Well, that wasn’t quite the start to the weekend I was hoping for! Since my outing on Tuesday I’ve been pretty much confined to barracks for various reasons, one of which was the fact I’d a final round of judging to complete for next years Community Rail Awards. Of course, since Tuesday we’ve had almost wall to wall sunshine up here in West Yorkshire and surrounding counties, which has been rather frustrating, especially as the snow as pretty much stuck around in many areas, but that’s life. Then, yesterday we found out that Dawn’s father wasn’t feeling very well. As John’s coming up to his 90th birthday you can imagine everyone’s concern. So, yesterday we ended up dropping everything at short-notice to head over to Huddersfield in order to be with her mum and dad and offer our support. We’d only been with them on Wednesday evening as I’d cooked us all a coq-au-vin for our weekly evening meal get-together (another reason why I’ve not been out much) and John had seemed fine then. Thankfully, it seems that I’d not poisoned my father-in-law and his current hors de combat is due to a virus and not my cooking! Dawn’s remained over at her parents whilst I’ve returned to Bigland Towers in order to be around for other duties.
Right now – I’m going nowhere until things are resolved. Plus, there’s another storm on the way – which might prove to interesting – although I’m struggling to take a storm called ‘Bert’ seriously right now. Whatever else ‘Bert’ might bring it’s seeing an end to the freezing weather we’ve had, which is no bad thing.
So, what’s next? I’m not entirely sure to be honest. I’ve plenty to keep me occupied with at home for this weekend, especially as it looks like I’ll be spending most of it on my own. Next week? well, that’s another matter. In the meantime I’ll leave you with today’s picture which was taken on my visit to the Hope valley on Tuesday.
A snow-covered Back Tor seen from near Edale station on Tuesday. Traversing that ridge is one of our favourite walks, but not in weather like this!
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/
Having woken up to wall-to-wall snow this morning I dropped everything to head out with the camera. After all, it’s not that often we get such conditions and the snow often disappears in the blink of an eye. Today was no different. The ideal conditions are when the snow clings to trees and bushes but the weather warmed quickly and the snow was already dropping before I left so there was no time to waste.
Having walked down to Sowerby Bridge I caught a train to Todmorden where the railway’s surrounded by high hills – ideal for photography. Here’s a small selection. I’ll add details tomorrow…
Having got the images I wanted I caught a train into Manchester with the intention of heading back via the nearby Colne valley, but Dawn had mentioned that Derbyshire had accrued a lot of snow, so my plans changed and I ended up at Edale instead. The Hope valley didn’t disappoint, although the trees were already bereft of snow.
Normally I’d be taking photos of atop Mam Tor and the ridge, but not today! It was bleedin’ Baltic out there!
Sorry for the lack of details but it’s been a long day. I’ve walked nearly 15 miles to get these pictures and I’ve another busy day tomorrow, so now it’s time to relax.
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/
As I write this on Monday evening we’re still waiting for the predicted snowfall here in the Pennines. The day’s certainly been cold enough for those little flakes from the sky, but so far (despite what various forecasts are claiming) I’ve seen barely a wisp – despite having just got back from a walk.
Dawn’s made it back from North Yorkshire without problems so the two of are hunkering down for the evening, waiting to see what the morning brings. I’d hoped to have got out myself today but judging the Community Rail awards ‘It’s Your Station’ took a lot longer than usual. mainly because there were so many new entries this year and myself and my fellow judge (Mark Barker) had awarded very different points to some entrants, so we had a lot of discussions about the merits of more entries than usual. In the end (and thanks to the skillful moderation and guidance from Hazel, our helper and adjudicator) we agreed on the category placements and the winners. It’s very hard to judge these awards as there’s so many excellent entries and there’s often little more than a few points between the tops of each category.
Still, it’s done, and we’re all pleased with the process (which was certainly rigorous) and the winners of each category. Who are they? You’ll have to wait until the awards next year to find out! Now all that remains is the photographic competition shortlist…
What I get up to tomorrow depends on the weather, which brings me on to today’s picture. Here’s how Bigland Towers has looked in the past (2021) when the snow’s arrived. And no, that’s not our lofty eyrie in the background – that’s the Wainhouse Tower!
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/
Whilst today wasn’t quite Sunday I’d had planned, it’s been a productive one nonetheless. Much of this morning was spent editing and adding captions to a backlog of rail and travel pictures which are now on my Zenfolio website. If you follow this link it will take you to the ‘recent’ section, showing which galleries have been updated. There’s plenty to gaze at.
That job done I’d intended to do some cooking, but a trip to our local supermarket proved fruitless. Or, in this case – vegless. I wasn’t after anything terribly exotic either, merely green peppers and parsnips. There were no peppers to be had and the only parsnips available were already soft and limp – despite them having been ‘fresh in’ today. To be honest, our local Tesco’s is getting worse. It’s not just the fresh veg section that has empty shelves, the frozen food section has plenty of empty cabinets when it comes to vegetables. I’ve no doubt the recent bad weather has had an impact, but then so’s the thing no politicians seem to want to talk about – Brexit. Transit times for fresh produce have been extended by Brexit red-tape, so the shelf life of what does arrive is noticeably shorter. I’m kicking myself for not having stocked up with some more produce from Halifax market yesterday, which is where we picked up some really good quality plums, squash and cauliflower. I can see I’m going to have to change my shopping pattern and go into town more often. The only problem is that the market closes by 17:00 so is less convenient. Anyway, I digress. As cooking was off the agenda we’ve fallen back on meals from the freezer. Not a problem as we batch-cook and there’s always something home-made and delicious in reserve.
As for gardening – the weather conspired against me as the heavens opened just as soon as I got out there! I’ve managed to re-organise some pots and plants, giving them better protection from the snow that’s due but I didn’t get as much done as I’d planned. Hopefully, I’ll have some spare time tomorrow after my morning spent judging the Community Rail Awards. Besides, Dee’s up on the Settle and Carlisle railway tomorrow for a meeting so I’ll be left to my own devices and the snow’s not predicted to arrive until the evening.
Now it’s time to wind down ready for a busy day tomorrow, so I’ll sleave you with today’s picture. I popped into our local, the ‘Big 6’ on my way back from shopping. This time of year it’s even more welcoming as there’s a lovely real fire in one of the back rooms. Sitting there with a pint on a wet autumn day is one of life’s little pleasures.
Oh, go on then – here’s an extra picture. These are the beers that were on offer. Any guesses as to which I chose?
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/
‘Tis a quiet weekend here at Bigland Towers. The veritable lull before the storm if the weather forecast is to be believed. Apparently, we’re due for several centimeters of snow here in’t Pennines on Monday-Tuesday. That could be fun as our local council (Calderdale) have been busy sticking up signs on roads around us saying they’re not going to be gritting some of the steepest streets – so we’re on our own. As two of the main ways out of where we live are cobbled roads that will now be left to the tender mercies of the elements, this could be a ‘fun’ winter,
Fortunately, I’ve a Zoom meeting on Monday morning as we’re judging the Community Rail Awards. Once that’s done – and if the snow does arrive – I may be able to sally forth with the camera.
As the pair of us have a lot going on we elected to have a leisurely weekend at home. Whilst the morning was spent pottering we did walk into Halifax in the afternoon in order to stretch our legs and pick up some shopping. Our perambulations took us to the fabulous Piece Hall which is hosting a Christmas market. I’m not a great fan of these things nowadays as they tend to be incredibly expensive and full of overpriced tat. The sort of stuff you’d only buy after sinking some expensive mulled wine or other themed booze. Give me a proper German Xmas market every time.
That said, the Piece Hall’s such an amazing venue it was worth paying a visit – as today’s picture shows.
Tomorrow, with the mercury heading South (even if we aren’t) we’re planning another day around the local area to prepare for the change of conditions. I suspect I’ll be busy in the garden protecting some of the more vulnerable plants which have had it easy so far this year. Oh, then there’s a whole host of new recipes I’ve discovered. Maybe it won’t be such a lazy Sunday after all…
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/
Today there certainly was. After all the miserable weather we’ve had recently this neck of the woods was pretty much blessed with wall-to-wall sunshine from daybreak. Such favorable conditions tore me away from my desk in order to take the camera on a little tour around the Colne and Calder valleys. Having caught a train from Sowerby Bridge to Manchester I ventured up the Colne, stopping off at various places as I headed East. Here’s a selection taken around Mossley.
Houses so close to the railway line at Mossley are proving to be an interesting challenge when it comes to electrifying this stretch of line. TRU are consulting on the options at the moment. Here’s 185114 and 185109 passing whilst working 1P66, the 08:42 Saltburn to Manchester VictoriaThis is 802215 passing Mossley with 9M29, the 09:43 Newcastle to Liverpool Lime Street.802211 heads East past Mossley on 1P25, the 11:54 Liverpool Lime Street to Newcastle
Having a series of shots in the bag I moved location, enjoying a lovely walk along the Huddersfield narrow canal to Greenfield in the process. The autumn leaves looked stunning.
I didn’t stay long at Greenfield as the low autumn sun was already casting heavy shadows at the locations I’d planned to get shots at, but I did still get this.
802202 snakes past Greenfield with 9M31, the 11:43 Newcastle to Liverpool Lime Street.
Catching a train back into Manchester I retraced my way along the Calder valley route as far as Castleton, where I popped into this excellent hostelry for a pint whilst I waited for the ‘blue hour’ where the light’s changed enough to provide some really vivid colours in the sky, just before darkness falls.
The Old Post Office micro pub is just a few minutes walk from Castleton station.
Here’s how the light looked when I left, and no – this isn’t due to beer-goggles!
156452 arrives at Castleton whilst working 2J29, the 1521 Clitheroe to Rochdale.Journey’s end at Rochdale. The crew of 2J29 have a chat under stunning autumn skies.
Now I’m back home with an office day beckoning in the morning. Still, the light was good whilst it lasted…
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 being trapped under a miasma of low cloud for the past couple of weeks, waking up to clear skies and a colourful sunrise is positively uplifting. That’s not been the only positive about today’s start as I have company this morning. Dawn is travelling with me as far as Leeds as she’s off to a training event. So, for once, I’ve not had to sneak out of bed and tip-toe around the house so as not to disturb her slumber whilst I prepare to leave.
Another bonus is we got down to Sowerby Bridge in good time and caught an earlier (albeit slightly late running) train. The pair of us are now ensconced on Northern’s 06:57 to York which is operated by a 3-car Class 195. We even managed to find a free table bay. Now to hope the rest of today’s travels are as successful!
I’m on my way to a place called Burton Green for a visit to an HS2 construction site. Burton Green is where an old railway is being used for the new one. HS2 will run in what was a cutting that’s being converted into a ‘green’ tunnel.
Time and safety permitting, I’ll be blogging throughout the day…
08:25.
That’s the enjoyable bit of the trip over.
After saying goodbye to Dawn at Leeds I headed over to platform 11a to catch a Cross-Country service direct to Birmingham. God, I gate this part of the trip and today’s experience shows why. XC provided a 4-car Class 220 to work the train. As you can imagine, it’s absolutely packed. Dozens of folk left at Leeds but even more were waiting to join. The chances of me findng a seat were minimal so (yet again) I’ve ended up standing in the luggage area created from the former shop. I’m not alone, 8-10 others occupy here and the adjacent vestibule.
09:50.
Phew! On arrival at Sheffield I managed to sidle into a vacant window seat. This gave me chance to do some work and reapond to some work emails. This is the problem with such inadequate inter-city trains. Unless you reserve a seat you can’t guarantee being able to get any work done, so the benefits of rail over a car are narrowed.
10:40.
On the move again. I had half an hour to enjoy New St station, which gave me enough time to get a few library shots and admire the HS2 exhibition on the concourse. Models of the new Curzon St station are on display and attracted a lot of interest.
Now, I’m speeding South aboard a Siemens built Class 350/2, one of the fleet soon to be off lease with no home to go to. Crazy.
Next stop for me is Berkswell.
15:45.
I’m back and heading for Birmingham after a fascinating tour of the Burton Green tunnel construction site and stroll into the South and North portals.
I’ll add some technical details later, but this part of the HS2 route is built on the course of an old railway which closed back in the 1960s. Only HS2’s a rather larger proposition!
16:30.
Much as I’d liked to have done I didn’t hang around in Birmingham. I stayed long enough to grab a couple of useful shots of packed new (but woefully short) trains, then jumped aboard a Pendolino bound for Edinburgh as a way of avoiding packed Cross-Country services. 11 cars compared to 4 is luxury as you can normally find a free seat, even on this section of route/time of day when the trains heavily used by local commuters.
The only problem is that, whilst I have a seat – and it’s lovely and warm aboard – the wifi is crap, so the things I’d hoped to sort out via t’tinternet I can’t. It’s a great shame Avanti wifi is so poor as it discourages me from using the West Coast route because of it. Now, what are my alternatives?
18:00.
Another classic day of railway bingo. My Pendolino was lae into Crewe so I missed my Avanti connection to Manchester. Fear not, there’s a Transport for Wales service following at 17:30. Oh, wait – that’s late too. But there’s a Northern all-shacks at 17:46..
A quick check tells me that even though the TfW service isn’t due until 17:54 it’ll get to Piccadilly before the Northern service. So, I wave bye bye to the Northern train and make my way to platform 5 for the Welsh train – only to find the bloody thing’s now terminating short at Wilmslow (a favorite trick of TfWs). Bugger!
18:02.
We’ve just passed the Northern service at Sandbach. Looks like that’s the one that’ll be getting me to Manchester after all…
Ha! That went well (not). The Northen service was going via Styal so the theoretical fastest service was an Avanti train. Only that was running 33 mins late. I’m now on said train, warming up after spending far too long on cold platforms. I’ve nothing against Wilmslow station, it’s just that it didn’t feature in today’s plans.
Wither Wilmslow? I wasn’t really given much of a choice…
20:30.
The last leg! Having finally caught a late-running Pendolino to Piccadilly and crossed Manchester on foot I just had enough time for a cheeky pint at the Victoria Tap before catching the 19:57 back across the Pennines. Maybe my ‘cunning plan’ to avoid Cross-Country trains wasn’t so cunning after all…
22:00.
I’m home and it’s time to relax, but before I go I’ll leave you with a few camera pictures from today.
Looking South from the Northern tunnel portal through Burton Green. When the tunnel’s finished and the landscaping completed I’d be underground at this point. This section’s been built with gaps in the roof to facilitate construction. When it’s complete the gaps will be filled in and buried underneath several meters of topsoil to match the level of the land to the left. Looking North from the Northern portal along the route of HS2 which will be several meters underground here- but not in tunnel. The crossbeams bracing the walls have been precast locally before being brought to site and craned into position. I’m glad I wasn’t on this one! A rammed 2-car service from Birmingham to Shrewsbury earlier this afternoon. As for bikes, I don’t think so!
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 about the lack of blogs these past couple of days. That’s been due to a rather interesting weekend in Nottingham attending a 21st birthday, with added drama caused by Dawn’s parents getting locked into the bedroom in the apartment we’d rented and the hours it took to break them out! The weekend is worth a blog in itself as so much happened. Hopefully I’ll find a quiet moment to write it up – although that won’t be right now. We got back last night but today we’ve both been back in the thick of it. Dawn’s day’s been spent glued to her computer screen – as has mine. I had to finish judging and marking the ‘It’s your station’ category then catch up with picture editing and planning the rest of the week. Plus, today’s been our 7th wedding anniversary, so quiet celebrations were in order due to the frenetic few days we’ve had – and because Dawn’s looking like she’s going down with the lurgi. Our current plan is to make up for things next weekend.
Tomorrow I’ll be down in the Birmingham area on another HS2 construction visit so expect a rolling blog as the day unfolds. Thankfully, the weather’s finally broken. The dull and dismal weather we’ve endured this past fortnight has given way to clear skies and glorious sunshine. Long may it continue!
Right, it’s time to go as the pair of us have another early start. I’ll leave you with a picture of birthday celebrations. The 21st part was that of Dawn’s niece, Jessica, who’s at University in Nottingham. Naturally, I was asked to bring my camera. Here’s a picture of Jess (hiding in the back, in red) with all her friends at the Cosy Club.
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/
Gawd, what miserable weather. All we’ve seen in the Calder valley (apart from NOT seeing the other side of the valley) has been fog and low cloud that’s felt like we’re living in some dystopian future. Admittedly, after Trumps election and the rate of climate change he’s denying – that future may not be too far away…
Weather aside my day has been spent going through the last entries for the community rail awards in one of the two categories I’m a judge. It’s tough as there’s some fantastic submissions.
Tonight I took a break and headed up to my local pub to join a group of friends who indulge themselves by reading the quizzes from our local pub paper (thanks Stuart, your efforts really are appreciated). Afterwards a few of us discussed the American elections with a Yorkshireman friend who’s just moved back from the USA after many years. His insight was both interesting and depressing. We are about to live through some interesting times. For the moment my focus is on the present. The past is set, but the future has yet to happen – and that’s the bit that interests me – although right now I haven’t got a ‘Scooby Do’ what that looks like.
In the meantime, here’s today’s picture, which is one from a series I took on a little jaunt around Bradford the other day. The city’s railway system is a shadow of of itself. During the heyday of the railways the city was crisscrossed by lines. Here’s the remains of one you can see today, but only if you know where to look.
This is what you might notice on a train from Leeds as it drops down into Bradford Interchange. See that bricked up tunnel to the left? That’s the old line towards Queensbury (one of the few triangular stations in the UK) that finally closed in 1963. The line from here dived under the industrial estate you see in the background. Bradford has a fascinating railway history. I hope to explore more of it soon. Right now, other things take precedence, so expect a new HS2 blog coming soon.
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/
Today’s been one where I’ve managed to cut myself off from the troubles of the world (and the results of the American election) to concentrate on something uplifting. Right now I’m knee-deep in judging the Community Rail Awards 2025 entries, specifically the ‘It’s your station’ category. We’ve had 39 entries this year, many of them from stations which have never applied before. I’ve spent the day reading through the submissions, checking the information supplied and doing my first sift of the entries to see which categories they fall into. Bronze, Silver, Gold or Platinum. I can assure you, it’s nor all about station gardens either. Here’s some of the winners from this years Community Rail Awards.
As always, there’s some fantastic entries. Most of the stations I’m familiar with as I’ve visited them some time in the past (or even recently), a few I don’t really know at all. It doesn’t matter as we judge on the entries, some of which are incredibly inspiring as they showcase the best of the areas they represent and the total cross-section of people involved. Sometimes it’s easy to become jaded and cynical. These people, their achievements and their commitments to their communities restore your faith in humanity – something very much needed right now!
So, today’s picture is a reflection of what I’m seeing, although it’s not from a station that’s entered this year. These are some of the fantastic local history boards on display at Marple station in Cheshire.
I’ve a gallery dedicated to community rail on my Zenfolio picture website. You can find it here.
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 