DAY ONE: Saturday 30th October
		This morning shall see me set off from Havant station in Hampshire, travelling initially to London Waterloo and on to Liverpool Street station for the 'one Anglia' inter-city service to Norwich. This shall be an interesting start to the tour, as I have never used this service out of Liverpool Street, and once past Colchester the route becomes uncharted territory for me. My base for the week shall be a hotel close to the railway station in Norfolk's capital city. This afternoon I shall set about exploring the historic centre of Norwich and visit the cathedral. This evening shall be spent at the annual CAMRA Norwich Beer Festival.
Norwich Cathedral
		DAY TWO: Sunday 31st October
		This morning I shall be heading out of Norwich on the 53 mile journey to Ely. The city is dominated by one of England's finest medieval cathedrals, to which I shall be paying a second visit. Later in the day I shall travel to Wymondham for a visit to the preserved Mid Norfolk Railway, which features a number of classic diesel locomotives.
Lincoln Cathedral
		DAY THREE: Monday 1st November
		Today I shall head south to Ipswich, via the east coast port of Lowestoft, for a look around Suffolk's largest town. A later journey may be made on the Felixstowe branch before heading back to base.
The Quay, Gt Yarmouth
		DAY FOUR: Tuesday 2nd November
		A return visit down to Suffolk should be on the cards today, in order to explore the town of Bury St Edmunds, with its historic cathedral and abbey. A drink at the Old Cannon Brewery brewpub shall be in order before leaving town. My journey shall also take me via Stowmarket, where I shall need to change trains on the outward and return trips.
Ely Cathedral
		DAY FIVE: Wednesday 3rd November
		Day Five shall see me head off outside the confines of East Anglia, in order to pay an overdue visit to the lovely City of Lincoln. This shall involve travelling initially to Ely, where I shall need to purchase a seperate ticket for the journey, which shall take me via Peterborough. Lincoln is another eastern city most famed for its huge cathedral. The city centre has a number of historic streets and buildings, and the River Witham flows through the city.
Sheringham
		DAY SIX: Thursday 4th November
		Today I shall be staying closer to base, travelling over the Wherry Lines to the coastal port of Great Yarmouth. Among the attractions here is the town's Historic Quay. The return journey shall include a break at Reedham, to visit the Railway Tavern to sample the local Humpty Dumpty Brewery beers.
Oulton Broad
		DAY SEVEN: Friday 5th November
		My last full day of roving shall mean ensuring that I travel over any local lines that I haven't already managed to cover earlier in the week. If time permits, I shall probably head off to Cambridge - a city I know quite well and one that is always worth visiting.
Norman Tower, Bury St Edmunds
		DAY EIGHT: Saturday 6th November
		This morning shall see me depart from Norwich and head back to the south coast after what hopefully shall have been another worthwhile week of rail roving.
Kings College Chapel, Cambridge

The Diary
DAY ONE: Saturday 30th October
I was heartened to wake up to partially clear skies this morning, bearing in mind how unsettled the weather has been recently. I set off on the 09:35 fast service from Havant to London Waterloo, where I crossed town via bus to Liverpool Street station. Here I paid a visit to the Hamilton Hall pub for an early lunch before heading down to the station concourse, where I spent a short time photographing a variety of the trains that serve the station (for inclusion in the On The Rails pages of this site). My train out of Liverpool Street was the 12:30 service to Norwich. I was especially looking forward to this journey, as I rarely travel out of Liverpool Street, and the route north of Colchester was entirely new to me. As I chose to upgrade to First Class it was a very relaxing trip, with no more than two other passengers sharing my carriage. The clear blue London skies later gave way to overcast conditions as we headed into Suffolk, though thankfully the rain stayed away. The journey through Norfolk was more undulating than I'd expected, and more wooded too. Whenever Norfolk is mentioned, the mind always tends to picture a very flat landscape, punctuated with parish church towers and windmills, though this certainly isn't the scene along the main line to Norwich. On arival at my destination it was a short walk to my hotel on Thorpe Road. I was particularly pleased to find that the Chalk Hill Brewery and its adjoining pub is no more than a two minute walk from my base! After checking-in and unpacking I headed straight back to the station to purchase my Anglia Plus rover ticket, which shall cover virtually all of my rail travel over the next seven days. On leaving the station it was time to head for the city's most well-known landmark, Norwich Cathedral. Here I spent some time photographing both the exterior and interior of this magnificent building. I plan to return to the cathedral later in the week as during my time there this afternoon a service was in progress, which restricted my movement around the church - particulary the beautiful Lady Chapel. On leaving the cathedral I took a wander around the medieval centre of Norwich and took more photographs. First impressions of the Anglian capital are very favourable - I can quite understand why it is such a well-liked city. My next port of call was the Roman Catholic cathedral on the other side of town, on Earlham Road. This was certainly an extremely impressive church - in fact the best provincial RC cathedral that I have visited. Its size alone is quite daunting, and to find yourself alone in such a huge, almost humbling building is quite sobering. On the subject of sobriety, my walk back into the city centre eventually brought me to a rather fine pub, situated on the south bank of the River Wensum. The Ribs of Beef sold a vast range of real ales and I spent an hour here killing time before heading off to St Andrew's Hall for the 27th annual Norwich Beer Festival. The queue outside was substantial, and after twenty minutes the doors opened. The venue is certainly impressive, as it is a large Gothic hall, presumably a former church, with an intact organ dominating the east end of the main hall. The festival was excellent and I even bumped into an old aquaintance from the Portsmouth Beer Festival! The live entertainment was top-notch and I thoroughly enjoyed my visit. After a couple of hours it was time to head back to the hotel, in order to update the website and finalise plans for tomorrow. A good start to the trip for sure.
Today's Rail Mileage:	181 Miles
DAY TWO: Sunday 31st October
After a restless night, brought on by noise and excessive heat in my hotel, I was pleased to be leaving at 9am for my journey west to the small Cambridgeshire city of Ely. The journey time from Norwich was just short of one hour and despite being a busy train, the trip was an enjoyable one. The sun was shining as the train took us through varied rural settings, punctuated by small towns en route. The small station of Wymondham looked especially picturesque, with its floral displays and old fashioned signage. Much care had obviously been taken to replicate a railway station of yesteryear, to good effect. Further down the line around Thetford, the landscape is dominated by coniferous forest and appeared to be good walking country, some of it not dissimilar to the New Forest. As the forests disappear and the train nears Ely, the scene becomes classic Fenland landscape, with uniform fields of dark aluvial soils that this part of the country is so well-known for. It was good to be back in Ely - my first visit for at least a decade. The view of the cathedral from the surrounding area is nothing short of magnificent. The structure is totally unique in its architecture and cannot fail to impress even the most casual of visitors. I spent some time strolling around the small city centre, killing time waiting for the morning service to finish before I could have a proper look around inside the cathedral. This was the first time I'd been inside the building and was immediately struck by the unusual painted nave ceiling. However, its crowning glory is surely the unique octagon and lantern tower - an incredible feat of medieval engineering. On leaving the cathedral there was time for a quick drink in two of the city's best locals before I headed back to the station for a train back in the direction of Wymondham. On arrival at the latter, I enquired as to the whereabouts of the Mid Norfolk Railway's Wymondham Abbey Station - it was further away than I'd thought, on the opposite side of town, so I had to rush there in order to catch the 14.30 train to Dereham. I had no idea what sort of train would be running. The MNR is a heritage diesel railway and operates a variety of different vehicles. I arrived to find a three car Class 101 multiple unit standing in the platform. These trains have the added attraction of being able to sit behind the driver and see the line ahead, although on this journey there was only one passenger other than myself! The journey to Dereham takes around 40 minutes as the train chugs through the Norfolk countryside at a leisurely pace. On arrival at Dereham I set about taking some photos around the station area and killing time before the return journey took me back to Wymondham, by which time it was dusk. I arrived back in Norwich at around 4.15 and headed off for a pub meal in the city centre before returning to the hotel to set about updating the website.
Today's Rail Mileage:	108 Miles
Cumulative Rail Mileage:	289 Miles
DAY THREE: Monday 1st November
This morning I awoke to cloudy skies, although the weather forecast promised better things to come for this afternoon. I left town on the 08.57 service to Lowestoft, a journey which traverses one of the Wherry Lines through the Norfolk Broads. The route is unsurprisingly very rural, passing a number of waterways en route to Britain's most easterly town. The sight of a windmill on the banks of a the River Waveney was enough to confirm to me that I was now very much in the heart of the Norfolk Broads! Lowestoft proved to be a typical east coast port, though it also brought a few surprises in as much that there were a number of historic buildings located towards the northern end of the High Street- some of which date from the 16th Century. A number of small lanes, or 'scores', lead east towards the sea from the High Street. These days Lowestoft is principally known as a major port, and is home to number of vessels, including marine rescue ships. On leaving Lowestoft, I headed off on a 90 minute journey to Ipswich. This route heads south via the small towns of Beccles, Saxmundham and Woodbridge and follows a typically rural route consisting mainly of wetlands, farmland and punctuated with small wooded areas. Among the more unusual livestock seen along the route were Highland cattle and at least two Llama farms! On arrival at Ipswich I set about exploring the town centre, which I found to be rather more interesting that I'd expected, with a large number of historic buildings, dating from Tudor times. The waterfront along the north bank of the River Orwell is undergoing a transformation into a conservation area, though I feel that there is still some way to go before it achieves its full potential as a serious tourist attraction. From here I set off on a long trek to the Fat Cat> pub, located on the eastern edge of town. This multi-award winning bar offers a huge range of real ales, virtually all served direct from the cask. The landlord was welcoming and I spent a pleasant ninety minutes or so here before heading off to Derby Road station for the 15.22 train to Felixstowe. I soon found myself in a not untypical eastern port town, with seemingly less in the way of ameneties than Lowestoft! I stopped by at the local Wimpy bar for a bite to eat, and was pleasantly surprised to find that these faded precursors to McDonald's and Burger King seem to have undergone a transformation since my last experience, over a decade ago. Waitress service is now the order of the day, and the food is certainly a lot nicer than I recall from days gone by! So at least I have something to remember Felixstowe for!! Before leaving town I stopped by for a quick pint in Chuffers bar, located in the former station buildings - the present station having been disected from the original by a road and car park, and situated around 200yds west of the old structure. A change of trains was necessary at Ipswich, where I boarded a non-stop intercity service back to Norwich. I finished the day by winding down with a pint at the Coach & Horses, located a stone's throw from my hotel. This pub is also home to the Chalk Hill brewery, which brews a number of fine ales. Once back at the hotel I set about updating the website and keeping an eye on this evening's TV quiz shows.
Today's Rail Mileage:	144 Miles
Cumulative Rail Mileage:	433 Miles
Tuesday 2nd November
Looking out of the hotel window this morning I was greeted my a misty, drizzly day. Undetered I headed off on the 08.00 service to Stowmarket, for what was planned to be a straightforward journey to Bury St Edmunds. However, I decided en route to embark on a round trip, which was to take me from Stowmarket to Cambridge, then up to Ely before heading for Bury St Edmunds via a different line. There were a couple of reasons for this roundabout route - firstly, I didn't want to arrive in Bury too early, as it would mean that I'd be unable to pay a visit to the Old Cannon Brewery. Secondly, my plan for the week is to cover every possible rail route that my rover ticket allows - therefore by travelling via Cambridge and Ely today I would no longer need to travel to this neck of the woods later in the week. The trip from Stowmarket to Cambridge took around 75 minutes aboard a single car '153' unit. By this time the weather had really closed in, reducing visibility by quite a margin. Once at Cambridge it was a quick change of platforms for the short journey to Ely. Here I had around 45 minutes to spare, so I took a brief walk along to the marina on the River Cam. I departed Ely in heavy drizzle and things had only got worse by the time the train arrived at Bury. This was unfortunate as I found Bury to be a lovely town, with a very historic and photogenic centre. It would have been a delight to explore in fine weather, though today was really not the best time. I took a walk along to the Abbey Gardens, which even at this time of year were being tended to by the gardeners. The variety of trees in the park made for a multicoloured display of leaves. A medieval arch guards the entrance to the park, adjacent to which is St Edmundsbury Cathedral - now in its final stages of completion after many centuries without a central lantern tower. I spent some time looking around inside the cathedral, which I found to appear smaller from the inside compared to how it looks from the exterior. Nonetheless, it is a lovely church, which shall soon look even better when the central tower is unveiled from its shroudings. Before leaving Bury I took a walk along to the Old Cannon Brewery on Cannon Street. This excellent little pub and brewery is located in a Victoran residential street and has been converted to give the feel of a continental brewpub. A brief stop at the Bushel for a pint and a sandwich was my final task before returning to the station for my train back to Stowmarket. Unfortunately, due to a slow running freight service, my train was delayed and failed to make the connection with the Norwich-bound service at Stowmarket. Faced with a long wait at Stowmarket, with no decent local open mid-afternoon to visit, I opted to stay aboard the train until it reached Ipswich. Here I waited for the 15.39 Norwich service to take me back to base. Back in Norfolk's capital, I took a walk through the city centre and visited theGlasshouse where I had a meal. From there I took a walk along the banks of the river where I managed to loose my sense of direction completely! Thankfully I was equipped with a street map, so was able to establish where I was in relation to the hotel, and I was soon back at base, with an entire evening ahead of me to update the website and catch up on the latest US Presidential Election news!
Today's Rail Mileage:	190 Miles
Cumulative Rail Mileage:	623 Miles
DAY FIVE: Wednesday 3rd November
It's now about 10.15pm and I've not long been back at the hotel after a long day's travelling. It's just a shame that I had to switch on the 10 O'Clock News only to have my fears confirmed - that corrupt Texan idiot has somehow managed to stay in the White House for a second term! What on earth were the American people thinking? They are obviously as stupid as I always suspected they were. I left town this morning on the 08.16 Central Trains service, which took me direct to Peterborough, which due to being outside my Rover ticket area, I had to purchase a ticket to take me forward from Ely. It was a bright morning and the sun shone for part of the journey - as we passed through the forests around Thetford, the fields were covered in a low blanket of mist, which looked magical in the diffuse morning sun. On arrival at Peterborough I had around 45 minutes or so before my connecting service was due, so I headed into town to pay a visit to the huge Norman cathedral, which stands at the heart of the city. Before long it was time to leave Peterborough and continue on to my destination - the majestic City of Lincoln. I'd been looking forward to this as it took me via a route I'd never travelled over in the past, via Spalding and Sleaford, across the flat Fens of South Lincolnshire, known as <i>Holland</i>. By now the weather had become rather misty - something I've come to notice that is characteristic of the Fens as I've been travelling through this part of the world recently. As the train neared journey's end, Lincoln Cathedral could be seen standing high on its hill, like a beacon for miles around. My first task on arrival in Lincoln was to have a meal, so I headed for the Forum on Silver Street for a nice steak.From here I climbed the extremely steep cobbled lanes to the medieval centre of the city, where the cathedral becomes almost overwhelming by its sheer enormity. Besides Durham, Lincoln must surely be built on the most formidable site of any Englishcathedral. I was very surprised to find how quiet it was around the old town. Very few tourists were present at all - I guess they're all waiting to decend on the city when the annual Lindum Fayre is held later this month. I paid a visit to the castle, which stands facing the cathedral on the hill. From the castle walls and lookout tower the visitor has a superb view, not ony of the church and the city, but across the whole of South Lincolnshire - even on a misty day such as this! The castle itself is unusual as it also contains the city's Crown Court - so whilst tourists are exploring the grounds of the historic site, others are stood around discussing their cases, and prison vans enter the grounds with defendants for trial! On leaving the castle I set about seeking out a few Good Beer Guide listed pubs around town. The best for sure was the wonderful Strugglers Inn, seemingly named after those unfortunates who didn't want to keep their appointment with the gallows. This Victorian inn was extremely homely, with friendly service and an impressive beer range. I sought out a few more hostelries before leaving town on the 16.56 service to Newark Northgate. Now this seemed strange - when I left the hotel this morning I certainly didn't expect to be in a fish & chip shop in Nottinghamshire this evening, but that I was! Due to a train delay I opted to board a service to Grantham before continuing back to Peterborough. Once here I found that my connecting train to Norwich had also been delayed. This is where my knowledge of Peterborough came in handy...a short stroll from the station brought me to the superb Brewery Tap - the home of Oakham Ales. This award-winning bar and brewery is housed in a former job centre and has an interior very much like an American brewpub, with huge fermenting vessels visible behind glass walls. It's a great atmosphere and I was able to relax on a comfy leather sofa with a pint of JHB before having to return to the station. I eventually arrived back in Norwichat around 9.45pm after what has been the best day of the week so far.
Today's Rail Mileage:	284 Miles
Cumulative Rail Mileage:	907 Miles
DAY SIX: Thursday 4th November
I set off this morning on the 08.35 train to Great Yarmouth, for a morning exploring the so-called Wherry Lines that traverse the Norfolk Broads. sadly it was rather wet and misty weatherwise, so I was unable to appreciate the landscape in the best conditions. The broadland area between Acle and Yarmouth is incredibly flat - for miles around, with a series of drainage channels cut through the fields on which cows and sheep graze. A number of windmills can be seen along the route, though sadly not many of their sails still survive. On reaching Yarmouth I decided to head straight back out on the same train, as there was another line in the area that I wanted to travel over, and this was the only way I was going to be able to do it, due to the line having a very limited service. I left the train at the broadland village of Brundall - the station stands adjacent to a large boat yard on the River Yar and would be a nice place to explore in finer weather. Thankfully by now it had stopped raining and pockets of blue sky were beginning to appear from time to time. Brundall station was very picturesque and felt like I'd stepped back in time! A manned level crossing with manually-operated gates stands adjacent to the platforms, along with a small signalbox to the east. Semaphore signalling is still a feature of these lines too - the 21st Century is very much a long way off in this neck of the woods! From Brundall I caught a service to another small station on the Wherry Lines. Reedham is a small village on the line to Lowestoft and stands near a junction at which two lines diverge. Sadly the station itself was very run down. It would have been nice to have dropped by at the Station Inn, which I'd originally planned to do before embarking on this week's tour, but it was some way before opening hours and I had another train to catch, to take me over the seldom-used line via Berney Arms station back to Great Yarmouth. Berney Arms station stands in the middle of nowhere on flat broadland terrain. Only one or two houses and a disused windmill appear to be nearby - there's not even a road! No wonder there's such a limited service! Back in Yarmouth I set off to have a late morning pub meal then headed towards the seafront for a stroll along the beach. There's miles of sand here and I bet it is packed in high season. It was a different story today though, despite the clouds now having lifted and given way to a fine autumn day. Thirty huge wind turbines stand in the North Sea, a couple of miles offshore, making a curious sight. They are often the cause of controversy these days, though I find them quite pleasing to the eye - graceful, majestic even. I was a little disappointed with Yarmouth. I had read about an "historic waterfront", though I found nothing of much note either along the seafront or on the banks of the River Yar, from which the town takes its name. Before leaving town I checked out a couple of Good Beer Guide listed pubs - the St John's Head being particularly pleasant, with a good range of ales and a welcoming landlady. From Yarmouth it was a 30 minute journey back to Norwich, where I had around 45 minutes to kill before boarding a Bittern Line service to Sheringham - the route which would complete my tour of all the Norfolk and Suffolk railway lines. The journey took one hour and I found Sheringham to be a nice little seaside town. By now the sun was going down and the sea looked very tranquil from the steep promenade. Gulls and Cormorants pearched on the groynes that radiate out along the length of the beach. The High Street is home to a number of curious craft shops, selling just about anything you could buy as a souvenir of your holiday - though thankfully lacking the tackiness of many resorts' shops. A quick pint of local stout in the Lobster was in order before heading back to Norwich, where I arrived at around 5.45pm. I decided to spend this evening at the hotel, as I had a late night yesterday and shall probably have a long day tomorrow.
Today's Rail Mileage:	125 Miles
Cumulative Rail MIleage:	1032 Miles
DAY SEVEN: Friday 5th November
For my final day of roving I decided to head off outside my railcard area again and travel to a couple of places that I've wanted to visit for a long time. I left Norwich on the 08.16 service bound for Birmingham New Street. Shortly before 10.30 I arrived at my destination - in the heart of Britain's smallest county - Rutland. The market town of Oakham has a picturesque old centre, with its 12th Century Great Hall standing in the grounds of the former castle. The exclusive Oakham School stands nearby and there are a number of thatched cottages built, as much of the town is, in attractive limestone. Adjoining the railway station is a fomer warehouse which is now home to the excellent Grainstone Pub & Brewery, Suffice to say that I made the point of paying a visit before leaving town - the rustic barn-like interior is very characterful and the perfect place to relax with a top-class pint and a bite to eat. On leaving Oakham, I had a short journey back in the direction I came from, to the Lincolnshire town of Stamford. I'd seen a photograph of Stamford in a UK touring guide some years ago, and had wanted to visit the town since then, although I wasn't quite expecting what I found - possibly the loveliest old market town I'd ever come across in the whole of the UK. Stamford is, quite simply, an absolute delight. The town is built entirely of traditional limestone, in the style associated with the Cotswold towns of Wiltshire and Gloucestershire, though Stamford is on a greater scale. The buildings around town span a number of centuries and there are three large churches concentrated around the centre of town. The River Welland flows through Stamford and is reminiscent of the riverside in the Wiltshire town of Bradford-on-Avon. I took a number of photos around town and dropped by at a selection of Good Beer Guide listed pubs, all of which I found to be friendly and full of character. There was also a military presence around town and RAF tornadoes can be seen overhead, as they can in nearby Oakham. I spent a few hours in Stamford before heading back to the station for the long journey back to Norwich.
Today's Rail Mileage:	220 Miles
Cumulative Rail MIleage:	1252 Miles
DAY EIGHT: Saturday 6th November
Well it was time to get my things together this morning, check out of the hotel and head off on the short walk to the station, where I arived in plenty of time for my 10am departure down to London Liverpool Street. I opted to upgrade to first class, as I did on the outward journey, to give myself more space and a quieter environment in which to relax in. Once at Liverpool Street I grabbed a pasty to eat whilst waiing for the bus to take me across town to Waterloo. Here I arrived just in time to board the 12.38 fast service to Havant, where I completed my journey. Thus ends a week of travels around the east of England (and the East Midlands too!) There shall now be a fairly long break before the next railtour kicks off from Euston Station, en route to the Scottish Highlands, next Spring. Until then, it's goodbye!
Today's Rail MIleage:	181 Miles
TOTAL RAIL MILEAGE:	1433 Miles

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