very surreal turn right now – and there’s no sign of the madness abating. Far from it. Trump’s on again, off again tariffs and trade war, his threatened annexation of Greenland and his slavish sucking up to Vladimir Putin look to be a farce that will be playing for quite some time yet. No-one has a clue what he’ll do next – including (it seems) Trump himself! All we do know is that America’s reputation is going down the pan at a pace faster than Tesla’s share price!
Meanwhile, here at Bigland Towers, life continues regardless of the insanity across the pond. Dawn’s back working from home this week and I’m continuing with a spring clean that seems to be getting ever more complex as I wade through stuff we’ve both accumulated over the years. Some of it will end up on eBay later this week but other stuff is being gathered together and stored in the loft as we reckon car boot sales will be a good way to offload it at a decent price for minimal effort. Well, that’s the theory, anyway!
Sadly, the run of good weather we’ve had these past couple of weeks is drawing to a close. Rain is forecast later this week, but that’s no bad thing as we’ve had a very dry year so far. Admittedly, It may impede me getting out with the camera for a few days but as I’ve plenty to keep me occupied with at home I can put up with that. Mind you, Thursday’s looking promising and as I’ll be probably be stir-crazy by then I might have a day out locally. Besides, we’re in Shropshire for a few nights next week, so it’s not as if I’m stuck here forever.
Right, it’s getting late so it’s time to go. I’ll leave you with a picture from last week’s travels. I hadn’t realised that Guildford had a Lewis Carroll connection, so I was surprised to see this charming sculpture in a park by the river Wey.
Alice and the white rabbit. With more details in this link.
Oh, I also promised you a cartoon. I couldn’t resist this Cartland illustration of Donald Trump’s posturing on tariffs and China.
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Whilst Dawn has taken her niece and nephew out for lunch I’m opting for another day exploring the railways and countryside around Guildford. We still have a lot of sunshine in this neck of the woods although it’s tempered with intermittent cloud and a wind that makes the weather feel positively Baltic when you’re caught out in it – which I have been. After catching a train from Farnham my first stop was a footbridge North of the station which affords great views across the three rail lines converging on the station. Thankfully it also provides some shelter from the wind!
Here’s a few sample shots.
The venerable Class 455s still work many Guildford – Waterloo services via Effingham Jn. I didn’t expect to see one of these at Guildford. The Alstom built Class 458s have had a chequered history, having been rebuilt twice since they were introduced. Normally they can be found on Waterloo-Reading services. The first of the Class 444s (001) arrives via the direct line from Woking with a Waterloo-Portsmouth Harbour service. Whilst Guildford is very much SWR territory, GWR run a half-hourly service from Reading to Gatwick airport. Here’s a train bound for the airport arriving.
OK, now it’s time to explore more…
16:15.
I’m back in Guildford after a gorgeous walk Southwards along the river Wey to Shalford. I’ll add more detail soon, but right now – here’s a few pictures.
The river Wey and Guildford rowing club who were making the most of the weather.A world War Two pill box guarding the West bank of the River Wey. It was only when I wandered further down this footpath that I realised it was an old railway. Shalford Junction used to be a triangle, and this was the Southern side. I’ve no idea when it closed – other than before 1939, obviously!
A pair of Class 450 Desiros head down the main line at Shalford Junction with the line to Dorking and Redhill in the middle distance.
GWR’s 165106 approaches Shalford whilst working a service from Reading to Gatwick Airport. On my return to Guildford I returned to the footbridge I was at earlier because the light had moved round into a position I don’t normally see as I’m only here in the morning. Here’s 444033 leading 444028 on 2P56, the 1558 from Fareham to London Waterloo.
21:00.
I’m now back in Tilford after a lovely day where I got to explore an area I’d not visited before and one that threw up some great photo opportunities thanks to the weather. Tomorrow our Surrey sojourn ends as the pair of us return to West Yorkshire, but we’ll be back…
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Welcome to another week in the political and economic madness that’s currently gripping the planet as the orange rapist in the White House single-handedly wrecks the world’s economy. I could spend a whole blog raging about the insanity that’s overtaken us thanks to Trump, but I’m going to save that for another day.
Despite the economic clouds gathering the actual weather here in the UK has been one blessed with wall to wall sunshine. As Dawn had a late night ‘gassing’ with her niece the day didn’t start quite as early as I’d hoped, but the two of us did manage to venture into nearby Guildford by early afternoon. Both of us are fans of the town as it’s a place we’ve got to know well over the past few years. What we like is the range of shops on offer, despite it having suffered losses due to the economic impacts that have hit many places it’s not all chains and charity shops. Far from it, there’s a great range of shops catering for what’s obviously an affluent part of the country. Le Creuset outlets rub shoulders with boutiques, Barbour and Body Shop (remember them). There’s even real bookshops as Waterstones maintain a high street presence. Plus, the town has a glorious range of old buildings that make wandering its narrow streets a delight.
1683? Gosh, time’s flying…
Then there’s the restaurants.Having spent more than we intended on household and other items we adjourned to a pub beer garden to soak up the sun for an hour before eating at a restaurant we’ve frequented several times in the past. La Casita serves up a great range of Mediterranean food – especially tapas. Here’s a few samples.
Grilled sardines – gorgeous.Prawns Pil Pil…Beans with chorizo and black pudding
What was lovely about our gad about Guildford was the fact it was just the two of us, normally we’re here with the rest of the Platt clan, so our day was more intimate.
Now the pair of us are back at Chez Platt getting ready for different days tomorrow. I’ll be heading into London as I have a High Speed 2 railway construction media visit to attend, so expect a rather different blog. I’ll be back in Tilford tomorrow night after what should prove to be a very interesting day visiting something that’s unique to UK railway construction.
In the meantime, goodnight!
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The weather’s been absolutely glorious down here in Surrey today, but from what I’m hearing a lot of the UK has enjoyed the same. We’ve had wall to wall sunshine and cloudless skies throughout. The only blemishes have been the vapour trails of multitudes of aircraft heading to/from South-East England airports and beyond. Of course, that will have worked the ‘chemtrail’ conspiracy loons into a frenzy but that’s the modern world for you. Logic and reason have become so passé in the 21st century – just look at America!
Back in Surrey I took the opportunity to enjoy time in my brother-in-laws garden, producing some vitamin D whilst Dawn pottered around the house doing sisterly stuff, after which we had to head into Farnham to pick up food shopping for the next few days. The main roads in this neck of the woods were chokka, whilst the supermarket was blissfully quiet compared to back in West Yorkshire, where the fact they’re only open for 6 hours on a Sunday normally generates the sort of panic buying you’d expect if it was announced world war 3 was starting first thing Monday morning!
Back at home we dropped off the shopping but picked up ‘Tilly’, the Platt family cairn terrier who accompanied us on a long walk through Tilford and on to Hankley Common, an area of sandy woodlands, small hills and a golf course which is criss-crossed by footpaths and bridleways.
We really enjoyed the opportunity to explore and soak up the sun in the company of a four-legged friend. There was a suitable refreshment stop too in the shape of the Duke of Cambridge pub which is also home to the Tilford brewery. Sadly, the pub only had one of their beers available on hand pump, the 3.9% ‘Hankley Gold’ but that was much appreciated on a day like today!
Now we’re kicking back a Chez Platt. I’m blogging whilst Dawn’s busy in the kitchen, chatting to her Niece. But, I do have company!
A rather ‘cream-crackered’ dog…
Tomorrow, the plan is for the pair of us to have a day in Guildford, browsing the shops and enjoying a late lunch. I might even have chance to get a few railway pictures, who knows? In the meantime, here’s a few shots from today.
The sandy expanse of Hankley Common.Spring is here!For a small dog, Tilly has a lot of stamina – and she loves Dawn!
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The pair of us are back in Tilford, Surrey after what was one of the best road trips to this neck of the woods that we’ve had for quite some time. Our trip was free of the roadworks that have bedeviled us in recent years and traffic was lighter than expected. We also had wall to wall sunshine all the way. I can’t think of the last time we covered such a large part of the country without the weather changing en-route.
What did change was the flora, the South is more advanced when it come to spring, with leaf-growth far more in evidence. That said, there’s an explosion of Hawthorn blossom, with the white flowers providing a gorgeous display right across the country, in a welcome sign that winter’s over. Now we’ve settled in to Bigland Towers in exile, ready for the next few days of our Surrey sojourn.
As tomorrow’s Sunday our activities will be restricted to staying local. We’ve some shopping to do and a dog to walk, which will get us out and about. Not so much me you understand. I’ve always led an active life, but poor Dawn spends much of her working day chained to a desk. For the next few days those shackles have been broken. No doubt I’ll be taking the camera with me tomorrow, so expect a fresh picture or two. In the meantime, here’s today’s, which is a closer look at something we’ve been seeing all along our route today…
Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna).
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We made the trek from Surrey to West Yorkshire this afternoon, but beforehand we took a walk around the village where we’d been staying. ‘Tilly’, the Platt family’s dog needed walking which was a great excuse to get the two of us out and about around the leafy lanes and golf course in Tilford. The weather was mild, the paths mostly dry and the rain held off. We even got some sunshine – which made our four mile stroll rather enjoyable – as did knowing there was time for coffee and cake at the lovely ‘little latte’ cafe in the grounds of the Barley Mow pub on our return.
Here’s a few pictures from the ramble.
A new family on the River Wey in Tilford. Like green bottles, there were once 10 ducklings. There’s now 8…Tilly the Cairn Terrier enjoying being let off the leash. She’s 10 now, so less likely disappear like a rocket chasing squirrels.I found this little patch of Star of Bethlehem (Ornithogalum umbellatum) growing alongside a footpath opposite Tilford Church.
Having enjoyed getting out in different surroundings it was time to load up the car and drive back across country. Sadly, the weather deteriorated. The first part of the journey wasn’t much fun for Dee as she had to drive through persistent rain which only dissipated when we hit the M4. The rest of the way along the A34/M40/A43 wasn’t as bad but the pictures I’d hoped to get of the HS2 construction work had to be canned due to poor weather and heavy traffic. I did manage one rail related shot – in the unlikely place of Watford Gap services on the M1 motorway where we stopped for a break. Just as we were leaving I spotted the load on this HGV.
A pair of newly overhauled locomotive bogies for a vintage Class 37 (or 55) locomotive heading North to an unknown location.
The rest of the trip up the M1 was a chore due to heavy traffic and roadworks which added an extra hour to the trip. Still, the weather improved, which was something! Now we’re back at Bigland Towers, having amused ourselves en-route from the motorway to home by picking out which country pub we’ve never visited we fancy sampling for our next lunch date. Simple pleasures!
See you again tomorrow…
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Our time in Surrey has come to an end. Now we’re busy packing as we’ll be driving back to West Yorkshire later today. That may be ‘fun’ due to extra traffic on the roads as today sees another strike in the long-running labour dispute on the railways – which the government are doing nothing to resolve as they see it playing into their hands politically.
Plus, whilst the weather’s still lovely ‘darn sarf’ friends back home have told us to expect to return to heavy rain. Ho hum. Well, at least I won’t have to water the garden when I get in! As we’re in no rush we’ll be nipping out for coffee and cake with a neighbour for we leave. The local pub has sublet an outhouse in their beer-garden which has become a food hub. There’s now a coffe shop cafe occupying the place whilst the outside of the buildi g is home to a pizza oven run as a seperate business.
13:45.
Suitably fortified with coffee and cake we’ve made it out of Surrey, round the M25 (busy but mostly free flowing) and onto the M1.
15:30.
After our traditional pitstop at Watford Gap services we’re now whizzing up the M1 in Leicestershire. The further we get from London the more the traffic thins – although lane discipline hasn’t improved. So many folk seem to have no idea how you drive on a motorway.Thy stick in the middle lane as if their car’s on rails! This leads to lots of damgerous weaving and undertaking as others try to get past them.
16:06.
Our luck – and the weather – held as far as Junction 28 (Matlock). Now we’re driving along in clouds of spray but traffic is flowing and the M1 remains quiet.
16:40.
Good job it’s a Saturday and there aren’t many of these on the road kicking up spray.
21:30.
We’re home safe and sound, unpacked and settled in for the night on what’s a wet end to the day and real contrast to where we’ve just come from. I’ve begun the marathon task of doing the first sift of the 1000s of pictures I’ve taken over the past week whilst Dawn’s relaxing and winding down after her long drive by watching some TV. Looking at the weather here back in West Yorkshire it seems we accidentally chose an ideal time to go away!
Still, tomorrow’s another month – and who knows where that will lead…
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We’ve settled into a routine here now. Up by 06:30. Drink coffee, get ready for the day, take Sam to school, then Dawn and I go our separate ways as I get dropped off at the station to disappear on the 08:58 for the day. Today’s another such circuit, but where will I get to this time? Feel free to keep popping back to find out…
09:00.
Here’s the daily pic from the rear coach of the 08:58. Different faces today but loadings are pretty good.
09:20.
I’ve abandoned the London service at Aldershot to do what I did yesterday and swap to the Guildford service which follows behind. In contrast to yesterday it’s a grey old day this morning so the camera’s remained in its bag. I’ve a lunch appointment later but I’m wondering what shots I can get in the interim – and where.
11:02.
I ended up staying at Guildford for an hour due to ‘events’. The first thing I noticed was a track gang busy cutting down Buddleia and other plants in the station yard. Not the sort of thing that would attract any interest from railway enthusiasts (several were there for other reasons) but for me they’re excellent library shots to have to illustrate the railway’s story. A few minutes later one of the few remaining pairs of SWR Siemens Class 707s put in an appearance. Grist to my mill but the enthusiasts were uninterested.
Why? Because they were here for this. A steam engine!
West Country class No 34066 ‘Braunton’ puts in an appearance at Guildford whilst working a London to Bath excursion.
15:50.
Apologies for the gap but I’ve been busy. Having travelled via Woking to Winchester I bumped into Dan, a CRN colleague who caught the train to with me. Dan gave me the background on what to expect when we arrived at Shawford. Even so, I couldn’t help but be impressed at the transformation of an old station building that’s been derelict for over 40 years. Waiting for us where some of the folks from Hampshire CRP who’ve been the poerhouses behind this and some other staion cafes. I’ll add more details later, but for now – here’s a few pictures.
21:55.
Now where was I? Oh yes – Shawford! Since when I’ve gravitated to London. I’m not staying in Tilford tonight as I have a silly o’ clock start tomorrow. I’m leaving ‘stabiliser rail’ country for the day to meet up with old RAIL magazine friend and colleague Pip Dunn in Peterborough as we’ve some train tests to do.
Having arrived at Waterloo I had the chance to meet up with other old friends. SWR train driver Steve Upton was on a break when I arrived so we went for a coffee (or in my case sparkling water) when we were joined by another of the gang, Hassard Stacpoole. Here’s the three of us together before Steve chauffeured us back to Clapham Junction, where we are now.
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Despite a positive forecast we’ve had a gloomy start to the day here in Tilford, but whatever the weather it’s going to be a busy one. Dawn and I have been occupied from an early hour preparing the ingredients for tonight’s meal – Coq au Vin, done in a slow cooker. Now it’s time to take Sam to school and me to head to Farnham station for another day on the rails before Dee returns home to work. Now, where shall I go today?
09:20.
What a difference a day makes! If we thought the roads were busy on the school run yesterday they were even busier today. Farnham was chocked with traffic which included a lot of builders and other vans clogging roads and pavements as tradesfolk made their livings.
Fortunately, I still got to the station on time to board the 08:58 which was once again worked by a Class 444. This seems to be a regular (and only) diagram for the fleet to Alton. Today the train was far, far busier. I walked through all five cars from front to back. Here’s today’s comparison shot.
The rear coach was the quietest. Up front it was full and standing.
I only travelled as far as Aldershot as I’m heading for Guildford on a service that runs just a few minutes behind the London train. Guildford’s the main town in the area and the platform was busy with folk making their way there for work and pleasure. That said, a 4-car Class 450 shuttling to and from Farnham is perfectly adequate for the traffic.
10:05.
My first stop after changing at Guildford is Farncombe which I’ve never visited before. It has substantial buildings on each platform (pics later) plus one of the few signalboxes left on this line and one I’d never photographed before.
I know nothing about Farncombe but it looks a pleasent little place. Like most towns the shops have suffered. Many are vacant but this one (a real trip down memory lane) caught my eye.
11:45.
On the move again after catching the train for an impromptu stop at a place called Witley which has a lovely small station and a lot of rail engineering work going on – hence my decision to stop for an hour. I managed some great shots of embankment stablisation work being carried out on the live railway (pics later). In the meantime, here’s a shot of the station building.
16:00.
I’m now blogging from St Denys in Southampton. How I got here’s a long story that involved several trains, one or two stops – and Portsmouth!
I’ve had an interesting day as I’ve had chance to stop off in several places I’ve always threatened to explore but never had the time. St Denys is one. It boasts a four platform station (two on the main line and two on the Pompey route) and some rather nice buildings. The stations a stones throw ffom the estuary which is a good place for scenic rail pictures – hence my visit.
This is a phone pic. The camera ones have trains in ’em.
There was something else I discovered in St Denys. A pub right next to the station called the South Western Arms (after the railway). When I walked past it I noticed the selection of handpumps and thought ‘hmm’. Then, when I was finally beaten in my photographic endeavors by cloud cover I thought I’d pop in for a swifty. I’m glad I did as it’s a cracking real-ale pub with a distinctive local hippy/bohemian feel – and a massive beer garden backing onto the railway. I’ll certainly be popping back when I’m in the area.
18:30.
So much to write about but so little time as I juggle taking pictures, notes and blogging whilst still trying to live in and experience the here and now. And right now I’m on a train from Woking back to Farnham…
Q: Guess how many people are staring at their phones/screens? A: 99% of them..
21:10.
I’m now back in Tilford and beginning the task of editing the pictures I’ve taken today. It’s going to take some time before they appear on my Zenfolio website, so here’s a quick taster of some of the camera (rather than phone) pictures.
A pair of class 444s with 444028 leading pass embankment stablisation work at Witley on the Portsmouth direct line. 73962 leads a test train through St Denys. The route was from Eastleigh to Eastleigh, but all round the houses. When I photographed it the train had just come from Portsmouth Harbour.
Here’s the rather lovely main station building at Farncombe.
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/
Well, it wasn’t a ridiculous start to the day. I was up at 06:30 as I don’t need to be in Aylesbury until 14:00, although getting to Farnham to catch the train means I’m reliant on Dawn for a lift and Dee’s dropping her nephew, Sam, off at school first. This may be ‘leafy Surrey’ but the roads around here really aren’t very civilised when it comes to walking. Most of them are narrow and don’t have footpaths, leaving no safe space for walkers. Plus, many people around here are driving the four-wheel versions of tanks, leaving even less clearance. Society here is very much focused around the car. There’s not even a bus service through Tilford.
Feel free to pop back during the day to see what I get up to…
09:00
Having sat in on a Surrey school run it was instructive to say the least. Sam’s school is in Farnham, on a narrow street parallel to the railway line. The street is totally unsuitable for the numbers driving their kids to school (ignoring the no parking signs in the process). Lardbutt SUVs merely exacerbate the problem. It was good to see the number of kids who were walking but far too many weren’t. One thing I did notice, there’s not as many obese kids here compared to West Yorkshire but as obesity’s linked to poverty that’s unsurprising.
Dawn dropped me off at the station before heading home and I’m now sat on a 5-car Class 444 heading for the hour-long journey to Waterloo.
These services were always normally worked by 4-car Class 450s in multiple as the 444s are the ‘intercity’ units reserved for long-distance services from Waterloo to places like Bournemouth and Weymouth, although I do remember seeing them on Alton services in the past. As I’ll be a regular commuter from Farnham this week I’ll be interested to see how the service pattern pans out in practice.
Whilst there’s clearly not as many people commuting daily anymore, the car-park at Farnham was very busy and my trains filling up after each stop. The picture was taken after we left Farnham. I’ll add a comparison shot later.
09:30.
We’re well on the way to London now, the next stop’s Surbiton. We’ve had a ticket check which allowed me to observe that the people around me are all using paper tickets, suggesting they’re not daily commuters.
The change in seasons is evident too. Earlier we passed a ‘leafbuster’ train. The MPV was busy spraying the track towards Alton. The sun’s noticeably lower in the sky too, meaning that (photographically) I have longer, deeper shadows to contend with. Mind you, the forecast is that the Mercury’s due to hit a balmy 23 degrees today, so I can’t complain.
11:30.
I’m now on my way to Aylesbury via the old Great Central railway from Marylebone. Having time in the bank I tarried in London, changing trains at Clapham Junction in order to get a few library shots. The sidings there are full of the ‘new’ Class 701 ‘Arterio’ sets which are yet to turn a wheel in passenger service. It’s arterio sclerosis at it were! I boarded one of the old Class 455s from Clapham, one of the BR built trains that should have been sent for scrap years ago but that are still going strong. At Waterloo I spied my first 5-car Arterio which was out on test, contrasting with the 455s in adjacent platforms.
18:30.
Sorry for the break in blogging but I’ve had another busy day. Having met Ian (from the excellent ‘Ian visits’ website) and EFKB PR on the train to Aylesbury the three of us walked to the EKFB site, chatting on the way. The walk allowed us to see other aspects of the vast site other than the area we were visiting.
Once we met up with all the other invitees and folks from Network Rail and EKFB and having got ‘booted and suited’ we headed off to the main worksite where the new rail bridge over what will be HS2 has been completed and track relaid.
The bridge over HS2 with the HS2 cutting being excavated beneath. This is looking South towards London with Aylesbury off to the left and Princes Risborough off to the right. It’s a hot day to be wearing full PPE!
I’ll write a bit more later and perhaps add another pic. Right now, having said goodbyes after a really informative visit I’ve walked back into Aylesbury and caught the train back into London.
20:00.
Travelling back into and across my former home town was weird. OK. I’ve not lived here for 23 years, but I never remember it this quiet – even on a Monday. The Chiltern train into Marylebone picked up a few folk en-route with many joining it when it hit the London suburbs but it still felt quiet. I had the same feeling on the Bakerloo line tube. This route passes through what are some of the capitals entertainment areas, but the vibrancy of the old days was missing.
Now I’m at Waterloo which is definitely subdued. It feels more like a provincial rail station rather than London’s busiest terminus.
Where’s the buzz?
Bidding adieu to the capital I’m taking the less direct route ‘home’ via Guildford rather than the Alton directs. I’m aboard yet another ‘Arkwright’ (aka a Class 444).
22:30.
‘Tis the end of the day and time to bring this blog to journey’s end. My route home via Guildford was easy, the trains weren’t crowded and the connection time allowed me to grab a few night shots. Yep, we’ve got to that time of year where it’s getting dark too early for my liking as my working day’s getting shorter, but hey ho. Let’s see what tomorrow brings…
I said I post another couple of pictures before I went. Here’s one of the HS2 trace West of Aylesbury, looking South. Can you sport the new railway bridge I was visiting? Some folk complain that building HS2 is ‘desecrating’ an AONB. Really? So who gave planning permission for those pylons then? In a few years when HS2’s complete you won’t even notice it at this location. Oh, and don’t even mention the sound of heavy traffic from the road behind me…
‘Metroland’. A pair of London Underground S stock trains stand at Chalfont and Latimer station which is shared between the Metropolitan line and Chiltern Railways.
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Paul Bigland 