Tag Archives: Travel

Rolling blog. Off to the North again…

19 Thursday Jun 2025

Posted by in London, Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

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07:00.

After two lovely days in London catching up with old stomping grounds (and old friends) it’s time to head back up North for a while. Admittedly, I’m doing so at an ungodly hour. Having caught a silly o’ clock bus from Streatham to Brixton and arriving in time to catch the first tube train of the day to get me to Euston I’m now flying North aboard one of Siemens finest class 350s as far as Crewe along a route that I’ve always considered as ‘home’ – the West Coast Main Line. It has so many memories attached to it, both business and pleasure.

It’s rare to see Euston this quiet. But check out the time..

Today’s another where the sunshine’s going to be cracking the flags. It’s only early but we’re already in T-shirt and shorts temperatures. I’ll be blogging on and off throughout the day, as the mood, trains and wifi take me. This trip is another where conditions are just too good to spend the trip glued to a laptop. Instead I’m going to enjoy window-gazing, with music as a soundtrack. So far I’ve had the Moody Blues, Paloma Faith and the Rolling Stones for company…

07:45.

We’ve just left Rugby, a station and town that has a huge place in my memories – for all sorts of reasons. Here’s two (rail connected) ones. Taking pictures of young professionals ‘speed dating’ on a Virgin Pendolino from London before they returned to London back in 2005. Later that year I spent much of Xmas and Boxing day stood in the middle of the tracks during an infamous Network Rail blockade which was part of the West Coast Route Upgrade. It didn’t go well…

08:33.

We’ve arrived at Stafford under cloudless skies. Remember I talked about trackside at Rugby? Ten years later I ended up doing the same thing here, spending much of 2014-15 splitting my time between major rail upgrades here and at Watford Junction. If I remember rightly, Xmas day 2014 was spent in a hotel here between shifts. Oh, this section of the journey’s musical accompaniment is ‘the best of Meatloaf’…

17:30.

Cor, is it that time already? My trip to Crewe was faultless. I had time to spare so I enjoyed wandering around a station I’ve known since my early teens. Admittedly, it’s changed a bit since then! Mail and parcels traffic (along with the associated infrastructure) is long gone. The diesel locomotive depot hangs on in private hands but it’s not the same. The massive  lighting tower remains- but without lights – or the thousands of Starlings that used it as a roost.

Despite everything that’s happened over the decades (or, in the case of HS2 -what hasn’t happened) Crewe remains an important railway junction.

I moved on aboard a local Northern trains service to Manchester which was operated by a repainted but unrefurbished ex-West Mids Class 323. Now I’m taking time out in Maanchester where the sun’s cracking the flags in the same way it did in London yesterday. The heat’s starting to cause problems for the railway due to lineside fires and the threat of buckled rails. At Least all I have to do is make it back across the Pennines for now.


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

Rolling blog. A capital day…

18 Wednesday Jun 2025

Posted by in London, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

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08:15.

My day’s begun here is leafy South London. I’ve stayed in Streatham, where an old friend has moved to from his former home in Clapham. Today’s plan is to spend the day exploring old haunts on the 3rd rail network before nipping North of the Thames, heading back into central London. It’s a beautiful day here, with wall to wall sunshine. – ideal for photography.

One of the train fleets I’ll be looking at is the old BR built Class 465-466s operated by South Eastern. These are gradually being withdrawn or stored, with the whole class due to be replaced in the next few years. Here’s one from yesterday, at St Johns.

I’ll be blogging throughout the day, so feel free to pop in and see what I get up to…

11:15.

I didn’t make it far, but that’s because I’d forgotten just how much fun pootling around on the South London suburban network actually is. Admittedly, I miss Southern’s old Class 455s, but as they’ve been replaced by more modern, air-conditioned stock with plug sockets – I doubt many other passengers do.

I moved two stops to Crystal Palace, a magnificent junction station with a rich Victorian history and home to one of the two TV towers that dominated the city.  The other being another palace (Alexandra), which I lived in the shadow of for many years.

19:30.

Apologies for the gap, but I’ve been having a wonderful day discovering new places across South London whilst also checking out some familiar territory. A warning to any right-wingers reading this. I love multicultural London in all its diversity. It’s a breath of fresh air after the staleness of some parts of the UK.

Having left Crystal Palace I checked into another Junction (Norwood) only to find what was once a good spot for taking pictures is now overgrown. Never mind, there’s other opportunities. Businesses around the junction have obviously suffered these past few years with many empty retail units, but there’s still a lot of life.

Heading on, I caught a train to West Croydon – another old haunt from when I fist started coming to London solo back in the 1970s. I used to stay with an ex-girlfriend in a shared house just down the road in Wallington. My, how things have changed! I came here to take a few spins on the Croydon tram network, a system I was well overdue for visiting. I ended up taking pictures at several locations, including Croydon East, before stopping off several times on my way through to Beckenham Junction.

Trams old and new in central Croydon.

Croydon, like many multicultural areas get a slating from the right-wing. Is it the land of milk and honey – obviously not, but I love the diversity and vibrancy of places like this. By West Croydon station I popped into the bus station cafe cafe staffed by two young women which offered a great range of food – including some delicious veggie Samosas. Sure, there’s lots of fast-food outlets, but there’s also lots of shops selling fresh ingredients, be it vegetable, meat or fish. Far more than back in staid old West Yorkshire. I noticed a number of shops selling wet fish – something that’s very difficult to buy at home nowadays.

Of course, dominating the whole area has been the TV tower. Wherever I went it was omnipresent (as you’ll see in the pictures later). It was only when I escaped into the city and Thameside that other structures took over. Like this view – which I never tire of…

The square mile bakes in the sun.

Now, after baking in the sun for much of the day I’m taking time out at where I’m staying in order to recharge mine (and other) batteries whilst having helped out a couple of other friends who’re staying here tonight. The group (sans me) are off to a black tie dinner in central London, so I’ve been playing butler, ensuring that everyone is suitably attired. Now I’m taking a break to catch up with this blog and download some pictures.

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

Rolling blog. Back to London…

17 Tuesday Jun 2025

Posted by in London, Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, Travel

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08.30.

I’m on another Grand Central service from  Halifax to London, only this time my visit is less than fleeting. The weather over the next few days promises to be ideal for photography – if not for strenuous exercise as the capital will be treated to temperatures in the very high 20s. Even so,   I’m looking forward to it as I have clothes suitable. Thankfully, the thermometer wasn’t so high here in West Yorkshire as I walked to the station as I’m dressed for a more formal occasion first.

But right now it’s time to relax and enjoy the journey South.

Another 200 miles of Adelante action..

10:00.

Having bimbled through West Yorkshire’s byways of industrial heritage and rural retreats we’ve left Doncaster to speed down the East Coast Main Line to London. My car is around 80-85 full – not bad loadings for a Tuesday. There’s a real mixture of people, from businessmen, families and pensioners (oh, shit – that’s nearly me!). What’s good to see is the number of people of all ages who’re reading books rather than staring at screens. Me? I’ve briefly logged on to update the blog. Most of my trip as been spent offline indulging i n something I don’t do enough off – listen to music. Right now I’m being transported to different countries and eras in my life by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

16:30.

Well, that was a long lunch! This year, the annual Siemens press event was held at Langans Brasserie in Mayfair. It started at 13:00 and I’ve just left – although others still remain. It’s a first-class event as it gives trade journalists access to Siemens UK senior management team, along with company staff across the echelons. It’s an informal do where staff rotate between (delicious) courses to allow as much access as possible. It’s always well-attended, and this year was no different. Meaning it’s also a good time to catch up with colleagues. I’ll add a couple of pictures later. Right now, I’m taking five in Green Park in order to soak up some sunshine, update this blog and check a few emails.

00:30.

Mind the gap! Technically it’s now another day, but as it’s been a busy one I wanted to bring this blog to a close with a few more pictures. After leaving Green Park I walked through central London, exploring old haunts in the city which I loved living in for so many years. The fact the weather was hot and sticky just added to my memories. I’ll explain more tomorrow as I have a full day to do so. Having hit Charing Cross I did a minor detour by rail to St John’s to update pictures. Now they illustrate just how much central Lewisham has become another suburban skyscraper satellite of central London.

Here’s another couple of shots from the day.

Sambit Banerjee, Joint CEO of Siemens Mobility in the UK, reflected in a mirror at Langans Brasserie as he addresses UK rail trade press journalists.
I forgot to mention this. When I was at Kings Cross earlier security and crowd control was very tight because of this. The India cricket team arrived to catch the train to Leeds, where they’ll be playing.

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

The start to a busy week…

16 Monday Jun 2025

Posted by in Community rail, Huddersfield, Photography, Railways, Travel

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I’d intended this to be a rolling blog because I was out early this morning as I had a commission in Huddersfield involving the start of Better Transport Week 2025. As is my wont I headed over there from Halifax in plenty of time, with the intention of having a look at TRU upgrade work after the gig. Ha! Today was one of those days where technology throws you a curved ball. On arrival at Huddersfield I tried to download pictures from the camera into the laptop – only to find the two were going through a divorce and wouldn’t talk to each other! I tried a couple of different USB cables, all to no avail. So, that buggered things up to start with as I was on a deadline.

The camera performed faultlessly during the job, but try as I might, I couldn’t get the two machines to kiss and make-up. Eventually I had to give up and head home many hours early in order to be close to home spares. Sure enough, after trying yet another cable out of my spares cabinet the pictures transferred perfectly! There was great rejoicing (and not a little swearing).

Now the evening’s wearing on and I’m almost packed for my next series of travels. Tomorrow I return to London for a couple of days, starting with a press lunch (but more of that tomorrow as and when it happens), after which I’ll be exploring old haunts from my time as a London resident. In the meantime, here’s a couple of pictures from today.

I’d arrived in Huddersfield with time to spare before the gig started, so I went for a wander around Huddersfield old market. It’s a fantastic old Victorian building which is still full of colour thanks to the fruit and veg and cloth stalls.
The massed ranks of folks outside Huddersfield station celebrating the start of better Transport week.

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

Rolling blog. A day out in London…

13 Friday Jun 2025

Posted by in London, Photography, Railways, Rolling blogs, Transport, Travel

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08:00.

It’s time for a day out in the metropolis, catching up with old friends and updating library shots of the capital’s railways. Right now I’m at Halifax station waiting for Grand Central’s 08:11 service to King’s Cross. I’ll be blogging throughout the day so feel free to pop back and see what I get up to…

08:30.

I’m now heading South (well, East right now) aboard one of Grand Central’s old Class 180 ‘Coradia’ diesel units built by Alstom back at the beginning of privatisation. These 5-car, 125mph cast offs from First Great Western have been the backbone of GCs West Riding services since it began in May 2010. They’re comfortable, if not always reliable and will be replaced in a few years time by a new fleet of nine brand new tri-modes built by Hitachi which are due to enter service in 2028.

180102 arrives at Halifax from Bradford, past the old flour mills that are now part of the confectionary plant which produces ‘Quality Street’ and ‘after eight’ mints. The abandoned signalbox is on the left, where the line once diverged through Halifax to Queensbury.
Today’s mobile office. ‘Coradia’ saloons have always been rated for passenger comfort, either these Class 180s or their sisters, the Class 175s.

Our meander through West Yorkshires backwaters enables me to check out some of the work on the Trans-Pennine Route upgrade (TRU). The most significant change I’ve seen so far has been at Mirfield where the steelwork for the new footbridge from the carpark to the island platform has been installed. I can see that I need another trip out along the route as TRU work is really starting to gather speed. Another major change although slightly off route are the preparations for the reopening of the old Healey Mills yard, where a fan of sidings have been relaid in order to be used for engineers trains – although nothing has appeared yet.

09:05.

We’re now out in the wilds on our way to ‘Pontycarlo’ (as Pontefract is disparagingly known) having left Wakefield Kirkgate, a station which Grand Central has invested substantial sums in. As we left we passed a pair of new stabling sidings and staff accommodation which was installed by DB a few years ago but never really used. The tracks are rusty, not having seen trains for quite some time.

My trip’s been enlivened by meeting an old friend. Javid, the Train Manager is one of the original Grand Central staff who’s been with the company since the West Riding service started. It’s been lovely to catch up with him and swap news. Many of the ‘old guard’ have moved on, with several of the people I knew having moved up grades to become train drivers, either with GC or other companies like Northern. Apparently, GC are expecting to hear news about their application for a fifth Bradford – London path this afternoon. I hope they succeed.

09:20.

Having stopped at Ponty (where hardly anyone got on) we headed on past Knottingley, which was once a major railway depot that serviced the Yorkshire coalfields. The DB depot is a shadow of its former self now (I came here recently) as all the coal traffic has vanished but the shed hosted several locos – more than I’ve seen for a while. Just down the road from here was Britain’s last deep coal mine. Kellingley. It closed a decade ago – something that populist politician Nigel Farage is completely unaware of when he makes impossible promises like the idea he’s going to reopen South Wales Steelworks and coal mines, really? Sadly, he seems to have a ready supply of fools who believe everything and anything he says.

Of course, the curse of right-wing political populism isn’t just restricted to making impossible economic promises. For some time now the right-wing have been portraying London as some rundown multicultural hellhole that no-one in their right mind would want to live in or visit. Nothing to do with the fact it’s voted for a Mayor who just happens to be a Muslim (three times) of course. Here’s an example from Twitter.

As someone who was a Londoner for 25 years (when it really was rough) I can assure you that this is complete bollocks. Part of me has to laugh at English ‘patriots’ who spend so much time disparaging the country they supposedly love. ‘Benonwine’ has history. Like many of these accounts (many of whom aren’t even UK based) they’ve found a way of making money by ‘rage-farming’. Posting incendiary (often racist) stuff on Twitter and other platforms. Only it backfired on Ben. Ben worked for Waitrose in Henley-on-Thames and got found out. So they sacked him! He’s now ‘benonthedole’. Like most of these grifters he appealed for donations to fight his sacking and various dim people contributed. Just like they donate to that arch-grifter and jailbird Stephen Yaxley Lennon (aka Tommy Robinson). The old adage that a fool and their money are easily parted is never more in evidence than when it comes to the far-right. These people have tapped a rich seam of mugs to dumb to realise they’re being used.

So, will I be in fear of my life when I reach London? Give over!

10:15.

A few minutes ago we sped past Grantham (the best way to visit), now we’re almost hitting our maximum speed of 125mph under clear skies – and signals! The lineside is looking fecund right now as crops and trees have benefitted from recent rains. This is Britain at its most picturesque and there’s no better way to admire it then through the window of a train.

11:45.

I’ve arrived in London and met up with the first member of our merry gang. We’ve not been mugged or stabbed yet, much to ‘Benonwine’ disappointment…

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

Rolling blog. Out and about…

04 Wednesday Jun 2025

Posted by in Photography, Politics, Railways, Rolling blogs, Transport, Uncategorized, West Yorkshire

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10:25.

Today’s the only dry and sunny day we’re going to have in the Pennines this week, so I’m off out with the camera. It’s rather appropriate as today the Government have announced massive investment in public transport across the region, including funding for the long hoped for Leeds tram network – amongst other things (more of which later).

Right now I’ve made it to Bradford – which will eventually be on the end of the tram line from Leeds. I’m at Bradford Forster Square heading for Shipley where I’ll take a break to update a few pictures.

12:00.

I’m still at Shipley, the UK’s last remaining triangular station. The reason being, it’s proved to be rather busy. From the May timetable change, LNER began running regular services to Bradford Forster Square, which has added more variety. Plus, charter company West Coast railways  had a Carnforth to Great Yarmouth ‘Northern Belle’ dining train scheduled, which was worth hanging around for. Having had time to mooch around meant I noticed a few other things, like this.

A SPAD (Signal Passed At Danger) repeater. Easily identified by their blue hoods, these signals were once common at locations where drivers were likely to overshoot signals. Most have disappeared.

How’s this for a vintage survivor? Regional Railways Noth East ceased to exist back in the 1990s!

A train from Bradford Forster Square to Skipton calls at platform 5 at Shipley. Whilst the other sides of the triangle are double track, this is nowadays a single line as the opposite track and platform were abandoned in the 1980s.
Former Virgin ‘Thunderbird’ 57314, now named ‘Conwy Castle’ hauls empty stock from Carnforth to Great Yarmouth through Shipley.

13:35.

Having made it to Leeds I’m taking a break to do some admin work whilst considering my next options – which are a little restricted due to Trans-Pennine Route upgrade ‘bustitutions’ and the fact some of the things I’d hoped to photograph haven’t happened. On the plus side, I did find this opportunity as soon as I arrived.

Former Colas but now operated by GBRf, 60047 waits for the road at Leeds whilst working an empty stone train from Hull Dairycoates to Rylstone.

16:00.

I’ve decided to curtail my travels and channel my inner-child by becoming a platform-ender at Leeds. Since I’ve lived in this neck of the woods I’ve explored all the rail lines across Yorkshire, so there’s little for me to discover. Plus, the weather hasn’t quite worked out the way I’d hoped. Instead, I’m going to enjoy a few hours watching the world go by at Yorkshire’s premier railway station (cue squeals of outrage from York). Mind you, half the fun of being here is watching people as much as trains..

I was lucky enough to capture the first of the two Class 150 variants passing each other earlier – whilst a modern Hitachi train looks on. These BR built units are reaching the end of their lives and the process of replacing them has begun.

18:45.

Homeward bound. Well, via Bradford and a stroll twixt Forster Square and Interchange! I had intended to post a few mire pictures from Leeds, but the station wifi decided not to play ball. I’ll add them when I get home. Right now, I’m aboard one of the unique bubble-fronted Class 332s built by Siemens/CAF that you can only find working the Leeds/Bradford/Ilkley/Skipton circuit. Their Class 333 cousins used to work Heathrow Express services from Paddington, but they met their end several years ago. My train’s well  patronised, but then, as it’s the first post-peak fare service that’s hardly surprising.

My train and a sister unit at Forster Square.

19:40.

I arrived at Forster Square just in time to negotiate my way through the ranks of the city’s homeless and poor who were queuing up for hot drinks and second hand clothes that were being distributed by local charities. There’s a lot of money being invested in the cities infrastructure and transport, but decades of poverty, homelessness, and lack of opportunity are not so easy a nut to crack.

Now I’m aboard my last train of the day – a Class 150/2 working the Bradford – Huddersfield shuttle.

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

3rd June picture of the day…

03 Tuesday Jun 2025

Posted by in Musings, Photography, Picture of the day, Railways

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I’ve had a busy but uneventful here at Bigland Towers. I was up early as i had to wander down into Sowerby Bridge in the pouring rain for an 08:40 doctors appointment. Nothing serious – just an annual MOT in which they check my weight and blood pressure (all OK), take blood samples to check my cholesterol and if I have diabetes (no worries there) then ask me awkward questions about how much I drink (too much). Apparently, if I’m dying, they’ll let me know by Friday! Jokes aside, I can’t fault the service we get from our local GP.

By the time I’d picked up some shopping the weather had brightened up so my perambulations along the canal and through thr woods to home were quite enjoyable. What wasn’t so much fun was spending much of the rest of the day trying to copy pictures and files of a recalcitrant portable hard-drive onto a new (bigger) version. I may have sworn a lot through the afternoon! Everything seems to be going swimmingly, tens of GB of files are being copied, then it has a hissy-fit and decides it doesn’t like one particular picture, then goes on strike – and takes ages to stop sulking.

On the bright side, I now have smoother access to a potable backup of old picture files dating back 20 odd years. Admittedly, some of them really do need sifting through as there’s old pictures which have never seen the light of day on my Zenfolio website as I’ve always been too busy to go through the numerous files. Like scanning my 1000s of slides, that was always a project for the future, now the future’s not that far away.

Part of me wants to get all my digital archive on one single mahoosive hard-drive, but what if that fails? I’ve always tried to keep things backed up in triplicate but that means I’ve a lot of hard-drives knocking around the place. Admittedly, the price of kit has come down a lot over the past 20 years. What I need to do now is edit all the ones I’ve got into one master database which I can copy. Sounds simple, doesn’t it? It isn’t when you’ve worked as a professional photographer since the age of film! That’s a shit-load of pictures, commissions, countries, styles and media calls. Anyway, it’s something to keep me amused with in the future. Right now I’m bust wrestling with this maerdy hard-drive whilst arranging the next few weeks of commissions and events.

Tonight I’ll leave you with one picture dredged up from the past.

On the 10th December 2005 a BR-built Class 317 calls at Broxbourne, Hertfordshire on its way from Cambridge to Liverpool St. All these units have now gone for scrap with the former Anglia franchise (which this route is part of) having replaced its entire train fleet over the past 5 years.

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

By the seaside (day 2)…

02 Monday Jun 2025

Posted by in Food and drink, Photography, Southport, Travel

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Yesterday was our second day at the seaside and one where we didn’t actually see the sea – but that’s not unusual in Southport – a town notorious for how far out the sea disappears to! We had a leisurely morning at the hotel we were staying in as there was no need to rush. The food and drink festival didn’t open until 10 so we could take out time. Typically, just as we left the hotel it started raining! The forecast had threatened showers but later in the day so we were rather glad to get ’em out of the way earlier as that promised better weather later. Sure enough, by the time us early-birds hit the festival the weather began to brighten up – although gusty winds caused a few nerves amongst the stallholders who had tents rather than more substantial structures.

I’d never attended this particular food and drink festival before so I was surprised at its sheer size. There were dozens of food stalls along with craft shops and people selling produce such as local honey. Kids were kept entertained with a selection of bouncy castles, bungy swings and sundry other devices. Victoria park covers a large area so there was plenty of space available for the ranks of stalls and associated tables.

We’d arranged to meet my niece there, but what I hadn’t realised was that she worked for the charity that arranges this and all the other major events held in the park – like the Southport flower show! We ended up spending a very enjoyable couple of hours catching up with her and her husband (who’d drifted in after work) as the park gradually filled up. Here’s a few pictures to give a flavour.

The beauty of caravans – they can’t blow away!
Thai pies? Hmm…
Making the most of the seating – although a lot of old hands brought their own chairs.
By the time we left the place was getting very busy indeed…

The event’s obviously very popular, but I was a little disappointed at the lack of variety in the food. Yes, there were all the fast-food favorites but when it came to world food the variety and authenticity was poor. For example, one curry house was obviously amending South Indian dishes for western tastes. It meant there was little to temp us as we both enjoy cooking, so nothing stood out. In the end we plumped for a hog roast. Still, it was great to see Southport putting on such a successful event.

By early afternoon we were ready to leave and headed back across the West Lancashire plain, stopping off once en-route at the Ship at Lathom, a busy little pub on the banks of the Rufford arm of the Leeds and Liverpool canal. It’s popular with foodies, drinkers and walkers of all ages.

The Ship at Lathom

Sticking to the motorways we made it home in a little over an hour after leaving Lathom. It was an impromptu weekend, but great to catch up with some of my ‘rellies’. I won’t leave it as long next time…

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

By the seaside (day 1)…

31 Saturday May 2025

Posted by in Food and drink, Musings, Photography, Railways, Southport, Travel

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The pair of us have abandoned West Yorkshire and the Pennines in favour of a weekend by the seaside. We’ve travelled West to Southport, the town where I grew up in and where the rest of my family live – some of whom we’re seeing this weekend. It’s also chance for Dawn to discover more of what the town and surrounding West Lancashire plain have to offer. We stopped off for lunch en-route, calling in at Parbold, a village on the railway line from Wigan to Southport. It’s a pretty little place that’s bisected by the Leeds and Liverpool canal as well as the railway. There’s a lovely pub next door to the canal called the Windmill, named after the old sail-powered cornmill which it shelters in the shadow of. Both the pub’s beers and food are worth sampling. I enjoyed a decent pint of Moorhouses ‘White Witch’ and the fish and chips (which Dawn also plumped for). The fish was very good and the batter just right – as were the portion sizes. We felt stuffed afterwards!

As we’d not visited Parbold for a while we took time to explore, see the changes and (of course) get a couple of pictures at the station!

Bi-mode 769448 passes the lovely old signalbox at Parbold. The unit is working a Southport – Stalybridge service.
Sadly, the attractive station building is vacant and slowly decaying.

Moving on we drove along the back roads through to Burscough before heading across the moss to Southport. Having checked checked into out hotel just off the promenade we set out to meet my younger sister for a couple of hours of catching-up on family and other news. Town was busy, but we managed to find a sunny spot outside the Bold Hotel on Lord St which was also an ideal place to watch the world go by.

Time flew. Anne had to leave to meet her partner, so Dawn and I set out to explore more of the town and for me to introduce her to some of my old haunts and childhood recollections. Talk about a trip down memory lane! My impression is that – after years of decline, there’s signs of new life and recovery in Southport. But it’s patchy. The place is no longer about shopping, it’s about eating and drinking. All the department stores are long gone and many shops remain empty, but there’s restoration work ongoing and Lord St was lined with people eating and drinking alfresco outside the many bars and restaurants.

Now we’re back at the hotel, having a quiet night relaxing before more of the same tomorrow – plus a visit to the food and drink festival, which neither of us have attended before.

Here’s a few more pictures to end the day.

The gorgeous Wayfarers arcade on Lord St. Many of the shops are vacant, but there’s signs of revival with the arcade being used for artistic events
I couldn’t resist a visit to this pub. The ‘Guest House’ is a bit of a Southport institution. It was also my Father’s local and the pub where I learned to drink!

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

The blogger returns…

29 Thursday May 2025

Posted by in Musings, Politics, West Yorkshire

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Please accept my apologies for a prolonged absence, this has been due to a number of factors, but now I’m back to look over a world that seems to be getting madder and more bizarre than ever. My time away has been spent here at home in West Yorkshire where the long dry spell and constant sunshine has been replaced with grey skies, wind and rain. The rain’s been very welcome, especially as it’s not resulted in any flooding or mayhem. That said, it’s still nowhere near enough to fill the reservoirs, but the landscape is looking far less scorched and brown than it was. Now the valley’s displaying a multitude of shades of green and I’m spared a daily chore of dashing around with a watering can (for now at least). The winds have been a different matter, they’ve shredded a lot of trees, leaving forest paths littered with destroyed foliage and ripped off branches. Thankfully, I was prepared and my Lupins and other tall plants were already staked and tied in advance.

Whilst the weather’s changed the craziness of the political arena (both home and abroad) hasn’t. The orange felon in control of the White House is still as unpredictable and incoherent as ever. It’s excruciating to watch his TV interviews and pronouncements as it’s clear that Trump has all the intelligence of an amoeba. I look on with a mix of amusement and horror that such an ignorant narcissist can become the President of the most powerful country on earth – although he seems to be doing his best to ensure the US soon loses that appellation.

Meanwhile, here in the UK we have our own Poundshop version of Trump in the form of the ‘Fagash Fuhrer’, Nigel Farage. Like Trump, he has a cultlike following. Both followings have something in common. Poor education and a willingness to believe whatever nonsense their heroes feed them. Farage latest grift (Reform UK) is doing very well in the pools, but not so well in running the local councils they find themselves running. The only reason they haven’t made a complete balls-up of things (yet) is how many of their elected Councillors (and the Mayor of Lincs) are actually rebadged and recycled Tories. The ‘newbies’ are less fortunate (and even more incompetent competent) as there’s a steady stream of revelations about unsavory pasts that have led to a constant stream of suspensions or resignations – or new Councillors just not turning up and vanishing!

So, it’s been an interesting week. Next week will see me back on my travels as I have a few events to attend. Plus, Dawn and I are heading over to Southport for the weekend where we’ll have chance to catch up with some members of my family, friends – and attend the food and drink festival.

Expect regular blogs from herein…

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