We’ve had a lazy (ish) Sunday here in North Norfolk. There’s been no long walks, instead we’ve been touring by car as I’ve introduced Dawn Jon and Norah to the delights of the coastline and the fabulous marshes and beaches that you find West of Sheringham. Oh, we’ve also explored some of the pretty inland villages like Walsingham and market towns like Holt. As I’ve been tour-guide there’s been little time for photography today but I do still have a picture of the day. With it being Sunday, the school holidays and great weather the seaside has been teeming with tourists – especially Wells next the sea which has a gorgeous golden sand beach that’s fringed with pine woods guarded by a phalanx of colourful beach huts. It’s a real contrast to the more rugged coastline around Cromer/Sheringham with their narrow pebble beaches.
Monday’s not only a new week, it’s also meant to see the weather begin to change. The glorious sunshine we’ve experienced is due to give way to showers and thunderstorms later in the week – although that could be fun from a photographic perspective. But, before it does, I’m heading out early tomorrow to do a solo walk along part of the ‘Weavers Way’ into North Walsham which utilises an old railway that passes close to where we’re staying. The rest of the family will catch up with me later. I’m looking forward to the walk and the opportunity to get out with the camera without cramping everyone else’s style. Watch out for pictures tomorrow.
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Our first full day in North Norfolk has been blessed with far better weather than was first predicted – even if we did have to occasional slight spatter of rain. Today was spent orientating Dee and her parents who don’t know this part of the world, so it was enjoyable acquainting them with the delights of Cromer and Sheringham and fun for me rediscovering places I’d not been to for donkey’s years. I’m not going to go into great detail as It’s late and we’ll have a busy day again tomorrow. Instead, I’ll leave you with a couple of pictures. One is (yet another) pier. I seem to be amassing quite a collection of pier shots, having snapped two in a fortnight! This time it’s the 1902 built (and grade 2 listed) Cromer pier which is 151 meters long and boasts its own lifeboat station.
It’s a lovely place for a stroll where you can watch people fishing or crabbing. Cromer is famous for its shellfish and the crabs are delicious. The lifeboat station at the end of the pier’s well worth a visit. Inside are plaques listing the various rescues the Cromer lifeboats have been involved in over the years, some of which are truly heroic. They’re a testament to the bravery of the crews, all of whom are volunteers.
Moving on Westwards we popped in to Sheringham which has a different atmosphere to Cromer, despite the two towns being similar. One thing the latter that that the former doesn’t is the North Norfolk railway, a preserved line that runs Westwards to Holt. We didn’t have time to travel on it, but I did nip in to get some photographs. Here’s BR Standard Class 4 No 76084 about to depart with an afternoon train. This loco was built at Horwich in Lancashire in March 1957 – which makes it only a couple of years older than me. It spent its entire working life (of only 10 years) in the North-West before being taken to Barry scrapyard in South Wales in 1967. It languished there until 1982 when it was preserved. It finally returned to steam in 2013.
Tomorrow we’ll explore more of the coast Westwards….
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Slightly later than planned (why does packing always fill the time alloted – and then some) we’re off on our East Anglian break. First stop is to pick up Dee’s parents over in Huddersfield, then begin the trek via the M62, AIM, then cross country. It always seems like a long drive to that neck of the woods, although we haven’t done it for years. I much prefer going by rail as a consequence.
Right, let’s see what happens..
12:40.
Having picked up the in-laws and repacked the car we’re now bowling down the M1. For a Friday the traffic around Sheffield ain’t bad.
13:10.
I’m glad we’re heading South and not North on the A1. We’ve just passed miles of queueing traffic!
15:00.
Time for a coffee break at the lovely Insomnia Coffee Co, just outside Sleaford.
15:30.
We’re back on the road again and I’ve just checked my emails to find the awful news that the National Rail Awards has had to be postponed. This massive event was due to be held on Thursday September 15th – a day the ASLEF and RMT unions have announced their next strike. I really feel for my friends at RAIL as this must have been an awful decision to have to make. The logistics of such an event are huge – and extremely complex. Over 1000 people from all over the UK attend the prestigious awards at London’s Grosvenor House Hotel on Park Lane and the strikes mean many may have to be on duty during the strike – or are simply unable to get there.
Dawn and I had a hotel booked which we’ll have to either re-arrange when we know a new date – or try to claim back on our insurance. Ho hum…
20:20.
And relax! We’re settled into the house we’ve rented for the week which is just outside the pretty little town of Aylsham. This is an ideal location as it’s so central. We’re within striking distance of Norwich, Cromer, Sheringham and so many places along the North Norfolk coast. There’s even an excellent looking village pub just 10 mins walk away across the fields in nearby Banningham.
The rear of our cottage, complete with patio and barbecue. Dee posing in the doorway of the living room. A lovely space for a rainy day and evening but I expect we’ll be spending more of our time in the kitchen/diner.
Now, having stocked up on provisions we’re settled in for the night. Tomorrow’s another day…
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 a very short blog from me tonight as – despite the fact it’s been a busy and varied day – there’s no time for blogging as we’re busy packing for our trip to North Norfolk, so expect a rolling blog tomorrow. That shouldn’t be too difficult because as there’s four of us we’re taking the car. I’ll be navigating/riding shotgun which should give me time to type.
In the meantime I’ll leave you with a picture of the day. Today’s is from a backlog of scanned slides from India in the 1990s that I’ve yet to get around to edit. Now, India back in 1995 was a very different country to the one it is now. Forget the internet, there wasn’t even many TV channels and Satellite TV was in its infancy, so the place was a lot more conservative which is why I did a double-take when I saw this surreal hand-painted billboard.
I’d loved to have known what was going through someone’s (well, a man’s, obviously) mind when they decided that a woman in a low-cut, tight black dress and playing a saxophone was just what you needed to sell bathroom fittings…
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/
It’s been another busy but relatively peaceful day for me here at Bigland Towers. I’m still wading through mountains of pictures to edit as well as catching up on paperwork so that I can submit some expenses as well as invoices for other work. It’s the far less glamorous side of photographic and journalistic work but it’s one that’s necessary to pay the bills! I’m looking forward to being able to get out and about again, but that won’t be for another day yet. One thing I’ve really noticed since returning from Scotland is just how much the nights are drawing in. I’m typing this around 20:30 at night and the skies are almost dark, but then tomorrow’s the 1st day of September so there’s just three weeks left of summer.
Still, I’ve plenty of projects lined up for the new month – starting with a week long holiday in North Norfolk. Sadly, the weather’s really not looking too good for us at the moment as rain is predicted to be a prominent feature in that neck of the woods. Still, things can change – and there’s plenty to do indoors if we have attacks of showers. Whatever, it’ll be great to kick back for a bit and enjoy the time away, especially as life we be full on when we get back as we’re into the events and awards season. Oh, and more rail strikes. Of course, whilst we’re away we’ve also got the absolutely fabulous news of who is going to be the next incompetent to lead the country. I think we can all guess which particular incompetent that is going to be – God help us…My spleen may need venting, even though I’m meant to be on holiday
So, it’s another short blog from me tonight. I’ll leave you with yet another picture from my recent travels with the hope that I’ll be able to provide you with some new North Norfolk scenes shortly.
Here’s the beach at Saltburn, looking West along the coast towards Redcar beach with the steelworks on the horizon. Out at sea to the right is Teesside Wind Farm, sometimes referred to as Redcar Wind Farm, it’s a 27 turbine installation of 62 MW capacity.
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/
After 8 days of continuous travel today’s very much been a day for going nowhere! My legs and back have enjoyed the rest as I’ve had no camera bag to carry and my step count’s been just enough to hit 12,500. OK, that equates to 5 miles which may seem a lot to some people but it’s my minimum daily target that I try to hit every day.
Whilst the majority of my time was spent in the office glued to a computer screen as I began the long process of editing a week’s worth of pictures and checking my notes I did manage to fit in a spot of garden maintenance, ensuring I’d not lost any plants whilst I’ve been away. Gardening’s both a pleasure and a therapy, so I try to get out into that space as often as I can.
There’s no long blog for me, Dee and I need to spend time planning our holiday, so I’ll leave at this tonight, along with a picture from my travels. Here’s another place I’d not visited for many a year. Saltburn, on the North Yorkshire coast, which boasts a 208m long pier originally built in 1869 as a 460m long structure. It’s seen here with the ‘cliff lift’ which is the oldest operating water-balance funicular railway in the United Kingdom.
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/
The last day of my trip is about to start here in Glasgow. I had an enjoyable (and unexpected) night with an old friend whom I’ve not seen for a couple of years. As you can imagine, Glasgow on a Saturday night was buzzing. I really like this city and always look forward to visiting as it’s such a historic, vibrant and multicultural place. Here’s a couple of pictures from last night.
I love the architecture here…The Steps Bar. A classic old boozer in the centre of town.An old friend from the South still in service.
But now it’s back to ‘work’, exploring some of the city’s suburban rail network before ending my trip elsewhere this evening. Where? Feel free to pop back later to find out!
08:25.
Glasgow is still asleep this time on a Sunday. I wandered over to Sauchihall Street to buy breakfast from Tesco and the only people around were a few cleaners waiting to start work mucking out the mess from a nearby club. My hotel’s right next to Charing Cross station so catching my first train of the day’s easy.
08:30.
My first train of the day is a class unique to Scotland. The Alstom built class 334 EMUs.
16.21.
I’m at Journey’s end, Having arrived on Oban on the west coast of Scotland. But the blog doesn’t end just yet. I’m merely taking a break for a few hours to enjoy some downtime. I’ll update things a bit later when I’ve had chance to relax – and enjoy the weather.
Lovely, isn’t it?
Mind you, the trips isn’t entirely over. I may have finished my seven day rover, but I’ve still got to get back to Yorkshire tomorrow which will be a trip in itself…
21:45.
Well, I had great plans for updating this blog with thoughts, feelings and pictures from Oban tonight, but the hotel wifi is useless. Sooo – we’ll all have to wait until tomorrow when I can access wifi elsewhere. I’d tether my phone snd usr that but that’s some serious Mb I’d be using. Instead, I’m going to have an early night and make the most of tomorrow. I’ve not been back to Oban for 17 years so I’m going to enjoy it. Who knows when I’ll be back again?
After a quiet night at home in which my wardrobe was replenished or washed (no more carting around old sweaty socks!) I’m back on the rails again and ahead of schedule. I’m currently on Northern’s 07:38 from Halifax to Leeds. Today I’m making my way to Scotland via a roundabout route that will take in some more lines I’ve never covered on these RAIL rovers in the whole of the 18 years I’ve been doing them. This is my tenth. I started them in 2004 (God, just typing that makes me feel old!) and the changes I’ve seen in that time have been quite remarkable. Who’s have thought back than that I’d be typing this on one of the Northern franchise’s fleet of new trains?
Feel free to pop back during the day to see what I get up to.
09:00.
Having changed trains at Leeds I’m now on my way to York behind this beastie..
10:30.
I didn’t hang around at York but almost immediatly caught a rather quieter TPE device, a Class 802 as far as Darlington, where I joined a rather older mode of rail travel.
15:45.
Apologies for absence but I’ve been a busy bee. My trip to Saltburn was excellent. It’s left me lots to write about and the weather was perfect. The old station building has been given over to private uses but it still looks magnificent. Extar colour was added by the fact there’s a flea-market outside on a Saturday. I couldn’t stay long but I did wander down to admire the views over the coast and beaches, as well as spot a railway my Rover isn’t valid on.
I stopped off a couple of times on the way back. First at Redcar, then Middlesbrough – which possesses yet another magnificent station building. I swapped trains again in order to head up the Durham coast line which has changed enormously sine I last traversed the route. Arriving in Newcastle I flipped from local to Intercity trains and now I’m on my way to Edinburgh. Here’s a selection of pictures from the trip so far, including an observational test…
The flea-market outside the old station building at Saltburn.‘Do you accept Rail Rovers’? The Saltburn tramway down to the pier.The stunning station booking office at Middlesbrough.An observational test. Feel free to post the answer when you spot it…
17:20.
Back in civilization…
The waiting room at Edinburgh Waverley.
I’m on the second leg of my journey, from a packed Edinburgh Waverley station to Stirling before heading for Glasgow. I’m on the Kings Cross – Inverness ‘Highland Chieftain’ which is running 15 mins late due to speed restrictions and extra stops inserted into its timetable due to other trains being cancelled.
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/
I’ve had a good night’s sleep here in central London, now it’s time to explore the city’s railways and those of Essex and Herts before beginning my roundabout journey North. Feel free to keep popping back to see where I get to…
Not a bad place to start the day…
10:45.
I’ve ventured out into darkest Essex, having caught a quiet Crossrail service to Farringdon I changed on to Crossrail – sorry, the “Elizabeth line” (pix later) to reach Liverpool St for a above surface Crossrail train to Forest Gate and a short walk to Wanstead Park on the ‘Goblin’ line (my old local line) for a trip out to its new terminus at Barking Riverside, an extention that only opened the other month. It’s impressive but I see the station follows the modern trend for roof canopies that are neither use nor ornament!
Doubling back to Barking I’ve travelled to Southend via Grays to see the enormous amount of railfreight traffic this area generates.
The weather’s beautiful in ‘Sarfend’ but I can’t stay. I’m here to swap routes and head back into London…
13:30.
I’m now back in London after sampling a Greater Anglia Class 720 ride from Southend Victoria. Those 3+2 seat coaches are horrible. Even Twiggy would struggle to get down the gangways!
Now I’m about to venture North from Euston to Birmingham on an Avanti West Coast service. When I can find one running…
In the meantime, here’s a couple of Lizzy line pics.
15:30.
I’ve left London and the South-East behind – as well as the sunshine! I’m currently on an Avanti West Coast service to Birmingham New St. I’d expected the trip to be crowded, especially as some services have been cancelled, but in fact it was only packed as far as Milton Keynes. I’m on an old friend – set 390014, which Richard Clinnick and I once spent 26 hours on, following its whole diagram! Now it’s been refurbished and looks rather different on the inside.
19:30.
I’ve been on the move too much and swapping between trains to blog. Now I’ve swapped West for East coast via the Midland Main line. Here’s my train from Doncaster to Leeds which is pulled by an earlier East Coast racehorse in the shape of 91111 ‘For the fallen’ which is looking superb in its renewed wrap.
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/
After arriving in Exeter I had a quiet night in my lovely old hotel, The Mercure right across the road from Central station. The kind and friendly young lady on reception offered me an upgraded room and complimentary breakfast. Having a large room in such a grand (if slightly faded) hotel was luxury so I made the most of it and spread out on the king size bed to catch up with some writing and paperwork. Here’s a few pictures.
Free buffet breakfast? Oh, go on then!…The foyer of the grand, but slightly faded and frayed Mercure Exeter Rougemont hotel. The rather grand staircase and stained glass windows.
Now, after not kicking the arse out of the free breakfast (I limited myself to bacon, beans and scrambled eggs, honest!) I’m on the 07:29 to Waterloo as far as Salisbury which is worked by a pair of SWR Class 159s. These units are tired and seem a throwback now. I’m in 159001 which has no power sockets or USB and where the noise from the a/c is a constant presence. At least it’s helped drown out the chatter from the two middle-aged women on the table opposite. Animated and coffee and cake fueled, one hasn’t paused for breath since we left Exeter. I think she must be able to breathe through her ears!
10:50.
I changed trains at Salisbury, swapping from SWR to GWR who were running a pair of Class 158s down to Portsmouth Harbour which I used to get to Southampton Central. It seems I’m on the edge of the heavy rain passing through the South-East. There was a real scrum at Southampton with people everywhere. I’m assuming a cruise ship has docked. My next train was a 4-car Southern service – which looks like this. Hardly a pleasent travelling experience. It also shows the entitlement of some people. Just how many seats do you need?
13:05.
I abandoned my even more packed train (you should have seen what it looked like after stopping at Chichester!) at Barnham for a trip down the branch to King George 5th’s favorite town – or not – if you believe the alleged death-bed quote!
After seeing a series of basic stations in Wales and the South-West I’m now back amongst Victorian finery and in 3rd rail land.
14:40.
The weather’s slowly improving as I head Eastwards along the South coast but it still looks unpredictable. What it isn’t is cold, which makes lugging my combined camera/day bag somewhat sweaty – especially when I’m on the move so much. Of course it could be worse, I could still be stuck in the conditions I encountered in Southhampton. Now I’ve no worries about weilding the camera.
I arrived in Brighton aboard one of the oldest passenger trains still in daily use – the class 313s. These were built in 1976 for the newly electrified suburban services from Kings Cross and Moorgate. The last survivors of the class are now exiled to the South coast.
313208 at Brighton.
Right now I’m continuing my journey East on another Southern service to Hastings via Eastbourne.
22:30.
I’ve moved – a lot. Right now I’m signing this blog off from my hotel room opposite St Pancras station in the heart of London. It’s a cheap and cheerful hotel that’s much more upmarket from the days when this area was famous for rooms you could rent by the hour! Getting here was fun as I traversed such a variety of railways, including the ‘Marshlink’ line from Hastings to Ashford, then onto the most modern line we have (for now) – as I took ‘High Speed One’ from Ashford right into the centre of London. I’ve had another fascinating day exploring the UK rail network in 2022 – and there’s lots to see yet…
Meanwhile, here’s a couple more pictures from today.
My Javelin train from Kent to central London rests at the blocks at St Pancras. I spent years photographing the stations transformation back in the 2000s and still have a sense of awe when I experience the result. Time for a ‘swifty’ before bed. I nipped down the road to an old haunt – the Euston Tap for a pint as an end to the day.
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/
