Following yesterday’s less than athletic day this morning we decided to make the most of Sunday by walking from Sowerby Bridge to Hebden Bridge along the Rochdale canal – a walk we’ve not done together for ages. I packed us a *teacake lunch to take with us and we set off in gorgeous weather but in the knowledge thunderstorms were predicted for later in the day.
It was a lovely walk but the bizarre thing was that we didn’t see a single boat movement along the entire stretch of the canal. There were a few hired narrowboats around that were making their way back to the base at Sowerby Bridge, but there wasn’t a single boat that wasn’t moored up. The only action the canal saw (apart from one family in a canoe) was on the towpath which was busy with walkers and cyclists. Oh, and a bat. We couldn’t believe it when we first spotted the little critter on a stretch of the canal surrounded by woodland. But there it was – bold as brass – in the middle of the afternoon, circling and pirouetting over small section of canal as it chased and caught insects for lunch. I’ve seen Fruit Bats in Asia out during the day, but I’ve never seen British bats feeding like this. I couldn’t get any decent pictures, but I did manage to capture this video on my phone. Not easy!
Having stopped to eat a sandwich and watch the world go by at one of the locks East of Mytholmroyd we wer fortified enough to continue the walk into Hebden which was busy but not oppressively so. We explored some of the shops and main street before stopping to buy a drink at the White Swan pub then sit outside on the banks of the Hebden Beck to indulge in a spot of people watching.
Time flew. Before we knew it the weather had turned and the sky had darkened as the Thunderstorms predicted earlier headed our way. We’d already walked a fair distance so rather then getting soaked retracing our steps we decided to catch the train back to Sowerby Bridge and walk home from there. It was a good move as we managed to get ahead of the weather front and make it most of the way home without getting soaked. Well, on the outside anyway. We did make a minor detour into the Wainhouse Tavern where a group of friends were playing pool. I joined in for a few games whilst Dee provided the supportive audience!
Now the pair of us are back at home and it’s time to end the day – and week – in relaxation mode. But first I’ll leave you with a few pictures from the day. See you all tomorrow…
The canal can be quite spooky at times, especially when you come across abandoned mills and places like this at Luddendon foot.Not a bad place to sit whilst you eat your sandwiches…Hebden Bridge…
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 spent the week working from home I’ve decided to make the most of the sunshine and get out and about with the camera. I’ve a whole list of places to visit and things to do, but today I’ve decided to head over to parts of the West Coast Main Line and the Midlands to update the library and also add pictures for a client’s list.
I’m currently on Northern’s 09:22 from Sowerby Bridge to Chester which I’m taking as far as Warrington Bank Quay. Formed of a 2-car Class 195 it’s been a busy little train all the way through the Calder valley as far as Manchester Victoria where many punters departed, only to be replaced by a smaller number of travellers heading West. The extra space has allowed me to set up my ‘mobile office’ in a free table bay and start this blog.
Right now we’re threading our way through the ever-growing skyline of Manchester and Salford. It’s such a contrast to the city I remember as a teenager in the 1970s, when the city seemed to be in permanent decline. How times change! Now, even long-derelict areas like the old canal basin at Middlewood locks adjacent to the railway line in Salford are being covered in new 8-storey apartment blocks.
10:55.
The rest of my trip to Warrington was relaxed and uneventful. On arrival at Bank Quay I only had time to grab a quick shot of my train before my onward connection arrived at the adjacent platform in the shape of 11 car Pendolino 390118.
Off one, onto another…
Whilst I’m not a great fan of the new seats on the refurbished Pendolino seats but I do like the positioning of the airline seat power sockets and table arrangement.
11:30.
Ah, the fun of Crewe! I arrived on plenty of time to catch my onward connection and even had time to grab a few shots of trains under the skeletal canopies that ‘cover’ the stations Southern bays. The shadows their rusted ribs cast are quite atmospheric. I was here at a busy moment with trains aplenty. Pendolinos kept arriving from North and South whilst a Transport for Wales Class 67 loco-hauled set added to the atmosphere – and noise!
“The train not arriving at platform 7″…Appearing to have been freshly painted in TfW livery but not yet rebranded 67008 leaves Crewe for Shrewsbury and Cardiff.
I was here to catch the 11:13 London Northwestern service South. Well, me and a couple of hundred other people huudled on platform 7 waiting its arrival as it was late. Just to keep us active it was announced the set would roll into platform 4, which led to sheep-like scenes as everyone had to traipse over the footbridge to get there!
Today’s train was short-formed of a single Class 350/2 which looked like ot could be ‘cosy’ so I sprinted to the front car. Most folk couldn’t be bothered and crammed in the rear cars so whilst this coach is busy I’ve plenty of space – but no table, USB or power sockets as these sets aren’t fitted with such luxuries.
11:55.
All was well until we arrived at Stafford where dozens of people were waiting. I was quickly surrounded by a bevy of well-dressed and spoken women heading for a day out. Well, it’s better than the old days of catching trains back North from Euston on a Friday evening. The ‘sweaty socks and spirit levels’ express as a female friend described the Liverpool train!
15:10.
The past few hours have been fun as I’ve been exploring lines I rarely use as well as (very) old haunts. The group of ladies I shared a coach with turned out to be a bridal froup heading to London via the slow train. I left them behind at Rugeley Trent Valley station South of Stafford. It’s a useful photographic location as the reverse curves here show off the Pendolinos tilting prowess to good effect. It’s also the junction for the line through Cannock to Walsall, Wolverhampton and Birmingham. Having been electrified in recent years the line’s now graced with a 30 minute service, so I couldn’t resist a spin to visit a station I’ve never been to before – Rugeley Town. It’s a modest station in a modest town. Staying long enough to get some pictures you’ll see later I headed on to Walsall…
I remember Walsall. Well, sort of. I lodged here in 1977 in the far-off days of Labour Exchanges, when the government would actually pay for you to look for work. I’d been training as an apprentice Locksmith up in Southport but lost the job. The Labour exchange gave me a rail travel warrant, arranged accommodation for me in Walsall and arranged a series of interviews for me in nearby Willenhall – the centre of the UK lock trade, where all the big companies (Yale, Chubb etc) wrre based. I stayed for a week, then decided this was’t for me. So, getting off the train as Walsall today I couldn’t resist a quick look around the station and town centre. I didn’t recognise or remember a damn thing! Well, it was over 40 years ago and I’ve been to a lot of places since!
The first building I saw outside the station. Great top floors – shame about the awful shopfront.My carriage awaits. Going from Walsall to Wolverhampton the long way round via Birmingham New St.
21:30.
I’m now back at home having travelled into Birmingham via Bescot, past the HS2 station work at Curzon St, then on to Stafford for a quick break before catching a packed Cross-Country Voyager back to Manchester. Leaving the station I bumped into Ian Brown, former MD of London Rail under Transport for London. The two of us discussed various railway woes as we walked across to Piccadilly Gardens where we went out separate ways. Him to his brothers and me to Victoria to catch the train back to West Yorkshire.
I’ll fill in some of the gaps in this blog tomorrow. Right now I’m going to add a few more pictures as a taster.
A pair of the new Class 730s (730040 and 730004) on test between Crewe and Nuneaton, seen at Rugeley Trent Valley. 390112 begins to accelerate after being brought to a halt at Rugeley Trent Valley by a signal check. The joy of a Cross-Country Voyager on a Friday afternoon…
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Here I am, almost in July – wondering where the bloody hell the year’s going! 2023’s certainly had its interesting moments so far, but I feel that I’ve a long list of things I want to do/see/achieve and I’m only scratching the surface in a race against time.
I’d intended to get out and about today but realised I’d more than enough things to do here at Bigland Towers – especially as I had a couple of hours set aside this afternoon to be part of a ‘Zoom’ seminar. Us Community Rail judges have made ourselves available on 2-hour long scheduled Q&A sessions to help people with their entries for the CRN awards. After the last one I’d contemplated holding the surgery whilst I was travelling but that wouldn’t have been fair on those popping in as you just know technology would let you down at the crucial moment.
So, I stayed at home, ignored the good(ish) weather and edited loads of pictures and dealt with paperwork instead. You can find the latest batch of pictures in the following galleries. Railway stations are here, whilst railway infrastructure and engineering is here. Borth galleries relate to my travels yesterday.
This evening I’ve been busy in the kitchen, giving Dawn a break after her culinary endeavors on our Norfolk holiday. Tonight’s effort was batch-cooking Thai green curry with chicken, which should keep us well fed for a few days and the freezer topped up for the future.
Of course, tomorrow’s another day. Will I make it out anywhere? Let’s wait and see. In the meantime, here’s today’s picture. As I was wading through the archives earlier I realised there’s one batch of pictures I still haven’t done anything with. These are the transport pictures from our visit to Turkey nearly two months ago. Eventually, they’ll go in their own gallery on my Zenfolio website, but for now, here’s a taste.
Modern trams in Sultanhamet Square. If only more cities had this greener form of transport.
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 weather’s finally picking up. Well, it’s stopped raining – so I’m off to have a look at recent work on the Trans-Pennine route upgrade (TRU) for the afternoon.
Having walked down to Sowerby Bridge station I fear I may be overdressed as it’s far warmer and muggier than the forecast suggested, shorts and a vest top would have been better than walking pants, polo shirt and a denim jacket. Today may get sweaty!
I’m currently aboard Northern’s 11:22 to Leeds made up of a pair of Class 158s. I’m not going to complain as the air-conditioning’s welcome! Next stop is Batley, then Morley…
Feel free to pop back and see what I get up to during the day…
11:40.
Our first stop was at Brighouse where I spied half a dozen members of the station friends group buzzing around keeping the place clean and maintaining the garden and planters. The station looks stunning at the moment as everything’s in summer bloom. I really need to pop in and get some pictures whilst I can.
Network Rail have been busy too. Sections of the old 4-track route towards Huddersfield have had some serious vegetation clearence carried out. The work’s removed many large trees and opened up views lost for 30-40 years, as well as having made the lineside safer.
14:00.
Time for a break. Detraining at Batley I walked to the site of Lady Anne Crossing, a former road level crossing that’s been reduced to a foot crossing for several years. It was guarded by one of the last operational signalboxes in West Yorkshire, but it was abolished last weekend as it’s been replaced with a footbridge as part of the TRU. Here’s a few pictures.
Looking across to the ramp that’s been built out of the old GNR railway embankment to allow level access to the footbridge from the Eastern side of the railway. Work’s still in progress to create steps as a shortcut, finish some fencing and minor works as well as landscaping.Seen from the new footbridge, a TPE Class 185 bound for Manchester crosses the site of the old foot crossing. Not the new bi-directional signalling which has been commissioned during the blockade. The new footbridge. This was installed by a rail-mounted crane in four lifts over two days. The decommissioned signalbox. This leaves Horbury Junction box near Wakefield as the last operational signalbox in West Yorkshire.
Next stop was at the new station at Morley which opened on Monday after a 9 day blockade of the line which also allowed the work at Batley to be completed. Well, I say completed – neither is as there’s still cosmetic and other work to be done but the point is the facilities they were replacing have closed. TRU staff have worked hard to get these improvements done on time and the new station at Morley is a great improvement on the cramped old station.
The site of the old station. The footbridge and Huddersfield bound platform have already been demolished and track through the site relaid. A stopping service from Leeds to Huddersfield pulls out of the new station. As can be seen, there’s still a lot of work to be completed. The footbridge has temporary steps and no lift towers. Looking down from the footbridge onto the new platforms at Morley.A TPE service from Huddersfield to Leeds calls at the new platform 1.
16:15.
Things haven’t entirely gone to plan! After a brief stop at Dewsbury to upload pictures and avoid showers I caught a TPE service to Huddersfield and back to check out TRU work as things change on a weekly basis. At the moment a worksite’s being set up West of Deighton where two rail overbridges are to be replaced. The new signalling that’s been commissioned streches East from LNW junction by Ravensthorpe to beyond Morley. Huddersfield itself remains little changed – at the moment. I was only intending to change trains at Dewsbury in order to head back to Brighouse but I got caught up in 30 plus minute delays due to kids trespassing on the lines I’d only just traversed. Now I’m finally on a delayed Northern service heading in the right direction.
21:30.
I stopped off in Halifax en-route to home for a swift libation at the Meandering Bear, a bar in town where some neighbours work. As they were both in I ended up chatting and the swift beer turned into two. Oops!
Name your poison…
Back home I was on cooking duty, learning to use our new Ninja air-fryer. Dawn’s already converted but I’ve yet to get to grips with it, although after a couple of tries I have to say I’m impressed.
I’ll get the hang of it, eventually…
Now it’s time to relax. 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/
It’s another working week back here at Bigland Towers. The holiday and the weekend flew by all too quickly. Now my focus is centred on work, although parts of the holiday were very much the proverbial busman’s. Sunday was in similar vein as I waded through pictures I needed to get out to clients or just place on my website. It wasn’t too much of a problem as the pair of us had no great plans for the day. The weather forecast predicted thunderstorms so there was little point in planning a great outdoors adventure. In the end the predictions were false. Oh, we had some moody skies- but no pyrotechnics – much to our joint disappointment. What we did gate late in the day was some very heavy showers, which saved me the job of watering the gardens so I’m not going to complain! In the evening the pair of us sat down to watch the finale of the Glastonbury festival with the appearance of Elton John, who was excellent. It certainly took me back a bit. I’ve not been to Glastonbury since 2000 and the last time I saw Elton John live was in 1975!
Today’s been another day where I’ve spent much of my time glued to a computer screen. I needed to finish penning my net article for RAIL which is about the ‘3 peaks by rail’ marathon from the other week. You’ll be able to read all about it in RAIL 987 which will hit the newsagents on the 12th July. Tomorrow my work moves online as I’ll be taking part in an online seminar for Community Rail Network as part of my role as one of the CRN awards judges. Hopefully, on Wednesday (weather permitting) I’ll be out and about looking at the latest work on the trans-pennine route upgrade (TRU) before I’m back to online work on Thursday.
In the meantime, expect more blogs to appear as I’m free to write about other stuff just as ‘me’. O, and there’s plenty of pictures to look at too. You’ll find recent railway images from the Anglia network here, travel images here and social issues photography here. There’s more to come when I’ve finished editing other categories later in the week.
I’ll end with the picture of the day which comes from last weeks outings. I found these old wooden-bodied railway coaches just down the road from where we were staying. These were once a common sight around the country from the early part of the last century as railway companies sold off old vehicles to be used for a variety of uses, from chicken coops to holiday homes. Few remain, which is why I was surprised to find these two still in use as part of someone’s home.
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 our last day here in Norfolk before heading back to Yorkshire tomorrow. We’ve been extremely lucky with the weather which has been better than was originally forecast and a damned sight better than the conditions we’ve missed up North where there’s been a lot of rain whilst we’ve had hardly a drop here.
This morning we visited the aviation museum at Norwich which is opposite the airport on the old Norwich Rd. The whole area is part of the former Horsham St Faith RAF base and the museum occupies a small site on the other side of the A1270. Whilst the site may be small, it fits a lot into it. The museum buildings house a fascinating history relating to East Anglian airbases during WW2 with lots of memorabilia, aircraft parts, uniforms and hardware, along with informative displays on what the RAF’s 100 Group got up to during the war. Outside the buildings are the aircraft – large and small – from tiny Cessna’s to the mighty Vulcan bomber and Nimrod maritime aircraft (you can book tours of the inside of both). There’s also various cockpits and engines on display. For those interested in aviation or WW2 it’s a great place to visit.
The Nimrod maritime reconnaissance aircraft is based on the old De-Havilland ‘Comet’ jet airliner from the 1950s. The mighty ‘Vulcan’ V-bomber.
Having nipped back to Cromer for a last afternoon stroll on the pier we returned home to pack before nipping out to eat locally at the Black Boys hotel in nearby Aylsham. This popular pub sits in the centre of town on the market square. The four of us dined here last year and enjoyed it so much we returned again this year. I enjoyed the belly pork – a dish I don’t cook at home, so it’s a treat to have when I’m out.
The diet starts on Monday…
Now it’s time to call it a day before an early start tomorrow in order to finish the packing and begin the trek Northwards. Our time down here has flown but there’s plenty for me to do when we get back so I’m not too sad to leave. After all, there’s always 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/
Apologies for the lack of blogging these past few days but we’re on holiday in Norfolk and I’ve been trying to concentrate on enjoying ourselves. Well, not entirely. I’ve still had to do some work in order to get all the ‘3 peaks by rail’ pictures edited and off to the Railway Children charity and others for a forthcoming article in RAIL magazine, so that’s taken up my evenings rather than blogging. Whilst I’ve been working Dawn’s been enjoying herself in the kitchen, coming up with some wonderful food to feed the four of us.
We’ve been graced with some fabulous weather here in North Norfolk. Back in the Pennines there’s been a lot of rain whilst here we’ve had mostly wall to wall sunshine, leavened by a few clouds. Our days have been spent exploring Cromer and the coast, a trip on the North Norfolk railway and then – yesterday – a sortie over the border into Suffolk to visit Southwold, the lovely seaside town which is home to Adnams brewery. We’ve one day left here before we head back North, so we’re determined to make the most of it. Here’s a few pictures to give you a flavour of the trip.
On Tuesday we enjoyed a couple of trips on the North Norfolk railway behind this beastie, seen here at Holt station.Here’s a classic real ale pub in Cromer. The Red Lion hotel (yes, it also has rooms and serves food). Just a few of the real ales there were on sale during our visit. The pier at Southwold is hardly the grandest (or longest) in the UK, but it’s still a pleasant addition to this seaside retreat.The Sole Bay Inn and lighthouse in Southwold.On the way back from Southwold we stopped at the lovely Rushcutters Arms pub on the Eastern side of Norwich. It has a lovely riverside spot on the river Yare, good beers and a view of the railway. Tonight’s meal cooked by Dawn using fish bought from the excellent Davies Fish Shop in Cromer as well as other local ingredients. From L-R there’s Crevettes, Cromer crab, anchovies and Seabass. That was accompanied by local Asparagus and Dee’s home-made meatballs. Oh, there’s also a tomato salad and scalloped potatoes too…
Don’t worry, once I get back to Yorkshire I’ve lots to blog about, including the latest ‘green’ party anti HS2 lunacy in the first ‘crazy anti HS2 campaigner of the week’ for 2023 – although looking at the way their campaign’s shaping up it won’t be the last…
I’ve a small favour to ask… If you enjoy reading this or any of the other blogs I’ve written, please click on an advert or two. You don’t have to buy anything you don’t want to of course – although if you did find something that tickled your fancy that would be fab! – but the revenue from them helps me to cover some of the cost of maintaining this site (which isn’t cheap and comes out of my own pocket). Remember, 99% of the pictures used in my blogs can be purchased as prints from my other website – https://paulbigland.zenfolio.com/
Well, that was a blast! I’m starting to come down from the buzz of the past few days on ‘3 Peaks by rail’. This morning I heard the fantastic news that the event raised £250,000 for the Railway Children charity which make all the sweat, sprains and sleepless days worthwhile.
Now – after a brief night at home – I’m showered and changed and on my way to Norfolk to catch up with Dawn and her parents at the cottage we’ve rented for the week. I left Halifax on Northern’s 10:03 to Leeds which was (unusually) a five-car train – the first I’ve seen. working the route. I’d hoped to do some writing en-route but the wifi wasn’t working and I couldn’t be bothered setting up the full ‘office’ for the 40 minute journey to Leeds so I relaxed instead. Now I’m on LNER’s 11:05 from Leeds to London as far as Peterborough and editing pictures on the way. I know I’m meant to be on holiday but for freelances that’s an interesting concept as I still have pictures to edit and a magazine article to write! I’m hoping to be able to update yesterdays blog with a few shots later – and (of course) add some pictures to this one too when I’m not dependent on the onboard wifi as (understandably) train companies take a dim view of you file-sharing via their bandwidth.
Right now, we’ve just left Newark, passing a failed Grand Central Class 180 which has been left in disgrace in the sidings. t’s a sad sight. GC are having a torrid time of it at the moment due to such incidents happening on a regular basis. I like the 180s, they’re a good train internally but they’ve suffered with reliability issues throughout their lives. I think it’s time their owners (Angel trains) put them through a life-extension programme and sorted these issues out once and for all. Mind you, it’s not just the 180s that have problems. I’m on a modern nine-car ‘Azuma’ set which has no reservations loaded into the system due to their being a late set-swap. This should have been two-five cars sets so 10 into 9 won’t fit!
13:30.
After a pleasent journey down to an old haunt (Peterborough) I discovered my connection to Norwich was running up to 25 minutes late due to signalling failure – which blew out my next connection and puts me back an hour. Ho hum. The delay gave me time to grab a couple of library pictures before boarding the 2-car Class 158 East Midlands Railway have provided for today’s service. As is tradition with Class 158s the air-conditioning is struggling in the warm weather so I’m glad the train’s only around 60% full.
A London-bound Azuma calls at Peterborough The late-running 12:52 to Norwich
15:45.
Phew! That 158 was like a sauna. Add in the last few days exertions and lack of sleep and I was soon dozing off. I managed to stay awake to observe the lines of stored diesel trains at Potters of Ely, where a number of ex-East Midlands Railway class 156s are laid up which is annoying as Northern could certainly use ’em, but beyond that sleep soon claimed me. I had 50 mins ‘downtime’ at Norwich where I put the camera to use, and now I’m on my way to my final destination – North Walsham – aboard one of the best trains on the UK network, the Stadler built Class 745s.
Someone else had the same idea as me…
The weather here feels muggy with the threat of thunder in the air. A few spots of rain intruded whilst I was waiting for the train but it was half-hearted and never came to anything. I wouldn’t mind a good storm here as you’ll see it for miles in these flatlands.
21:45.
No thunderstorm here in Banningham sadly – just rain. Still, it’s good to be here again although it’s an early night for me and chance to catch-up on some sleep. See you all tomorrow!
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/
So much for plans! I’d originally hoped to be a rolling blog but that idea went out of the window in the early hours of this morning. Shortly afterwards the chance of blogging at all went with it. You’ll learn now why that is.
Like most of the folks on the train I managed to grab between 2-4 hours sleep on the train to Kingussie before we had to disembark at the even more ungodly hour than normal of 02:25 in order to be loaded on coaches which spent the next 90 minutes getting us to the base of Ben Nevis. The logistical challenges of such a short-notice change shouldn’t be underestimated. Once at the mountain and with the teams off up the mountain there wasn’t much for me to do after we’d worked out the only sensible place for the banner teams would have their photo taken behind. So – I donned my midge net, smothered myself in weapons-grade mosquito spray and crashed out of a few hours. At Ben Nevis this is a rare treat as normally the ground will be too wet or the weather too cold. But today I slept like a log for a couple of hours, preparing myself to spring into action when teams started coming down off the mountain.
It was a good move! By the time I woke up the majority of the midges had buggered off leaving the weather as pleasant as I’ve ever known it at Nevis.
Despite all their exertions over the past few days most teams made it up and down the mountain in good time and there were hardly any stragglers which was a real achievement. In fact, the first couple of teams stormed it. The difficulty with this event is that ‘time waits for no man’ although in this you can translate time for trains. A handful of people couldn’t make it off Ben Nevis in time to catch the special so they had to be ferried by road to Dalwhinnie where we picked them up.
The rest of us were coached back to Kingussie where folk decided their priorities. The toilets at the Ben Nevis visitor centre were out of order, so you either added to your intake or made room – rapidly! We were back on the train at 14:25 accompanied to the sounds of the bagpipes – which was a lovely touch and a nod to Katie Mason’s Scottish ancestry. You’ll see from the pictures I’ll add later
The train back South has been a riot! The atmosphere was superb but tinged with sadness as we’re saying goodbye to Katie Mason who’s been the stalwart of the event these past 20 years. The on-board crew did us proud with the service on-board. Mary Grant from Porterbrook (the event sponsor) joined us and yet again braved the sweaty bodies to prevent trophies to the three teams who’s raised the most money. I didn’t stop for a minute as I was constantly in demand to take pictures – either inside the train or out when we could choreograph them.
There’s so many good pictures to show from the event and I’ll add a few when I get home. Right now I’m on a very late running train from Preston to Halifax. I’ve managed to get a table to myself but that may be because I’ve not washed properly since Thursday!
19th June update.
I’ve finally had time to edit some of the pictures, so here’s a first few. The rest will appear over the next few days…
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/
Good morning folks! Our train’s currently traversing the the North Wales coast towards Chester. Those on-board woke up at silly o’ clock as the train left Holyhead at 03:55. Volunteers immediately swung into action to begin preparing for arrival at Bangor where we’d pick up the walkers. This year the weather’s been ideal so for the first time in many years the teams were already waiting for the train’s arrival. The bonus is that hardly anyone climbing Snowdon has picked up any injuries and the few that have were minor.
Now teams are bedding down on the train in order to get a few hours much needed sleep before we arrive at Ravenglass on the Cumbrian coast where we’re due to disembark at 08:46. Here’s a few pictures from the day so far…
Chef Si Cooper preparing sausages for breakfast.Meanwhile, in the catering vehicle next door, the rest of the team prepare fresh sandwiches for the walkers to take with them when they leave the train at Ravenglass. Sunrise over the North Wales coast.Bodies everywhere as people crash-out on the coach floors to grab what sleep they can.
07:50.
Good morning from the Cumbrian coast! The train’s woken up and everyone’s tucking into breakfast of ‘posh’ sausage rolls (with brioche baps) and porage., washed down with orange juice, tea or coffee. Meanwhile, the onboard crew have been busy preparing hundreds of sandwiches as part of the packed lunches walkers will be given to take with them to sustain their climb up Scafell. The weather here is glorious but that presents other difficulties, dehydration and sunburn being the major ones.
Arnside from the viaduct.
12:05.
The teams disembarked at Ravenglass 25 minute late due to a track-circuit failure on the Cumbrian coast line. Two trains took them along the narrow gauge Ravenglass and Eskdale railway to Dalegarth when they begin their walk to Wasdale to the climb up Scafell. This year I had the opportunity to get ahead so that I can get pictures if them ascending the mountain. So, here I am. Waiting…
There’s worse places to spend an afternoon…
21:30.
Well, that’s been a busy day! The photo above looks idyllic but when you’re sat there for three hours waiting for people to walk up into your lens the view does wane somewhat in the heat. Temperatures reached 27 degrees on Scafell today – unheard of in the history of the 3 Peaks by rail challenge. Understandably, some walkers struggled – even the experienced ones. Yet many managed to make the summit in a real feat of endurance and determination. Here’s a couple of pictures.
Now – after a couple of hours break in Ravenglass where people could enjoy a couple of glasses of ‘muscle relaxant’ we’re back on the train and heading for Scotland. The crew served the weary walkers an excellent Lasagne followed by Banoffee pie. Most people are already getting their heads down as we’re off the train at 02:15 to get coaches from Dalwhinnie to Ben Nevis in order to start the final challenge. Yet again the weather forecast is predicting a warm one.
22:30.
Our train’s looped at Beattock summit so all you can hear is the sound of the air-con which is often drowned out by the sound of people snoring. I’m the last one alive – but not for much longer. I’ve spied that someone’s left a gap between the back to back seats, so it’s my chance to stretch out and get some shut-eye. I’ll blog as I can tomorrow. It’s going to be a long day but I should have plenty of time between the teams going up on the mountain and me getting the shots of them crossing the finish line. Well, once Fort Bill opens, anyway…
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/
