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The eleventh Rail Rover to be undertaken by the Webmaster involved a week's travelling around the West Country counties of Devon & Cornwall. Famed for its rugged coastlines and picture postcard towns and villages, the tour took in many popular destinations, from Penzance in the west, Barnstaple in the north east and Exmouth in the south east of the region. The itinerary differed considerably to the planned one shown below. |
| click here to view the photo gallery |
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DAY ONE: 1st April 2006 | ||||||||||||
| This morning shall involve a long journey from Cosham station, north of Portsmouth, to Par in Cornwall, where I should arrive at around 2.30pm. The location has been chosen as a base due to its central position and proximity to the main line railway between Plymouth and its terminus at Penzance. Later this afternoon I shall head back east for a journey on the branch line to Looe. | |||||||||||||
| DAY TWO: 2nd April 2006 | |||||||||||||
| This morning I shall head west to the extremity of the Great Western Railway line at Penzance. A break of journey on the return leg is likely to be had in Truro. | |||||||||||||
| DAY THREE: 3rd April 2006 | |||||||||||||
| Today's first destination shall be Newquay, at the terminus of the Atlantic Coast line from Par. This small town in north Cornwall is famous as the UK's premier surfing destination. There may be time later in the day to take a trip elsewhere before returning to base. | |||||||||||||
| DAY FOUR: 4th April 2006 | |||||||||||||
| Today it is hoped to head east on the long journey via Exeter to the North Devon town of Barnstaple. A break of journey is likely at at intermediate location on the return trip. | |||||||||||||
| DAY FIVE: 5th April 2006 | |||||||||||||
| Today shall see an excursion to the Cornish fishing port of Looe, located at the end of the Looe Valley Line from Liskeard. | |||||||||||||
| DAY SIX: 6th April 2006 | |||||||||||||
| Day six shall involve a journey over the Tamar Valley Line between St Budeaux and Gunnislake, which shall require a trip back over the River Tamar into Devon. It is hoped to travel to Plymouth later in the day, as this is one of only three cities in Great Britain that the Webmaster has not visited. | |||||||||||||
| DAY SEVEN: 7th April 2006 | |||||||||||||
| A journey along the Maritime Line to the port of Falmouth shall be in order today. Located on the River Fal on Cornwall's south coast, the area was synonymous with smugglers. A trip on the river may well be had, weather permitting. | |||||||||||||
| DAY EIGHT: 8th April 2006 | |||||||||||||
| The return trip to Hampshire shall be made today, thus completing the Webmaster's largest area of previously-untravelled railway lines in the country. | |||||||||||||
| Tour Diary | |
| DAY ONE: Saturday 1st April 2006 | |
| The 08:39 service to Cardiff Central departed Cosham station, north of Portsmouth, bang on time. This was fortunate as not only was this my first of three trains to deliver me to my destination today, it was also the first day that First Great Western took over the operator franchise from Wessex Trains. The Webmaster shall need much convincing that FGW shall out-perform Wessex in the coming months, so this week shall be the ideal opportunity for it to prove me wrong, as most services I shall be travelling on will be operated by FGW. The 08:39 took me as far as Bristol Temple Meads, where we arrived slightly late, but not enough to cause any problem. The weather so far was favourable, with plenty of sunshine and a small amount of fair-weather cloud. At Bristol I boarded the 11:10 Virgin service to Exeter St Davids - a journey of roughly one hour, which took me through the picturesque undulating landscape of Somerset and into east Devon. There was just enough time to purchase a sandwich at Exeter before my third train of the day pulled into the platform. The FGW High Speed Train service to Penzance would take me to my destination of Par in around two hours. Soon after leaving Exeter, the line hugs the west bank of the River Exe, where large numbers of wading birds can be spotted on the mud flats, as well as Herons and a variety of ducks. It's not long before the train passes through Dawlish Warren and into one of Britain's most famous stretches of railway - the sea wall stretch through dawlish and onto Teignmouth. The views here were magnificent and I had a grandstand view from my rearward facing seat on the right side of the train. The red cliffs looked wonderful in the spring sunshine and turquoise sea provided a very photogenic backdrop. I decided there and then that I must make a point of visiting Dawlish during the coming week, in order to photograph the area from the sea wall and from one of the overbridges that cross the railway. Before long the train pulled into Plymouth - the last British city that I had left to see. However, it was not Plymouth, but the crossing of the River Tamar that I looked forward to most. Isambard Brunel's magnificent Royal Albert Bridge carries the Great Western Railway over the river, as it has done for almost 150 years. Its juxtaposition next to the Tamar suspension bridge makes an impressive site from the train, as the line curves on the approaches to the bridge. This is another location that I must return to in order to obtain some photos and video footage before the end of the tour. At 14:26 the train pulled into Par station, just east of St Austell, where I have made my base for the week - returning to accommodation previously visited in the autumn of 2005. There was just time to unpack, buy some provisions from the local store and grab a bite to eat before it was time to head off again, back to the station. The 16:33 service took me back east, retracing my journey of this afternoon, as far as Liskeard, where I arrived shortly before 5pm. It was here that I needed to board a connecting service to the port of Looe. A half hour wait meant that there was time to pay a visit to the Old Stag Inn, located opposite the station, where I relaxed with a pint of Sharps Doom Bar Bitter - these days Cornwall's best selling real ale. The 15:27 service to Looe was operated by a single car Class 153 unit, wearing Heart of Wessex Line livery - somewhat outside it's area! The Looe Valley Line winds its way through wooded countryside, connecting a number of small villages and following the course of the River Looe for much of its route. The train saunters along at a relaxed 25mph and at Coombe Junction the guard has to leave the train in order to manually operate the points, before reboarding once the unit has cleared the junction! On arrival at Looe I walked through the narrow streets of the town centre to the harbour mouth and took a walk onto the sandy beach. The evening sunshine offered an opportunity to shoot some video footage of the bay before I took a walk along to the Ship Inn - a St Austell Brewery pub serving a fine pint of HSD. Before long it was time to make tracks back to the station for the journey back to Par, via Liskeard, where I arrived at dusk. If the rest of the week proves to be as enjoyable as today, it should be a thoroughly worthwhile trip. |
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| Today's Rail Mileage: | 311 Miles |
| DAY TWO: Sunday 2nd April 2006 | |
| Day Two's travels started at 10am when I boarded a Virgin service to take me west to the terminus of Penzance. The train was, not surprisingly, very quiet, with a maximum of only three other passengers in my carriage at best. Despite the heavy showers overnight, the weather this morning was promising and the small amount of cloud cover soon dispersed to leave a sunny day. On arrival at Penzance I took a look around town, negotiating the town's steep and often narrow streets and took a few photographs along the way. By chance I came across the local J D Wetherspoon pub and decided to drop in for an early pint. After an hour or so in town I returned to the station and found that the next service due to depart was the 12:10 which ran direct to St Ives. This was a destination that I wasn't planning on returning to this week, though under the circumstances it seemed like a worthwhile trip on such an idyllic spring day. The scenic route that hugs the coastline had never looked better than in the sunshine, with the vast sandy beaches providing some good photo opportunities - albeit through rather grubby train windows (come on Great Western - get your act together). St Ives was very busy - everyone appeared to had come out to enjoy the lovely weather. I bought myself a Cornish Pasty (as you do) from one of the many outlets around town and was promptly attacked by a diving Herring Gull, eager to snatch my food, rather than pay £1.55 for its own! I couldn't resist a return visit to the town's Golden Lion where I found the pub to be busy with local lunchtime customers. I sampled a tasty pint of Skinner's Heligan Honey before deciding to head back to the station to catch the 14:07 train to St Erth. A very brief wait was had until my connecting train pulled into the station. I was shocked to hear that it was the South West Trains service to Portsmouth Harbour - my home town! Until yesterday I'd never heard of SWT operating further west than Plymouth. It seemed strange to think that the service I was boarding could drop me off within two miles of my home! Rather that endure the five hour journey back to Portsmouth, I alighted at Truro, for a brief look around town and to seek out the City Inn - Truro's only Good Beer Guide listed pub. On returning to the station I was annoyed to find that I had just missed the eastbound train and had an hour to wait until the next. A further look at the timetable only made things worse - the next service to stop at Par was not for three hours! It's sometimes hard to get used to these rural timetables! Luckily I noticed that I could board the next train and travel on to Bodmin Parkway, where I would have a brief wait before another service would arrive to take me back in the other direction, which stopped at Par. So this I did, arriving back at base at around 6:30pm. The priority now was to cook some food before leaving the cottage for the 45 minute walk to the wonderful Rashleigh Inn, located on the beach in the picturesque cove of Polkerris. The walk from Par, via the caravan park and along the Saints Way coastal path, is an enjoyable trek, though today it was rather muddy under foot - made worse no doubt by last night's downpour. At 7:15pm I descended the steep path into Polkerris and found myself back inside my favourite Cornish pub. I ordered a pint of Sharps Doom Bar Bitter and settled down in the homely bar room. The landlord makes everyone very welcome and this makes for a very convivial atmosphere. How I wish that all pubs could be this civilised! A further pint of Clearwater Torridge Best wrapped up my visit and it was time to bid farewell to the Rashliegh, though possibly not for the last time this week. The return journey, at 8:30pm was made under a crescent moon, with the aid of a small torch to guide my way and avoid the worst of the mud along the path. Tonight's weather forecast brought favourable news, so I'm looking forward to another fine Spring day tomorrow - destination(s) as yet uncertain! |
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Today's Rail Mileage: |
113 Miles |
| Cumulative Rail Mileage: | 424 Miles |
| DAY THREE: Monday 3rd April 2006 | |
| Monday's travels got under way shortly before 9am when I boarded a Great Western local service to Plymouth. Another sunny spring morning meant that the countryside looked its best and the journey across the River Tamar via the Royal Albert Bridge was the highlight. It was my first visit to the city of Plymouth, though I wasn't able to stay long. In the 90 minutes I had in town I took a walk through the city centre (which reminded me of a sort of Soviet-style utiliterian place, with stark, concrete buildings and wide pedestrianised thoroughfares) and onto the famous Hoe - the grassy area of high bground overlooking the water, and home to the city's war memorials and the lighthouse which once stood on Eddystone Rock. I would have liked to visit the historic Barbican district but time was not on my side. I may decide to return later in the week. Instead I had to retrace my steps back to the station to board the 11:27 service to Gunnislake. The Tamar Valley line is one of the most picturesque branch lines that I have travelled over in the country. The route follows the River Tamar for much of the journey and the gradients on the line are some of the most severe I've come across. We crossed the River twice - firstly on a multi-arched steel bridge south of Bere Ferrers and later on an impressive tall stone viaduct, high above the photogenic village of Calstock. After roughly 45 minutes the train delivered me in Gunnislake, high above the Tamar Valley, with superb views east towards Dartmoor. From the station I took a walk down the extremely steep Stoney Lane - a single track road with a gradient of about 1 in 5 for it's entire quarter mile length. After a brief search at the end of the lane I found my reward - the 17th Century Rising Sun Inn - a picture-postcard rural pub with attractive gardens and fine views across the valley. I entered the pub to a friendly greeting from the landlord and I ordered a pint of Betty Stoggs Bitter. As the weather was so nice I opted to sit outside on the terrace, overlooking the wooded hills on the Devon side of the valley (I was back in Cornwall). The garden was a real suntrap and the need for anything more than a T-shirt was unnecesary - it was a beautiful spring day. I returned to the bar for another beer (though sadly I was unable to buy the meal I'd hoped for as the licensee has decided to close the kitchen because he "Didn't want to run a restaurant". I struck up a conversation with himself and the other sole customer (who, I was amazed to find, not only knew my home town but also the village in which I live!). The Rising Sun is one of those wonderful places from which it is hard to prise oneself away. However, I had to do just that, as my return train was due before long and I had that steep lane to negotiate in order to reach the station. On the return journey from Gunnislake I alighted at St Budeaux, on the Devon side of the River Tamar, and decided to put into practice a suggestion that the gentleman in the pub made to me earlier - to walk from Devon into Cornwall via the Tamar suspension bridge. After initial problems finding the correct route onto the bridge, I set about crossing the structure, making regular stops as I went in order to photograph the adjacent Royal Albert Bridge and shoot some video footage of trains making their way across it. I soon arrived back in Cornwall, in the small town of Saltash, where I walked down to the foreshore and bought a pint at the Union Inn - a building with its frontage painted as a huge Union flag. Before heading for Saltash station I bought some fish & chips from a local outlet, which I ate whilst waiting for my train back to Par, where I arrived at around 6:30pm. This evening was spent at the cottage, recuperating from miles of walking and allowing me to update this webpage. |
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| Today's Rail Mileage: | 96 Miles |
| Cumulative Rail MIleage: | 520 Miles |
| DAY FOUR: Tuesday 4th Aptil 2006 | |
| A look out of the window this morning revealed a surprisingly overcast sky - not what I has expected. My travels began aboard the 09:24 service along the Atlantic Coast Line to Newquay - a journey of around 45 minutes. The single car Class 153 unit hauled itself up some serious inclines en route to Bugle, from where the gradients became less severe. Much of the route winds through open countryside before arriving on the north coast and the terminus of Newquay. Passengers arriving at Newquay for the first time are left in no doubt that this is the self-proclaimed surf capital of the United Kingdom. No sooner have you left the station, you are confronted by a row of shops selling everything necessary for those wishing to ride the waves on a plank! I made my way down to the harbour - a traditional port which has become overshadowed by the town's more recent fame as a leisure resort. It's quite easy to tell, even in early April, that this place is likely to become full to bursting in the summer months. A proliferation of amusement arcades and "fun bars" make it quite obvious that high season in Newquay is certainly not for the faint hearted (or the over 30s!). The webmaster envisages a scene from hell!! That aside, the natural scenery is most impressive and the views from atop the cliffs overlooking the various beaches are a fine spectacle. Despite a chill in the air, the sun did its best to penetrate through the high-level cloud, though perhaps not as effectively as on previous days this week. I shot some video footage of novice surfers attempting to get to grips with the basic principals of the 'sport', though success wasn't that forthcoming! One surprise to be had was coming across the Skinner's Ale House whilst in town. Run by the Truro-based brewery of the same name, this was a most welcome find and I enjoyed a good pint of Betty Stoggs during my brief visit. Lunch was had at the Towan Blystra - the local J D Wetherspoon house, which as well as having bilingual signage within the pub, has also opted to give the house itself a Cornish name. Whilst I find it commendable that a company is doing its part to keep the local dialect alive, I also find it slightly pretentious, as all JDW houses within the county appear to sign everything principally in Cornish, with English as the second language. It makes me wonder how many of the patrons actually understand a word of the former. Departure from Newquay was at 12:25. A connection at Par took me forward to Truro, where I had a forty minute wait until the service to Falmouth departed at 14:32. I alighted at the terminus, Falmouth Docks, and walked back into the town centre via the quayside. I was surprised to find two Royal Naval vessels in port, including the RFA ship HMS Argus. I set about filming and photographing the views across the water and stopped by at the Chain Locker for a drink on the quay. I'd hoped to take a ferry over to St Mawes, but the timings meant that I would've had to have returned immediately due to the final trip of the day being rather early. Instead I killed time in town before making my way to Penmere station, effectively a suburb of Falmouth. The short journey back to Truro gave me a perfect connection onto an eastbound train, and I opted to alight at St Austell, as I've not visited the town so far this week. I sought out the sole Good Beer Guide listed pub in town, The Western on West Hill, and later relocated to the very comfortable White Hart Hotel, closer to the station, where I was able to find a nice pint of HSD. The return to Par was made aboard the 19:35 service and I have therefore now concluded my tour of the Cornish passenger rail network. The remaining three days shall therefore mainly be concentrated in Devon... |
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Today's Rail Mileage: |
104 Miles |
Cumulative Rail Mileage: |
624 Miles |
| DAY FIVE: Wednesday 5th April 2006 | |
| An earlier than usual start was required this morning as there was a fair distance to cover on my travels today. I left Par on the 08:29 Virgin service to Glasgow Central, on which I travelled as far as Newton Abbot in Devon. Here I had an hour to kill until my onward train was due. I took a look around the small town centre and managed to get a good deal on some video tapes for my camcorder. I dropped by at the Richard Hopkins pub for a quick half before it was time to return to the station. Despite the weather being a cloudless, sunny day, there was a chill wind blowing, and nowhere was this more prevelent than on the station. I was glad to get aboard the train which would take me down the Riviera Coast to the terminus of Paignton. The seafront at Paignton was certainly cold, with the waves being carried forcefully onto the beach by the stiff onshore breeze. Two brave surfers clad in wetsuits were riding the waves either side of the pier. The views towards Torquay and the cliffs further down the coast looked attractive, but it was a shame it wasn't a little warmer. I was toying with the idea of stopping off in Torquay on the return trip, but instead decided to stay on the train as far as Dawlish. I'd been planning to visit here at some point this week, and today seemed to be the obvious choice, what with it being such a fine, sunny day. Dawlish was more sheltered than Paignton which meant I could feel the warmth of the sun for the first time today. This is certainly one of the most picturesque stretches of the south coast and the main railway line hugs the sea wall - as a result it is the most expensive stretch of the UK railway to maintain, due to the battering it takes during inclement weather. The sea wall contains a public promenade which stretches all the way along the coast to Dawlish Warren and beyond. I set off to follow the route and shot plenty of video footage of the natural surroundings, as well as of the passing trains. The red-stone cliffs that form the backdrop to the railway line look wonderful in the afternoon sun and these extend out into the sea in places, with a small number of seastacks standing isolated from the mainland. Before long I had covered the distance between Dawlish and Dawlish Warren (around two miles) and had timed it perfectly for my onward train. As it was still only 2pm I decided to head off to Exmouth, which I could see from Dawlish Warren, on the opposite side of the River Exe. The journey took around 45 minutes and on arrival in Exmouth I stopped by at the Powder Monkey in order to have a meal and a couple of pints. The manager spotted my CAMRA T-shirt and came over for a chat about beer. He is an enthusiastic licensee, holding regular beer festivals and stocking an impressive array of quality ales from local brewers. On leaving the pub I walked along to the sea front and began my search for the Exmouth that doesn't actually exist! I was disappointed that the town didn't include the quaint fishing harbour that I had expected. Instead, the harbour has been surrounded by modern apartments and looks more like a 21st Century marina than an historic port. I left Exmouth aboard the 16:24 service, which delivered me into Exeter St David's station half an hour later. My final journey of the day, to take me back to base, wasn't due to depart until 17:32, so I dropped in at the Great Western Hotel - a beer lovers' watering hole that I'm already familiar with, having visited in the past. I was especially pleased to see a beer from the fledgling Purple Moose brewery on offer, which I settled down with a pint of before returning to the station next door. The two hour Great Western express service back to Par proved to be an enjoyable trip and I made a point of taking some video footage of the stretch of line through Dawlish and the traverse of the Royal Albert Bridge. Once back at the cottage there was plenty of time to relax and update the website before retiring for the night, ready for a trip back into Devon in the morning. |
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| Today's Rail Mileage: | 211 Miles |
Cumulative Rail Mileage: |
835 Miles |
| DAY SIX: Thursday 6th April 2006 | |
| Thursday started in much the same vain as yesterday - I boarded the 08:29 Virgin service from Par, to take me forward to Exeter St David's. I was surprised at the amount of frost that lay on the ground this morning - I didn't consider it to be that cold down here in the south west. Despite the initial chill it was another fine, sunny day and I enjoyed the two hour trip to St David's. It was here that I had to connect onto a train bound for Barnstaple, on the North Devon coast. The Tarka Line, as it is known, winds its way through the rolling Devon countryside with much of the route following the course of the River Taw, which empties into the sea at Bridport. There were few passengers on the train and it was nice to be able to sit back in peace and watch the views go by. On arrival in Barnstaple I crossed the river (which is by now quite wide) and walked into the town centre. It's a typical market town though was busier than I'd expected it to be. Much of the traffic has been diverted away from the High Street area, making it easier for the pedestrian to get around the narrow streets. There were a couple of Good Beer Guide listed pubs in town that I wanted to visit. The first, Marshall's, is located in the town centre and was easy to find. I was pleased to see a cask mild available (from the Barum Brewery a few hundred yards up the road), so I ordered a pint and stayed about twenty minutes. The other pub I'd wanted to visit was in Pilton, on the other side of the River Yeo (Barnstaple's second river). I had to go into W H Smith to consult a local street map so that I could find my way. It was little more than a five minute walk from where I was and I found it without any trouble. The Reform Inn is the Barum Brewery tap and was a peciliar sort of place - stuck in the 1970s, if the decor is anything to go by! I went into the lounge bar, where I was initially the only customer. I tried the Barum IPA and Barum Original and spent my time in the pub looking at a fantastic old book about the UK coast. Eventually I headed back to the station to catch a train back to Exeter, shortly before 3pm. A change of trains at Exeter took me to Teignmouth, where I had passed through a number of times this week and liked the look of. Unfortunately, I was unable access the picturesque area I had seen from the train, which provided views across the water and would have been perfect for photography. I could probably have got there okay with the aid of a map, but time did not allow this, as I was only in town for one hour. I stumbled across the Blue Anchor pub, which declared "A wide range of real ales" on a board outside. This looked promising, so I decided to venture inside. I found about seven ales available and I opted for the Teignworthy Winter Daze, a darkish beer which is now a little out-of-season judging by its name! I also spotted a beer from the Gargoyles Brewery which apparently is located up the road in Dawlish. I'd not heard of it before and asked the landlord how long they had been around. "Ask him" replied the publican, pointing to the gentleman stood next to me, "He's the brewer!" I struck up a conversation with him and he told me that the beer is still in the test brew stage, with each batch being slightly different. I told him that I thought it was very nice - a malty best bitter, not dissimilar to some Scottish 80/- ales. I also got into conversation with another traveller whilst there. He'd come down from Weston-super-Mare for the day on the train and was also on the lookout for some good beers. I headed back to the station soon after and caught a connecting service a short distance up the line in Newton Abbot, from where I arrived back in Par shortly before 8pm. And so that concludes the bulk of my rail travels for the week, having now covered all the passenger railway lines in both Devon and Cornwall - more than I had even planned to do! Tomorrow shall be spent closer to base and will not involve any lengthy journeys. |
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Today's Rail Mileage: |
252 Miles |
Cumulative Rail Mileage: |
1087 Miles |
| DAY SEVEN: Friday 7th April 2006 | |
| As I had nowhere specific to get to this morning I was able to have a lay in and didn't leave the cottage 'til 11:15am. The 11:30 Cardiff Central service took me four miles up the line to the ancient Cornish capital of Lostwithiel. This pictureque small town has a number of historic buildings as well as a medieval bridge that croses the River Foyer, just north of the station. Two Good Beer Guide listed pubs can be found in town. The first of these is the Royal Oak - a 13th century inn with a good choice of ales, though sadly dominated by its restaurant area, thus relagating drinkers to a small area close to the bar counter. My visit was cut short due to the overbearing and inconsiderate attitude of a couple of pompous-sounding regulars, who entered the pub in as if they were addressing a public meeting. I therefore exited the premises promptly, with a dissaproving glare aimed towards the offending persons. I was not a happy man. Thankfully the second pub, the Glode Inn was far more down to earth, with a friendly welcome and a convivial atmosphere. A good range of Cornish ales were on offer and I sampled the Sharps Will's Resolve and Skinners Ginger Tosser. Whilst in the Globe I decided on my plans for the remainder of the day - I would make the journey to the famous Blue Anchor brewpub in Helston, as it would be very unlikely that I shall have the opportunity to visit the pub in the future. I boarded the 13:17 out of Lostwithiel and travelled to Redruth where I needed to catch a bus to Helston, 10 miles away. I arrivd in town at around 3pm and the bus stop just happened to be right outside the Blue Anchor! The pub is ancient and is divided in two by a corridor which runs down the centre. The bar rooms are rustic, with just basic stools and chairs, and heavy wooden tables. All the pump clips on the bar counter are identical, so the visitor needs to check the current beer list posted on the wall. I started with a Middle, which at 5% ABV is one of the weaker brews! I struck up a conversation with one of the regulars, a naval officer from nearby RNAS Culdrose. Next on the menu was the Braggan, a light coloured ale created in the style of an English medieval beer, weighing in at 6% ABV. Last but not least was the Easter Special, a tasty dark ale at 6.8%. Luckily, after around 90 minutes or so in the pub, it was time to make tracks back to Redruth on the bus, where I managed to get a good connection aboard a Great Western HST to take me back to Par. I arrived back at the cottage at 7pm and had a relaxing evening, all set to begin my long journey back to Portsmouth tomorrow morning. As I type this it is 10:15pm and the rain has been falling heavily outside. I have been so lucky with the weather whilst I've been down here in the south west. Only twice have I heard it rain - and both times it was around 10pm when I was here at the cottage. I only hope that the tour finishes in good weather too, as it would be a shame to be journeying home in the wet tomorrow. |
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Today's Rail Mileage: |
65 Miles |
Cumulative Rail Mileage: |
1152 Miles |
| DAY EIGHT: Saturday 8th April 2006 | |
| It's now shortly before 9am and I'm ten minutes into my homebound journey. So far, things are going well - the weather is as hoped, with plenty of blue sky and sunshine and I was delighted to find that the service I have boarded is bound for Portsmouth Harbour. It even serves Cosham, meaning no need for a connection en route! The only minor inconvenience is that I am to be spending roughly the next five hours aboard a rather cramped Class 150 DMU - not the sort of vehicle you want to be travelling on for two hours, let alone five! I've a feeling that the service will be full to standing by the time we depart Plymouth in around an hour's time, though I hope to be proved wrong on that point! The train eventually pulled into Cosham station at 13:55, roughly five hours after I boarded at Par this morning. It had, in fact, been a very pleasant journey throughout, and despite being a busy service, I had two seats to myself for most of the trip. The expected masses never materialised and a fifteen minute layover at Westbury meant that I was also able to get off the train to stretch my legs. This has been one of the most enjoyable rail tours I've done since I started them a few years' ago and I have been very lucky with the weather throughout the whole week. As for the next tour, I've now reached the position where I only have small pockets of railway lines around Britain that I have not covered. Lincolnshire is one area, and parts of South and West Wales are others, so I may well be off to one of those locations before the year is out. Until then, that's all my roving done with for now. |
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Today's Rail Mileage: |
236 Miles |
Cumulative Rail Mileage: |
1390 Miles |
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